criso

It looks like I have a business trip to Vilnius and was looking for feedback on ways to get there. I will be expected to keep costs down and fly economy but there is some room for me to have preferences to carriers.

As far as I can see direct flights are limited to Ryanair and Wizz unless I have missed someone.

I would need to check in bags - too cold to pack really light and Luton is just so difficult to get to from where I am that bag charges and cost of a taxi to luton wipes out any cost benefits for them.

So I am left with looking at a connection somewhere and on searches carriers are coming that I haven't used before and know very little about.

Small rant here, price comparison websites now seem to show hand luggage only flights with no option to select check in bags so having to check with each option how much it will add.

I am slightly leaning towards Finnair, partly because I have used them in the past so are a known quantity but also Helsinki airport is perfectly nice to spend some time in if there are delays (sadly don't have my silver status anymore so can't use the lounge) and I think small enough to make a connection relatively painless.

Any other options I should consider flying out of any London airport except Luton or anyone I should avoid at all costs. I would be flying out on a Sunday and flying back either Friday evening after work or early Saturday morning.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions

WilcoRoger

AY via HEL, SK via CPH, LO via WAW, LH via FRA or less practically SU via MOW and TK via IST.

It's all there at the arrival info of the VNO site

criso

Thanks for that - most came up on my search except SK but that may have just been further down if grouped by price and I stopped scrolling once it got too expensive.

Anyone have any comments about LO as they are a completely unknown quantity to me or FRA or WAW as airports to transit through.

Air Baltic came up as well changing at Rix.

:D!

I'd just choose based on schedule tbh. Unless you are paying then might as well avoid LTN and the LCCs.

Personally I'd stick with OW or *A since I have the relevant statuses but if you don't then the only other thing to consider is whether you want to earn miles / TPs in a particular FFP (though in European Y earnings may be close to 0 anyway)

FRA is sometimes a bit of a pain to connect through at busy times (like LHR)

JBord

I'd say it may actually be one of the worst in Europe to connect through. Haven't done it at WAW, but it would have to be better than FRA.

LO is perfectly fine. The reality is on a fairly short flight such as this, you won't notice a big difference on any of the major airlines.

WilcoRoger

LO is an okay *A airline and WAW is a breeze to connect. OTOH FRA is a royal PITA to connect. All factors being reasonably similar (schedule, price), WAW over FRA.

criso

You say that but I remember a trip to Belgrade (client insisting on booking) on the national carrier at the time (JAT) where bits of the seat were falling off.

I'm having to do LHR - MAD a couple of times a month next few months so I may get enough for an M&S sandwich

Thanks - lots of good advice.

Got some options to consider once the client confirms and I see what the prices are doing.

yurtripper

WAW-VNO (LO) is definitely a hassle free option and agree with WilcoRoger that WAW is super easy in terms of connecting. You may end up in a Dash 8 but the flight is only 70 minutes in any case. Just enough time for the FAs to pass round the Prince Polos!

Samogitian

I missed this thread but in case someone is looking, the one connection NOT to fly is AMS. I lost my luggage there for nearly a week on an EWR-AMS-VNO routing. The staff in VNO were helpful but they said that the rate of delays in AMS was around 15%. I thought they were nuts, but they stood by it. I realized that they weren't when the Swissport staff in AMS stated that they did not have my luggage but United said it was scanned into their facility. Eventually I did what I always do, I wrote the Swissport COO and complained. This was (literally) becoming an minor international incident given the work I had to do. They found the luggage in AMS at Swissport. I suppose this applies to anyone connecting anywhere in AMS.

FRA is much better. I just give in and buy the crappy service on Ryanair. Bring airplugs for the screaming kids. It's horrible, but it works. Then I drink a few beers in Vilnius and eat some good food and it's better.

Koja78

LHR-BRU-VNO : SN (Brussels Airlines)
LGW-RIX-VNO: Air Baltic