How much layover needed at Europe airports?

[D4]

We've flown nonstop Chicago to Rome several times (round trip.) However, there are no nonstops this November.

 

The itineraries I'm considering connect at either Heathrow, Madrid, Amsterdam, Zurich, or Duesseldorf. How long of a layover should I look for at each of those airports? (We don't want too tight of a connection and DH cannot walk fast. I've read enough horror stories about CDG that I am avoiding it!)

 

Also, should we avoid Iberia? I read they planned a summer strike, but agreed not to strike during the busy travel season. I wonder if they'll strike in the fall?

 

Thanks for advice.

[Petoonya]

We've flown nonstop Chicago to Rome several times (round trip.) However, there are no nonstops this November.

 

The itineraries I'm considering connect at either Heathrow, Madrid, Amsterdam, Zurich, or Duesseldorf. How long of a layover should I look for at each of those airports? (We don't want too tight of a connection and DH cannot walk fast. I've read enough horror stories about CDG that I am avoiding it!)

 

Also, should we avoid Iberia? I read they planned a summer strike, but agreed not to strike during the busy travel season. I wonder if they'll strike in the fall?

 

Thanks for advice.

 

There are very knowledgeable people here who (not me) who can give you excellent advice. But will share with you some limited experience. Particularly with your husbands inabillity to walk quickly, I'd never do a connection with less than two hours, despite flights that meet the minimum connection times. Have done LHR, AMS, ZRH and DUS all in 90 minutes or less, but would never want to do again, even though we're joggers. Two many variables to contend with. Happy to hang out in an airport and play, watch, shop, rather than miss a connection.

 

You might want to list some of the possibilities your are considering (with terminal changes) and get some input to get going.

 

Happy shopping :)

[cruising cockroach]

I'd second the 2 hours. As for LHR, 2 hrs is fine if transiting within the same terminal, otherwise I'd add another hr. DUS and ZRH are smaller and less-crowded & busy airports and less time (90 mins) may be o.k. there.

[Ine]

Coming from the US and flying into Rome you will pass passportcontrol in Amsterdam. Your luggage will go through to Rome. The official connecting time is 55 minutes. But of course it is better to have a little more time.

Amsterdam has 1 building, but I know you can ask for assist (through your airline) so you will be picked up at your gate with a type of golfcarts and driven to your next gate. That way your husband doesnot need to walk much.

On the way back passportcontrol is in Rome, in Amsterdam it is just going to the next gate. But be aware security takes place at the gate, donot come late there.

In case you have more time, know there is a small Rijksmuseum at the airport, as well as a casino plus lots of taxfree shops.

http://www.schiphol.nl/index_en.html

[FlyerTalker]

On the way back passportcontrol is in Rome, in Amsterdam it is just going to the next gate. But be aware security takes place at the gate, donot come late there.

Not so. The FCO-AMS is intra-Schengen, so no passport control in Rome. You will go through outbound passport control at AMS as you leave the Schengen section of the airport and go to the extra-Schengen portion.

In case you have more time, know there is a small Rijksmuseum at the airport, as well as a casino plus lots of taxfree shops.

http://www.schiphol.nl/index_en.html

Excellent museum between the E and F piers (on "Holland Boulevard"). Well worth the visit.

[UKBayern]

If your husband cannot walk very fast, I would also suggest a 2 hour transfer time in the airports mentioned. Zurich and Dusseldorf are much smaller, here you can definitely do with a tighter connection (after 2 hours you are going to be thoroughly bored there too). LHR needs to be a longer connection if you have to change terminals.

[KCcruisin07]

If your husband cannot walk very fast, I would also suggest a 2 hour transfer time in the airports mentioned. Zurich and Dusseldorf are much smaller, here you can definitely do with a tighter connection (after 2 hours you are going to be thoroughly bored there too). LHR needs to be a longer connection if you have to change terminals.

I agree on the 2 hour transfer time. Since your husband has mobility issues, I would request assistance just to make things easier. It never hurts to have a little extra time, especially in case your in bound flight is delayed.

[Gloria Mundi]

Two hour minimum. My husband is also not as fast on his feet as he used to be. My ratings by airport:

 

Heathrow: avoid, especially if you're transferring between Terminal 5 and any others. T5 is way the heck out of the way, reachable by a shuttle bus, and then you have to go through "security" again. Some of the worst lines I have ever encountered have been at LHR. If you're taking a US-based carrier to LHR and going on out British Airways, chances are you'll be making this transfer. One way to check is look up the status of the flights you'll be taking for their landings today (or yesterday) and see what terminal your flight from the US used on arrival and from where your flight to BCN departed. Sometimes things change but it's a decent indication.

 

MAD: lives up to its name, but not as bad as LHR. A huge cavern with a lot of empty space, apparently intended for retail shops. You'll have to take escalators or elevators (the latter more efficient) down multiple floors to the shuttles, then back up multiple floors to your gate. MAD also has a "satellite" terminal and I believe it's reachable by bus but it didn't seem as bad as Heathrow. No advice to give you on Iberia's possible strike though.

 

ZRH: DH and I transferred there only once- civilized and orderly. Would you expect less of the Swiss? :p That was around 2004, though.

 

Haven't been thrugh AMS or DUS.

 

You should consider layovers longer than 2 hours if possible- I always do. I'm better off entertaining myself in an airport on a too-long layoover than having anxiety attacks over missing connections, so I like to build in a safety margin.

[Keith1010]

Personally, I would look for something with a three hour layover.

 

I do this because of the risk of the first light leaving late.

 

Certainly there is never a guarantee whatever time you select but I just prefer some extra time between the flights. Now, I'm one who prefers not to stress.

 

Keith

[icat2000]

Flights where I've had a connection time under 2 hours I missed the connecting flight. So I always check that any connections are at least greater than 2 hours. Thats just my personal experience. I would be extremely nervous about 55 minute connection.

[Zach1213]

Two hour minimum. My husband is also not as fast on his feet as he used to be. My ratings by airport:

 

Heathrow: avoid, especially if you're transferring between Terminal 5 and any others. T5 is way the heck out of the way, reachable by a shuttle bus, and then you have to go through "security" again. Some of the worst lines I have ever encountered have been at LHR. If you're taking a US-based carrier to LHR and going on out British Airways, chances are you'll be making this transfer. One way to check is look up the status of the flights you'll be taking for their landings today (or yesterday) and see what terminal your flight from the US used on arrival and from where your flight to BCN departed. Sometimes things change but it's a decent indication.

 

Even if you're transferring BA to BA and staying within T5, you need to clear security again. That's the case at just about any airport when doing international transit transfers.

[CruisingAlong4Now]

I would connect in the USA.

 

You can fly non-stop to Rome from the East Coast very easily. Why not fly to NYC or IAD so you won't have to worry about immigration or customs control in Europe when connecting? Another option is US Airways which connects in Charlotte NC. And the ever popular change in Atlanta airline, otherwise known as Delta. This way, you will have your long tiring flight directly into FCO. Otherwise, you will get off your long tiring flight in London, Dussledorf or someplace, wait several hours, and then get on another plane when all you want to do is get a hot shower, not sit there for 2+ hours!

 

Also, you may want to post this inquiry on flyertalk.com and get some opinions from people who fly often.

[D4]

Thanks for all the input. We like travel to with as little stress as possible so we always book about a 2 hour layover even for connections within the US.

 

The non-stop flights to Rome that we're used to always exhaust us because we don't live close to Chicago. We fly or take a bus to/from O'Hare which means we have an extra 5-6 hours of overhead.

 

The total travel durations we're looking at now are overwhelming!

[FlyerTalker]

Two additional considerations about connections in the USA vs in Europe:

 

1) Flights that are non-stop from the USA to European non-hub destinations are popular with the casual traveler. Thus, the higher demand may very well result in higher pricing. Venice is one significant example - the DL and US non-stops are in very high demand and you can see it in pricing vs a Euro-connect.

 

2) Flying into a Euro-hub gives you far more flexibility in case of irops. I would rather be going on a routing with multiple "backup" flights than putting everything into one basket.

 

Then again, the "non-stop premium" to me is close to nil, as I am quite comfortable with connections.

[iancal]

We avoid Heathrow like the plague. It is awful.

 

We have transferred in Dusseldorf and it was one of the better airports. Madrid, as I recall, has lots of walking.

 

Never been through Zurich but we heard from many people that Zurich is a very easy hub to get through.

 

Two hours is plenty, I think we did it easily with one hour in Dusseldorf....the plane was on time. Unless you are going in and out of the same terminal at LHR, 2 hours is not enough-especially if there is a security alert.

[Zach1213]

I guess I don't get what's so bad about Heathrow. I go through LHR quite a lot as a OneWorld frequent flier, and really don't find it worse than most airports. Sure, there are better ones, but a good chunk of airports are a lot worse than Heathrow.

[D4]

Two additional considerations about connections in the USA vs in Europe:

 

1) Flights that are non-stop from the USA to European non-hub destinations are popular with the casual traveler. Thus, the higher demand may very well result in higher pricing. Venice is one significant example - the DL and US non-stops are in very high demand and you can see it in pricing vs a Euro-connect.

 

2) Flying into a Euro-hub gives you far more flexibility in case of irops. I would rather be going on a routing with multiple "backup" flights than putting everything into one basket.

 

Then again, the "non-stop premium" to me is close to nil, as I am quite comfortable with connections.

 

We love the non-stops from Chicago to Rome and don't mind paying additional for them. However, there are no non-stops for that route in November so we're stuck connecting somewhere.

[Zach1213]

We love the non-stops from Chicago to Rome and don't mind paying additional for them. However, there are no non-stops for that route in November so we're stuck connecting somewhere.

 

I believe American has announced their Chicago to Rome flight will not return next summer. Same with Helsinki.

[Grammyluvs]

We are flying KLM from Copenhagen to Amsterdam and Delta from Amsterdam to US. My question is will we go thru customs and immigration in Copenhagen AND Amsterdam? Can we check our luggage in Copenhagen all the way to USA (Memphis)or do we have to collect it in Amsterdam and then check it again? As you can tell, I am not much of an international flyer and I am very nervous about these foreign airports. We have 21/2 hr layover in Amsterdam. Will that be enough? Thanks

[grandma*knows*best]

We are flying KLM from Copenhagen to Amsterdam and Delta from Amsterdam to US. My question is will we go thru customs and immigration in Copenhagen AND Amsterdam? Can we check our luggage in Copenhagen all the way to USA (Memphis)or do we have to collect it in Amsterdam and then check it again? As you can tell, I am not much of an international flyer and I am very nervous about these foreign airports. We have 21/2 hr layover in Amsterdam. Will that be enough? Thanks

 

You can check your luggage all the way through to Memphis.

 

A 2 1/2 hour layover in Amsterdam should be fine if your flight from Copenhagen is on time. At Schiphol, you go through security at your gate. You will clear passport control/immigration in Memphis on arrival back to the US.

 

OP - If you have a choice of European airports, I would chose Schiphol. It has interesting shops and as someone already noted, a small exhibit area from the Rijksmuseum.

[Gloria Mundi]

You can check your luggage all the way through to Memphis.

 

A 2 1/2 hour layover in Amsterdam should be fine if your flight from Copenhagen is on time. At Schiphol, you go through security at your gate. You will clear passport control/immigration in Memphis on arrival back to the US.

 

 

Isn't there a Mott the Hoople song about that? (Sorry- couldn't help it. :rolleyes:)

 

Unless the OP is taking a nonstop from Europe to Memphis (I don't think they exist), this is not true. If, for example, your flight is from Europe to Memphis but connecting through Chicago, you will need to clear Customs and Immigration in Chicago, including picking up your checked stuff off the baggage carousel, then re-check it before the flight home to Memphis. You'll also have been dumped outside the "secure" area and will need to go through a TSA line again. For this reason, if you have a connection after you land in the US, you need to schedule a couple of hours there, too- maybe more depending on the airport and the time you'll arrive there.

 

This is one of the few reasons I regret that I no longer live 45 minutes from EWR. :D

[6rugrats]

Unless the OP is taking a nonstop from Europe to Memphis (I don't think they exist), this is not true. This is one of the few reasons I regret that I no longer live 45 minutes from EWR. :D

grandma*knows*best was not responding to OP. She was responding to another grandma, Grammyluvs who says:

We are flying KLM from Copenhagen to Amsterdam and Delta from Amsterdam to US. My question is will we go thru customs and immigration in Copenhagen AND Amsterdam? Can we check our luggage in Copenhagen all the way to USA (Memphis)or do we have to collect it in Amsterdam and then check it again?

 

You can check your luggage all the way through to Memphis.

A 2 1/2 hour layover in Amsterdam should be fine if your flight from Copenhagen is on time. At Schiphol, you go through security at your gate. You will clear passport control/immigration in Memphis on arrival back to the US.

 

The above is true, if Grammyluvs is really connecting in AMS for a nonstop flight to MEM. I agree that I don't think DL has a nonstop, AMS-MEM, but sometimes you just have to go with what a poster says. You can't research every routing. Obviously granny will have to clear immigration and customs at her first point of entry to the US and if it's not MEM, she'll have to recheck her back for her connecting flight to MEM. She's going to have to double check her itinerary to see where this is.

[Zach1213]

The above is true, if Grammyluvs is really connecting in AMS for a nonstop flight to MEM. I agree that I don't think DL has a nonstop, AMS-MEM, but sometimes you just have to go with what a poster says. You can't research every routing. Obviously granny will have to clear immigration and customs at her first point of entry to the US and if it's not MEM, she'll have to recheck her back for her connecting flight to MEM. She's going to have to double check her itinerary to see where this is.

Back in the Northwest days, it was daily year-round I believe. When Delta took over, it remained daily, year-round. Now, I am pretty sure Delta has reduced it to seasonal...but I think it still exists.

 

EDIT: Yes, it remains seasonal 4x weekly between May and September

[Gloria Mundi]

EDIT: Yes, it remains seasonal 4x weekly between May and September

 

Thanks- I had no idea there were nonstops between MEM and Europe! I rarely fly that alliance.

[celle]

I guess I don't get what's so bad about Heathrow. I go through LHR quite a lot as a OneWorld frequent flier, and really don't find it worse than most airports. Sure, there are better ones, but a good chunk of airports are a lot worse than Heathrow.

 

I totally agree. Heathrow is not a bad as its reputation here on CC.

 

I go through LHR several times a year and have never encountered anything like the stories I read here on CC.

 

I've been through far worse airports - in 67 countries so far - and LHR is easy compared to some. At least the officials speak English, they're polite and they don't shout at you.

 

Of course, as with every airport, a lot depends on when your flight arrives. Land in the early morning, along with lots of other flights, and you are bound to experience some delays, as you would anywhere.

 

I've even been deported from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) airport - Vietnamese embassy's screw-up with my visa, not my fault. Armed guard escort back onto the plane I arrived on. Now, that was no fun! :eek: