BCN to JFK

[4774Papa]

I posted this on the Europe port of call board but just trying to get some additional advice. We will be disembarking the Symphony on 10/23/18. It is scheduled to arrive in port in Barcelona at 5am. We are considering two choices for flights back to NY:

 

1. 11:40am with a 1hr 25 minute layover in LHR arrival in NY at 5:35pm

2. 1:35pm with a 2hr 05 minute layover in LHR arrival in NY at 8:00pm

 

I know the airport in Barcelona is only about 30 minutes from the port; I doubt they offer luggage valet in BCN.................Do you think the 11:40 is too risky? Fares are the same.

We have flown on Delta flights leaving about that time and had no problem. I do recommend departing the ship as soon as possible. We had a group of six and arranged for transport with Barcelona Day Tours, so we didn't have to wait in the taxi queue.

[bobmacliberty]

I have a couple of rules of thumb for flying internationally:

1. Make the first leg of your trip the leg that crosses the ocean, no matter which direction you're traveling. It's almost always easier to find an alternate flight should something go wrong with your first connection, if you're already on your destination continent. Does AA go from BCN to anywhere in the US direct, and then on to JFK? Philly? Atlanta?
   
2. When given a choice, go with Delta instead of American. I'm a regular Delta flyer and am also biased, but I've had some bad experiences with American.
   

[hancock]

Did you check Lufthansa?

[FionaMG]

Another option you might want to look into is TAP (Air Portugal) connecting in Lisbon. Coincidentally, I just reviewed them yesterday in response to another poster here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2578581

 

Lisbon is a very easy airport to connect in and has a couple of major advantages over LHR.

 

Firstly, like BCN, it's a Schengen airport, so there is no security or passport check on arrival.

 

Secondly, it's much smaller than LHR. Everything is within easy walking distance for people with normal mobility.

 

And, thirdly, it's nowhere near as busy as LHR and all scheduled airlines operate into and out of terminal 1 (terminal 2 is used only for low-cost carriers). This means that, even at what for Lisbon are busy times, the lines to go through passport control to get into to the non-Schengen departure lounge, which has to be done for flights to the US, are much shorter than anything you are likely to encounter at LHR. As required by US regulations, there is an additional security check before boarding US-bound flights, but those are carried out at the gate, so once you are in line there the aircraft is not going to leave without you.

 

Additionally, TAP ground staff are very efficient at Lisbon in getting "close-call" connecting passengers to their onward flights. They will usually have someone stationed right where you come off the plane into the departure lounge to indicate the way and further personnel along the way to keep you going in the right direction.

 

It's unlikely though that they will have their full programme up for as far ahead as October, so you would have to hold off for a couple of months, as suggested by another poster.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Thanks everyone! This link won't take me to next October....However....

Neither of the flights I picked are showing a terminal change in LHR.

The early flight gives me a layover of 1 hour 25 minutes; the later flight 2 hours 5 minutes. I really do not have a choice on AA for a non stop flight but there are others with layovers in Heathrow of more than two hours.......HELP!!!!

 

Are you locked into using American? I had non-stops on Delta between JFK and BCN for my 2015 cruise. While Delta is not always my first choice, I'd take nonstop over a layover any day.

[norhel]

I know this is not exactly a reply on what you asked for, but could Norwegian Air be something? Looks like a direct flight with departure at 6.30 pm and an arrival at 9 pm to Newark.

[teddybear231]

OTOH if you are adventurous if you miss your JFK flight at LHR it´s usually not a big deal, as BA/AA have an abundance of flights between LHR and JFK every day. They´ll most likely just rebook you on a later service, which could be just an hour or two later.

 

I was going to say the same thing. There are so many flights between JFK and LHR on a daily basis the airline would just rebook you and it would probably only be a couple hours later.

 

I once had a scheduled 45 minute layover in Paris, and I was nervous because there was a terminal change. But the airline assured me that if I do miss my flight they will take care of everything for me. I didn't miss the flight but I was the last person on the plane since the incoming flight was delayed.

[nelblu]

The distance to PHL is probably not as much of a problem than the distance between Baracoa, Cuba and Barcelona.:rolleyes:

 

:(:(:(

[martyap]

Are you locked into using American? I had non-stops on Delta between JFK and BCN for my 2015 cruise. While Delta is not always my first choice, I'd take nonstop over a layover any day.

I booked the non stop Delta JFK to BCN........problem $olved.....thanks for all your advice!

[dodgersmom]

We will be on the same cruise. This is great info as we are planning to fly home BCN to Paris for a quick trip before our flight home. We already booked Dallas to BCN via Heathrow and Paris to Dallas via Heathrow with a 24 hour layover. So we will get to do a really quick few hours in London to see the highlights before getting on the last leg home. It’s going to be a jam-packed whirlwind trip but you only go around once right?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[nelblu]

I did check Philly to BCN and r/t non stop prices were the same or a few $ more than JFK

 

 

You've got to keep checking fare prices as they change daily & sometimes hourly. When I began investigating fares to BCN for our 12 nite Medit cruise leaving Aug. 29, 2017, all had approximately the same fares from the 3 major airports. Waited a few days and AA from PHL came down to $729 per. At this point, I was convinced that the fares would come down for the other 2 airports.

 

Kept looking/investigating fares for a week and all remained around $1,200-$1300 per. I was mad as hell, as I had lost the sale pricing. Looked at the fare pricing a couple of days later and EWR & JFK were in the same range, but PHL came down to the previous fare price of $729--I pulled the trigger.

[Xport]

I doubt they offer luggage valet in BCN.

 

Ostensibly because of Immigration/Customs considerations, Luggage Valet is never offered on international flights other than for a selected few routes originating and ending within North America [united States and Canada]...

[grapau27]

I booked the non stop Delta JFK to BCN........problem $olved.....thanks for all your advice!

Great choice.

It is always best to get a non stop flight plus there is less chance of cases being misplaced when changing flights in a short time scale.

[martyap]

As always....great advice.....thanks!

[grapau27]

Great choice.

It is always best to get a non stop flight plus there is less chance of cases being misplaced when changing flights in a short time scale.

For any American,Schifol (Amsterdam) airport is an airport we always avoid because a lot of bags get lost in transit.

[FLACRUISER99]

I booked the non stop Delta JFK to BCN........problem $olved.....thanks for all your advice!

The only problem is DL will most likely change your flight, thats what always happens to me!