Europe travel connection???

[lojay 2]

We are travelling from Miami to Munich  this spring and have to make a decision if  want to do a transfer in Europe or one in US before arriving in Miami.  I have flown from Europe numerous times but have always had direct flights. 

Friends have told be to transfer on the other and get a direct flight to Miami. 

My options are to transfer in London or Frankfurt and if I decide to do US then it would be Newark.  All connection times are approximately two hours.

 

Your thoughts please..... I have to put the plans to bed and am leaning on transfer in Europe but  just want to make sure, doing the right  thing. 

[lojay 2]

sorry mis print should be Munich to Miami 

[Harters]

All things equal, I would prefer to do the transfer before the stresses and time lags of a transatlantic flight. 

[pinotlover]

1. Since EWR was mentioned, it sounds as if United is the chosen carrier.

 

2. Frankfurt airport can be a pain in the hinter.

 

3. I have GE, thus precheck, so the U.S. immigration regime isn’t difficult.

 

4. If my luggage doesn’t make my all my flights , I’d rather have them left in the States than Europe.

 

5. I would make the non stop from Munich to the States, then the connection to Miami.

[ICT lineman]

Would avoid EWR (Newark)

 

Suggest Delta 767-400 non-stop to ATL (Atlanta) with 2+ hour layover to MIA

[pinotlover]

2 hours ago, ICT lineman said:

Would avoid EWR (Newark)

 

Suggest Delta 767-400 non-stop to ATL (Atlanta) with 2+ hour layover to MIA

I’d suggest American through Charlotte. American may go MUN-MIA, direct depending upon season.

[AMHuntFerry]

Another thing to consider...if the short hop in Europe is on a codeshare (e.g., Lufthansa), the non-US airlines tend to have a much more limited weight max (~8 lbs?) for carryons and were enforcing it. Also, when we flew Premium Econ on United, the Lufhansa code share did not recognize any of our premium-perks (extra checked bags, priority security, etc.) and the TSA precheck was missing from my spouse's boarding pass (we have Global Entry) which we didn't notice until we were going through security in the US (we know to check but everything was not working as it should that day so it slipped our notice).

[Twocoasts]

To Europe, I would prefer to connect in the US. But on the return you are much better off connecting in Europe. When you return to the US and have a connection, you have to go through immigration, claim your bags, recheck your bags, and (at least in Newark) take the Skytrain to your terminal and go through security again! Not fun.

[PhD-iva]

Frankfurt airport $ucks! I have connected 2 or 3 times since COVID and it was terrible. Your airplane will likely park VERY FAR from the terminal, therefore you must walk down the plane’s stairs (no ramps) carrying all of your bulky carryon bags. I can’t believe more people don’t trip and fall while juggling heavy bags in a crush of people jostling to board the large buses with mostly standing room only. 
Then when your bus has passed by an extraordinary number of other planes parked out on the tarmac and finally gets to the terminal, it seems like they hide the elevator/escalator. It’s probably a “eco-green” thing to carry all your heavy bags up the stairs. 
Then, guess what! You get to do the whole thing in reverse when you’re boarding your connecting flight.
YUCH! AVOID!

[ORV]

13 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

Frankfurt airport $ucks! I have connected 2 or 3 times since COVID and it was terrible. Your airplane will likely park VERY FAR from the terminal, therefore you must walk down the plane’s stairs (no ramps) carrying all of your bulky carryon bags. I can’t believe more people don’t trip and fall while juggling heavy bags in a crush of people jostling to board the large buses with mostly standing room only. 
Then when your bus has passed by an extraordinary number of other planes parked out on the tarmac and finally gets to the terminal, it seems like they hide the elevator/escalator. It’s probably a “eco-green” thing to carry all your heavy bags up the stairs. 
Then, guess what! You get to do the whole thing in reverse when you’re boarding your connecting flight.
YUCH! AVOID!

Great, I'm there in less than a month, but I'm on vacation, so it'd be alright. 

[Vallesan]

48 minutes ago, ORV said:

Great, I'm there in less than a month, but I'm on vacation, so it'd be alright. 

Let’s be honest here any large/huge/humungous airport anywhere in the world could prove problematic. And there are so many of them now!
 

We have assistance and some airports are great, Scandinavian airports are wonderful, but some others are not so great. Even Singapore has left us less than happy on occasion. 
 

I guess that the secret might be not to choose connections that are too short. Even if you can physically make it think about your bags. 
 

I have to say we’ve been travelling for longer than I care to remember but can literally count on one hand the number of times a bag hasn’t turned up or luggage was damaged. I count that as a win.
 

As you say @ORV “it will be alright” you’re on holiday!

[no fuss travel]

The worst experience we had was in Seoul.  Our next flight was boarding and we still were not at a gate.  We had to run from one end to the other.  Go thru security again and were the very last passengers to board the plane.  To our surprise in Yangon, our checked luggage made it.

 

I will agree about Frankfurt though.  We had a 3 hour break between flights and by the time we got to the gate for our next flight they were already boarding.  You walk and walk and walk in that airport and the signage is not great.

[Jancruz]

Frankfurt is terrible to connect through but Heathrow is worse..definitely connect anywhere in the states..You have several good ideas on this thread..

Jancruz1

[osandomir]

Flying became much more complicated nowadays. Unfortunately, when flying to Europe especially in business class and even more using airline miles the choices are limited. Often it’s not possible to avoid Frankfurt or Heathrow, so the best bet to choose a sufficient layover plus a little more time in any of European airports where you need to go through immigration.

[Sololux]

I would recommend avoiding Heathrow if possible.  The terminals are not that close and, as a very frequent user of the airport, there are often problems.  If there’s a problem in the morning then delays and cancellations get more frequent later in the day.  To be fair, as others have stated, most of the large hub airports can be fraught.  If you do have to use Heathrow make sure you have plenty of time for terminal changes - it’s better to be sitting calmly with a tea/coffee than having to run and find the correct gate.   I’m never surprised these days, when talking to fellow passengers, at how little time they have before their next flight and them starting to get very stressed. 
Before boarding the plane at Heathrow for your next flight check with customer services that your luggage is now in the same terminal as you.  OH was reassured when he was informed that his luggage was in the right terminal and properly logged in their system.  Use apple AirTags etc to track exactly where your luggage is.  

Personally, I would prefer to fly to Heathrow the day beforehand, stay overnight as there’s lots of hotels close by and having my luggage with me.  It’s then easier to go back to the airport and check in fresh again.  I know it sounds a bit longwinded but I’ve had too many problems at Heathrow in the past to trust that everything will go as planned!

[PelicanLvr]

We like to get to mainland Europe on our first flight (mainland, not London)

 

If there is a connection or other problem you have lots of options (ie planes,trains and automobiles).

 

Problems in MIA and you are stuck on this side of the "pond".

 

 

 

 

[ronrick1943]

We try very hard to never go thur London.  We also try to pick a non stop over the water, so we pick a city in the US for a connection if that is the only way--sometimes spending the night at the airport in that city.  We always allow a few days to get to the cruise, you never know what will happen.

[skiladyldp]

Connections in London and Frankfurt are horrible even with a two-hour connecting time.  Also, your flight may not show up on the board until an hour before so you won't know your gate until then.  That being said, it isn't easy on the return to the US to have a connecting flight before your destination for the reason noted in the previous post to this thread.

[PhD-iva]

6 hours ago, ronrick1943 said:

 We also try to pick a non stop over the water, 

This one gave me a tickle!

[swixpat]

I always try to have the longest leg last. If you have an 8 hours leg and a 2 hours leg, I find it a pain to have to transfer after the long flight and take another one. It doesn't matter which direction I fly. I'm tired after the longer flight.

[ronrick1943]

37 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

This one gave me a tickle!

Yes it did, but you know what I meant--flying to any place in the US to fly non-stop to the final destination.😂

[clo]

On 7/29/2024 at 9:12 AM, Vallesan said:

literally count on one hand the number of times a bag hasn’t turned up or luggage was damaged.

Ditto.

[osandomir]

Anyone who needs to connect at Heathrow can use this helpful tool from LHR airport website:

 

https://www.heathrow.com/connecting-flights

[travelingJimmy]

We have a rule to always transfer in the US if we can due to multiple issues we have had when transferring in Europe.   First, strikes happen alot in Europe, not just the airlines but also with ATC.   Alot of the strikes are "announced" but almost always happen after you have booked your flight.  We have been stuck in Rome, Amsterdam and London.  And honestly, for the most part, they will not help you. Second, to some of the other posts, we hate sitting in the airport after a long overnight flight going to Europe.  Coming back is usually a day flight so not quite as bad.   We have had great experiences making transfers in the US except at JFK which is usually a zoo.   One last thing to consider is the time of year you are flying.  Not sure i would do a transfer in the northern airports like MSP, DTW or ORD and especially JFK in the wintertime whether it is coming or going.  You mention you are going in the "spring" remember spring is relative. In some of the northern airports in Europe and the US, winter can last through April.

[fdnycruiser]

On 7/28/2024 at 1:50 PM, pinotlover said:

I’d suggest American through Charlotte. American may go MUN-MIA, direct depending upon season.

Have had connections at both Charlotte and Atlanta. Never had a problem with the immigration/ customs. Actually, it was pretty smooth