IDISA From Italy, joined Jun 2004, 259 posts, RR: 0 Posted (5 years 10 months 3 days 9 hours ago) and read 2220 times:
Hi there people!
I'm planning a trip to the city of Seattle, WA, in late October/November. I'd like to visit the Boeing facilities and take a short tour of the city. I'm starting my trip from MXP and I've seen many possibilities but couldn't really decide which one to take. What would you suggest, considering that I'll fly Economy and that I prefer to transfer in a European country?
Any help/suggestion will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Ivan
4 possible connections come to my mind (backed up by amadeus.net):
AF via CDG
BA via LHR
KL via AMS
SK via CPH
All having similar overall travel times.
Unless you have a preference for carrier, airport, alliance, timings and/or price, here is my review:
AF via CDG is the earliest flight in the morning (too early for me) and although 2 hours of connection at CDG is perfect, I hate to connect at CDG T2.
BA via LHR: I try to avoid connecting at LHR at all costs (plus BA no longer serves LON from my homebase HAJ).
KL via AMS: The longhaul flight is on NW and I was not too impressed by their Business Class service MSP-AMS recently. Nothing basically wrong inside the a/c, but NW managed to give me problems with my Boarding Pass and Seat Assignment at IND and MSP. Hardly something I expected as a paying Business Class pax.
Flying KL AMS to IAD there was an annoying extra security check in front of the gate area for our flight. Long queues with no priority given for Business Class pax.
SK via CPH: In general I like the scandinavian way of doing business.
Bottomline:
1st place: SK
2nd place: KL/NW, though they left a not so good impression for ground handling during my recent flights.
Out of the race: AF and BA, due to their respective transfer airports in use.
-HT
Carpe diem ! Life is too short to waste your time ! Keep in mind, that today is the first day of the rest of your life !
B747forever From United States of America, joined May 2007, 16575 posts, RR: 11 Reply 2, posted (5 years 10 months 3 days 7 hours ago) and read 2204 times:
I really recommend you to go with SAS. They have good service on their long haul flights. Their is not especially with the intra-europ service.
You will fly on a A343 to/from SEA. You have a PTV with 23 movie channels, 2 external video feeds (view forward and downward), a flight map, and 10 video games (Solitaire etc.).
LAXspotter From India, joined Jan 2007, 3650 posts, RR: 5 Reply 3, posted (5 years 10 months 3 days 6 hours ago) and read 2201 times:
Quoting B747forever (Reply 2): Go for SAS and you will avoid LHR and CDG.
thats the key, I would fly SAS just to avoid those two airports altho KLM isnt a bad choice. Just a question tho, why does LH fly into PDX but not SEA?
"Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel" Samuel Johnson
B747forever From United States of America, joined May 2007, 16575 posts, RR: 11 Reply 4, posted (5 years 10 months 3 days 5 hours ago) and read 2195 times:
Just a question tho, why does LH fly into PDX but not SEA?
SeattleFlyer From United States of America, joined Dec 2006, 153 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (5 years 10 months 3 days 4 hours ago) and read 2192 times:
KL is acutally on NW metal. I can't say much about them to Europe. Flew NW round trip to HNL from SEA some years ago and haven't had the misfortune of flying with them since.
I have always flown BA and have enjoyed the service in both CW and WT despite the risk of LHR problems. AF is brand new service to SEA, which I may try in the future if I can't fly Club World.
Some friends of my just took the SK flight last month. Though the seat pitch is 32 inches per Seatguru.com in Y (an inch more than BA), they said it felt more cramped than on any other airplane they've ever been on.
IAHFLYR From United States of America, joined Jun 2005, 4723 posts, RR: 25 Reply 8, posted (5 years 10 months 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 2157 times:
If you want to break the trip up a bit, MXP-EWR-SEA on Continental.....they are using a B764 on most of those MXP-EWR trips this summer but might change to a B762 in the fall.
Any views shared are strictly my own and do not a represent those of any former employer.
B747forever From United States of America, joined May 2007, 16575 posts, RR: 11 Reply 9, posted (5 years 10 months 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 2154 times:
Quoting IAHFLYR (Reply 8): .....they are using a B764 on most of those MXP-EWR trips this summer but might change to a B762 in the fall.
Thought that CO only used their B764 with in the US.
Viscount724 From Switzerland, joined Oct 2006, 21495 posts, RR: 24 Reply 10, posted (5 years 10 months 2 days 4 hours ago) and read 2142 times:
Quoting LAXspotter (Reply 3): Just a question tho, why does LH fly into PDX but not SEA?
The city of PDX and companies based in PDX provided various subsidies and incentives to LH to convince them to start the FRA-PDX service.
Quoting LAXspotter (Reply 3): I would fly SAS just to avoid those two airports altho KLM isnt a bad choice.
The only negative with SK is that they have had a lot of labor problems including several strikes and disruptions over the past year or so. In SK economy class you will also have to pay for any food/drinks on the MXP-CPH sector, while drinks/snacks are free on KL/AF/BA within Europe.
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