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Flights to Greece/Venice


MicDay

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Good Evening!!  

I'm looking at flights for our May 2022 Cruise to Greece, I've got Kelley my awesome MEI TA looking at Air2Sea but I still like to look too.

We typically fly Delta everywhere but FL, I like SW for FL.

Kelley did not see Delta as an option but I noticed Air Canada is.

Maybe I've imagined it but @Lovetocruise2002 you seem not to prefer Air Canada and like Delta.

Anyone with international travel experience have any good advice on airline/time to book?

Kelley says she typically waits until the 6 month mark but if Delta is still not an option what airline is just as good or better?

We flew FC for our Alaska cruise and James would like to fly FC for this cruise but the price is crazy high (To me)

I've saved so much money on my cruises due to your insight/advice I thought I'd check your flight knowledge.

Edit to add where we are flying out of, thanks @KristiZ

We can fly out of Charlotte or Greensboro NC.

Thanks!!!!

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15 minutes ago, KristiZ said:

Where are you flying out of? 
I can tell you that as a general rule, regular foreign airlines run circles around all US carriers. (Low cost carriers are the same all over, however.)

I was airline in a prior life, and I still fly a ton internationally, so I have Opinions 🤣

Added where we are flying out, thanks @KristiZ

 

Charlotte or Greensboro NC

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5 minutes ago, MicDay said:

Charlotte or Greensboro NC

OK, if you really want Delta, you can go Charlotte-JFK-Athens. Not the cheapest, but nice connections. And if you're collecting miles that would be a plus. This often runs as a Lufthansa codeshare, so you might miss it if you're looking for Delta specifically.

Similarly, Charlotte-JFK-Venice is a Delta route.

Whether this is offered by Air2Sea depends on what kind of deal they can negotiate, and you probably won't know before January on that, December at the earliest.

If you want to fly out of Greensboro you're pretty much limited to United and United code-shares.

If you can work out a flight that is actually on SwissAir or Lufthansa rather than the US carrier, you'll be happier with the experience. Those are the two best options for you, unless you want to go to New York, Miami, or Atlanta for a few days prior to departure -- lots of options then.

I can go on, if you want, but essentially none of the airline flight schedules will be solid until Dec/Jan timeframe so try to be patient 🙂 

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3 minutes ago, KristiZ said:

OK, if you really want Delta, you can go Charlotte-JFK-Athens. Not the cheapest, but nice connections. And if you're collecting miles that would be a plus. This often runs as a Lufthansa codeshare, so you might miss it if you're looking for Delta specifically.

Similarly, Charlotte-JFK-Venice is a Delta route.

Whether this is offered by Air2Sea depends on what kind of deal they can negotiate, and you probably won't know before January on that, December at the earliest.

If you want to fly out of Greensboro you're pretty much limited to United and United code-shares.

If you can work out a flight that is actually on SwissAir or Lufthansa rather than the US carrier, you'll be happier with the experience. Those are the two best options for you, unless you want to go to New York, Miami, or Atlanta for a few days prior to departure -- lots of options then.

I can go on, if you want, but essentially none of the airline flight schedules will be solid until Dec/Jan timeframe so try to be patient 🙂 

Wow thank you @KristiZ you were not kidding about being an airline in another life 😉 

So SwissAir/Lufthansa are better flight experiences? 

The only non USA carrier we have been on is British Airway and it was cramped and an uncomfortable flight.   The Flight attendants were very pleasant but we also were in economy seats.

What does Code Share mean? 

I just want the best priced flight but I'll pay more for ease/comfort with the least amount of connections.

I did look at flying to NYC, usually can get very cheap flights there but my husband won't go for it.

Atlanta might be an option as that is part of his territory, hmmm.

My daughter and her boyfriend live in Charleston SC so they will either fly out of Charleston or meet us in Charlotte.

Patience is not my strong suit but I can do it, I'll just research our ports until December 🙂 

 

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1 hour ago, MicDay said:

What does Code Share mean? 

Code share is when two or more airlines enter into a marketing agreement to sell seats on one another but pretend they are on one of their own flights. If you ever listen at a gate that’s making announcements for boarding you can hear them say “welcome to flight 456 on JumpUp Air, flight 1234 on HappySmiles, and flight 999 on Stanglobe Air, departing Kalamazoo for Timbuktu”. That means it’s JumpUp’s flight and the other two have sold seats as part of a marketing agreement. It’s a way to make your flight network seem bigger and keep more of the pennies to yourself. 
 

Maybe more than you wanted to know 😉

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If you have Delta airline miles you can get very good rates.  I just got Delta from London back to Montana for 35,000 miles in May.  Our friends did Venice for about the same miles in May.  Might see that is offered for your days.  Almost worth buying miles for that cost.    I almost always fly Delta and  Virgin Atlantic.   I need to do Venice in September so hoping to use miles again.  But too early to book.

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11 hours ago, MicDay said:

Maybe I've imagined it but @Lovetocruise2002 you seem not to prefer Air Canada and like Delta.

The reason I prefer Delta is simply because I live way closer to Detroit than Toronto.  That, combined with the fact that Air Canada is generally more expensive (not as much competition in Canada) makes flying out Detroit a no-brainer.  Detroit is a major hub for Delta and generally, when we travel, we choose flight schedule over price so the variety of direct flights that Delta offers to our usual destinations makes it our "go-to" airline.

With the border closure over the last year and a half, we have flown AC once again.  To be honest, the product itself is slightly better than Delta.  Air Canada first class (domestic) is slightly superior in seat comfort and food/beverage option, even in the midst of covid.

Anyway, for our Norway cruise next year, we have booked flights through Air2Sea on Air Canada.  For this particular trip to LHR, Delta only has one direct flight, AC has several at the moment, and AC is actually slightly cheaper.  So we will make the trek to Toronto.

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You all are so helpful.  I googled this information but I feel like we on this blog we are more of a like mind so I trust your opinions more.

@Linda RI have sky miles but not enough so did not think about buying them, thank you.

@Ray Did not think a layover would be an issue since I'm not leaving the airport so thank you.

@Lovetocruise2002That makes sense, we love direct flights too.  Not that we can get them for this flight, we live too far.

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1 hour ago, wordell1 said:

Look into premium economy if the first class tickets are not available. 

+1 on this.  However, a word of caution.  I did quite a bit of research (YouTube, and dare I say, other blogs lol) before I booked my flights to Heathrow for next July.  Checked all the major airlines (Delta, United, American, Air Canada, and British Airways).  British Airways does not have great reviews and if you are considering first class across the pond (as we were), BA has the most awful Business Class setup.  Barely any privacy at all.

@MicDay I've already mentioned that the AC first class domestic product is quite good.  I was really impressed this past summer.  We flew on a Max 8 and also an A320.  Excellent on both legs.  I really enjoyed it more than Delta, I just didn't enjoy the extra cost.  If you are flying across the pond, to Greece, I am going to assume it's going to be on their 777 or 787 products and Air Canada Signature Class (which is their International First Class) looks even more impressive.  I personally am excited to try it out.

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My husband has already stated we will fly Premium Economy if not First Class.  He hurt his back in the Marines and crazy to say I never knew how much flying hurt him.  He's that kind of person who does not complain but once I surprised him for our Alaska trip with FC he realized he did not have to suffer.

I felt so bad, I did not know how painful it's been.  

Back in 2016 we flew Delta to London but our connection was missed in ALT (long story, all Delta's fault) so they stuck us on British Airway for the last leg.  Like I said above it was not a fun experience.  

I really appreciate everyone's advice, you guys are the best 🙂

 

 

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First off @MicDay, thank your husband for his service! We'll be flying to Venice next Oct and after checking probably every flight and airline option will probably go with Lufthansa in business class. Seems to be the best fit for us. Price, reviews, etc. A lot will still depend on flight times and such, when it comes booking time. I'm going off current flights, but who knows what will happen by next year.

I know I have more options, flying directly out of Chicago, where as you will have to fly through I'm guessing NYC to get overseas. You can always check with your TA about flights out of NYC on whatever major overseas carrier you like. That would be the biggie as far as your husband is concerned. Its a short flight from either Charlotte or Greensboro to NYC, so you could fly whatever airline was the cheapest or fit your flight schedule. 

 

Happy Cruising!

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