Originally Posted by
dilbertsdaddy
Honestly, I don't like any of them.
JFK 2:24 is the best for the connection
In general I would always favor the direct flight from the US rather than connecting in Europe. The problem is that in this case it is JFK
JFK could be fine one day and a nightmare the next
Faced with 4 bad choices, I would choose the first one
I would generally choose the longest overwater flight, but there are always other considerations, many discussed.
What I don't think was discussed was the time of year. Summer is risky because of afternoon T-storms. Winter is risky because of potential for snowstorms, but less frequent than summer T-storms. Spring and fall generally okay, except for early fall hurricanes.
If this is a summer flight, the T-storm issue pushes option
#1 further down the list, to the point where I think I'd rather take the 1h35m connection in CDG, especially since there is probably a backup CDG-ZRH an hour or two later, at least on weekdays (IIRC their ZRH schedule on Saturday is pretty weak). And if you're on time, there is probably even time for a shower in the lounge.
If you do misconnect in JFK, I'm sure there are plenty of other routings to get you to ZRH, especially since JFK-ZRH is relatively early, but you would certainly risk losing the upgrade.