Which of these connecting cities would be best?

[Camelia-]

Hi there,

 

my cousin will be flying to Barcelona next November to pick up a cruise. She will be flying from Toronto and there seem to be no direct flights. There are a choices regarding where she can pick up her connecting flight: Frankfurt, Brussels, Zurich. Which would be the best and why? 
 

Thanks!

[CruiserBruce]

In the reverse order you have listed...Zurich, Brussels, Frankfurt.

[1982CruzStart]

i agree with CruiserBruce, Frankfurt would be my last choice. 

[FlyerTalker]

Seems like you are limiting yourself to originating flights on Air Canada.  You have other options on other carriers.

 

As for the three options presented, I have some contrary thoughts.  In case of operational problems, FRA has the most options heading to BCN, with ZRH having about half that number and BRU only two onward non-stops to BCN each.  If heading in the day of cruise, I'd be most concerned with operational fallback positions.  If going several days in advance, then convenience goes up in priority.

[Zach1213]

19 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

Seems like you are limiting yourself to originating flights on Air Canada.  You have other options on other carriers.

 

 

This was my first reaction too - limiting to Air Canada/Star Alliance eliminates a lot of good options. Even within Star Alliance, don't pass up TAP with a change in Lisbon. TAP appears to offer around 5-6 nonstops between LIS and BCN each day, so there are more options should troubles arise. There's also United via Newark that would get you straight in to Barcelona, but that would be a step down in preference to me. 

 

Outside of Star Alliance, there's KLM via Amsterdam, Air France via Paris, Aer Lingus via Dublin, and British Airways via London Heathrow. 

Edited November 21, 2022 by Zach1213

[phabric]

Have you looked at Air Transat they fly non stop from Toronto to Barcelona on certain days.

Edited November 21, 2022 by phabric

[Zach1213]

31 minutes ago, phabric said:

Have you looked at Air Transat they fly non stop from Toronto to Barcelona on certain days.

 

Unfortunately only a seasonal route, and I don't believe the "season" includes November. Looks like May - October for 2023 from what I can tell. 

[phabric]

8 minutes ago, Zach1213 said:

 

Unfortunately only a seasonal route, and I don't believe the "season" includes November. Looks like May - October for 2023 from what I can tell. 

Air Transat may not have their Nov flights out, yet.

[Zach1213]

10 minutes ago, phabric said:

Air Transat may not have their Nov flights out, yet.

 

It's possible, but this year the last BCN-YYZ flight was October 30th, which lines up about perfectly with what they have out there for next year. So, I would put my money on November being "off-season" for that route both this year and next. 

[fbgd]

Depends on the class of travel. 

 

I'd put Frankfurt at the bottom of the list but if flying Lufthansa in FC they will meet your planeside and drive you to the First Class Terminal and then back again to your next flight. This would put it at the top of my list if you were considering FC travel. Not all airlines offer this service in FC. 

 

If you have to get between the planes yourself then ZRH and BRU are far more preferable and in that order, IMO.

[Camelia-]

Thanks everyone…very helpful!

[Flymia]

Just make sure to arrive into Europe at least 24-hours before the ship is set to leave. 

[waterbug123]

18 hours ago, Flymia said:

Just make sure to arrive into Europe at least 24-hours before the ship is set to leave. 

 

I was just going to say the same.  Surely your cousin is not flying in the day of the cruise, right?  Because that's just asking for trouble.  Spend the money on a hotel and fly in at least one day prior.

 

We flew to Europe for a cruise this past July, and planned to arrive a day early.  Flight had a mechanical issue so delayed, then delayed some more, and then some more.  They finally got a new plane but then another minor delay, at which point the cockpit crew timed out and the flight was canceled.  By then it was going for midnight so there was  no way to get anyone (let alone EVERYone) rebooked to fly that night.  We had built in a day of cushion so we were fine.  But many people on the flight were supposed to board a different cruise ship the following day right after arrival.  They all missed their cruise.  Talked to one couple who had to pay almost 600€ for a private van to catch up to the ship at the next port.

[Camelia-]

On 11/23/2022 at 8:38 AM, waterbug123 said:

 

I was just going to say the same.  Surely your cousin is not flying in the day of the cruise, right?  Because that's just asking for trouble.  Spend the money on a hotel and fly in at least one day prior.

 

We flew to Europe for a cruise this past July, and planned to arrive a day early.  Flight had a mechanical issue so delayed, then delayed some more, and then some more.  They finally got a new plane but then another minor delay, at which point the cockpit crew timed out and the flight was canceled.  By then it was going for midnight so there was  no way to get anyone (let alone EVERYone) rebooked to fly that night.  We had built in a day of cushion so we were fine.  But many people on the flight were supposed to board a different cruise ship the following day right after arrival.  They all missed their cruise.  Talked to one couple who had to pay almost 600€ for a private van to catch up to the ship at the next port.

She is planning to arrive the day before the cruise...hopefully that will be enough buffer...I can only imagine the stress that those people suffered and how relieved you much have been to not share it...!! It's always great to remind ourselves because it's tempting to want to save on the cost  of the hotel room but definitely not worth it..besides arriving early just starts your vacation earlier and your first day on the ship won't be so exhausting!

[Camelia-]

On 11/21/2022 at 12:22 PM, fbgd said:

Depends on the class of travel. 

 

I'd put Frankfurt at the bottom of the list but if flying Lufthansa in FC they will meet your planeside and drive you to the First Class Terminal and then back again to your next flight. This would put it at the top of my list if you were considering FC travel. Not all airlines offer this service in FC. 

 

If you have to get between the planes yourself then ZRH and BRU are far more preferable and in that order, IMO.

May I ask what the difference is between First Class and Business Class? I assumed that they were the same but while searching I sometimes see them as two separate options so I'm a bit confused! Thanks!!!

[CruiserBruce]

2 hours ago, Camelia- said:

May I ask what the difference is between First Class and Business Class? I assumed that they were the same but while searching I sometimes see them as two separate options so I'm a bit confused! Thanks!!!

Many airlines no longer have a true First Class any more. Lufthansa only has it on a couple of types of planes, but it used to include a separate lie flat bed (not like business class where your seat is your bed). The Senator Lounge at FRA is extremely nice, much better than Business class lounges.

 

Read up on Emirates First Class suites, and similar, for true experiences.

[Camelia-]

23 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Many airlines no longer have a true First Class any more. Lufthansa only has it on a couple of types of planes, but it used to include a separate lie flat bed (not like business class where your seat is your bed). The Senator Lounge at FRA is extremely nice, much better than Business class lounges.

 

Read up on Emirates First Class suites, and similar, for true experiences.

 Thanks very much for that explanation.