I’m currently pricing flights for a possible trip Stateside this summer (which we still don’t know if we’ll be able to fit into the budget). I would prefer to arrive in Philadelphia, which limits things compared to the New York area, but there are still some options. For reasons I don’t quite understand, Agony Airl— pardon, US Airways is offering a direct flight from Oslo to Philly. At the moment this is only slightly more expensive than changing flights in Heathrow or Frankfurt, but by the time we’re able to make the decision and potentially buy the tickets there may be even cheaper offers through those airports.
It will likely be me as the group’s only adult, with a 9 year old and a teenager in tow.
Dopers who have changed planes at either Heathrow or Frankfurt, how bad was it? (One hears horror stories, particularly about the former.) Is a three-hour layover likely to be sufficient? Would you be willing to pay a little more or a lot more to avoid doing that again?
Frankfurt is a breeze in my experience. Heathrow is a nightmare. Allow at least 2 hours transfer time to be safe.
If it is just a small financial difference though, I would always go for the direct flight. Statistically you practically double the chance of an accident, as most planes crash on take-off or landing. Also, you increase the chance that they lose your luggage.
I’ve flown through both. Frankfurt was great. Customs and security were calm, and it was easy to get around. Heathrow was more hectic, but survival. Still, I would recommend Frankfurt based on my experiences. Three hours is certainly enough layover there–I’d maybe want a bit more time for Heathrow. I’d probably go through Frankfurt if I wanted to save some money, but I’d probably avoid Heathrow if the price difference wasn’t that substantial.
I like Frankfurt, amazingly nice guards and employees, and I really like the german people. On the level above the tracks at the train station end there is a spiffy cafe with exceptionally comfy tables and chairs …
I got really lucky when I had a long layover there, I had a lovely brunch bought for me by some germans who wanted to practice their engish with me:) and some guys in army uniforms flirted with me for a while that also kept me from being bored [and i love a guy in uniform:D]
Frankfurt is super slick German efficiency - I have never had any problems there
Heathrow connections centre used to be awful (i got stuck at security for 3 hours when I only have 3 1/2 hours connection and I still had to get my onward baording pass once) - I flew in the summer through Terminal 5 and apart from really rude security staff it was actually a lot better as you avoided the terminal change. However it is just BA flying in/out of T5 I believe.
I would ordinarily advise the direct but I have a pathalogical hatred of US Airways and their rude staff and their general incompetance - but that may just be flying through Phoenix. YMMV
Frankfurt is easy. I believe our layover was two hours and our flight arrived a bit late, and we still had plenty of time. Customs took all of twenty minutes for the 30 people in my party. Not a hassle at all.
Heathrow very much depends on the airline - it used to be hell on earth to get from terminal 4, say, to terminal 1. Now that all BA flights are out of terminal 5, it’s pretty smooth, especially so if you’re taking a BA flight. Only used Frankfurt on the odd occasion and cannot remember a thing about it. So I guess that’s a strong recommendation
I was a regular Heathrow flyer for a while, and would strongly recommend not connecting there if you could possibly avoid it. The possible exception would be (as mentioned) an all-BA flight through Terminal 5.
No idea about Frankfurt, but I have a hard time believing it could be worse.
Heathrow is a fucking nightmare. A national embarrassment. Huge (ugly dirty) terminals - apart from T5 - and fairly poor transit through them and between them.
So I’d say go through Frankfurt, unless your entire transit takes place in T5.
A big problem with Heathrow is that it permanently operates at 100% of capacity. A bit of fog in the early morning or a brief runway closure can cause knock-on chaos throughout the day.
I just came through Frankfurt two days ago with my two kids and successfully changed planes in an hour and twenty minute layover, despite having to take a bus in from the plane and another one out to the second plane (at Frankfurt if your flight is “outside” you take a bus into the terminal and/or out to the plane).
The only hitch was that they sent us to the little room to examine my kids’ pixter and a racing game they had with them – however, when I desperately told them our flight was already boarding they called ahead and told them to hold the bus so we didn’t miss the plane.
I find the signage at Frankfurt confusing but that may be just me. I would have profited from looking at a map of the airport before I went rather than after.
On that note, Heathrow has an interactive website which is very helpful in planning a trip, but only if you look at it *before *you get there. I did not find it to be particularly difficult, but there are a lot more steps and a good bit more distance in flying through Heathrow than through Frankfurt, so on that basis alone I would go with Frankfurt.
Frankfurt is a great airport. Horrible, horribly boring city, though. I made the mistake of vacationing there for 3 days, and that was the worst decision I’ve made in a long time.
Another vote for Frankfurt over Heathrow. The last time I was there, which was about two years ago, there was tighter security for flights to the US. This required going through a second, US-only security screening. With typical German efficiency, all flights to the US left from the very end of one of the concourses and there was a second security check point to enter that area. This added about 15 min.
Three hours should be plenty of time to make a connection.
I will always choose a direct flight if the numbers are even close. Hate hate hate Heathrow airport- we once had a nightmare jaunt from Santa Ana, CA to Chicago to London to Barcelona that seemed to last my entire life…
Here’s a minor hijack related to Frankfurt airport: Don’t use the credit-card phones there.
I did so in July - to call a number in Germany, about 80 miles away, for perhaps 2 minutes. The phone had no out-of-the-ordinary signs or notices. When my statement showed up, the charge was $26.
I called to complain and was told the high cost was due to the fact that the call went via satellite. Wonderful - just what you want for an in-country call. I was able to get the charge reduced to something like $10 - still way out of line.
That’s actually something you’re likely to find at any reasonably new or newly renovated European airport. The US has so many more requirements than other countries that grouping together US flights, or US and other non-Schengen flights in smaller airports, just makes good sense. Even Oslo’s Gardermoen Airport, hardly a model of efficiency otherwise, does that.
And for the rest of the thread, I sense a consensus building here It sounds like our best strategy is to go for the direct flight if possible (yes, it’s US Airways, but surely they sell enough adult beverages on board to get me across the Atlantic with my sanity intact…), with a transfer in Frankfurt being the next choice, and Heathrow the least attractive of the three most likely options.
Now to wait until the cheap tickets are released… They keep saying this financial crisis is crushing consumer confidence, so flights should be real cheap this summer, right? :rolleyes:
It sounds like our best strategy is to go for the direct flight if possible (yes, it’s US Airways, but surely they sell enough adult beverages on board to get me across the Atlantic with my sanity intact…), with a transfer in Frankfurt being the next choice, and Heathrow the least attractive of the three most likely options.