Originally Posted by
Cymro
Are these two routes the only options? PHL and LAS aren't exactly near neighbours.
If the ultimate route is LAS-XXX-MAN I'd still choose the knackered 747, though might prefer LAS-LAX-LHR-MAN (yes, two stops!) because of the better BA product and maybe the option for AA as well.
Simply, a long economy feed into the PHL-MAN involves a lunchtime cross-country flight, followed by a relatively early departure (9 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. LAS) time, landing in the early morning and being at least 12 hours from a bed.
LAS-LHR-MAN allows you to try to get some sleep as soon as the plane takes off, you get your four or five hours, then get to MAN, pootle around for a few hours in the early evening with dinner and checking in to your hotel, and hopefully get to sleep at a relatively sensible time. Different people deal with jetlag early, but for me, west to east is always a nightmare but late departure and late landing work best.
I live in Las Vegas and the ultimate destination would be Newcastle but it's a few hundred dollars more expensive per person, hence the alternative route via Manchester. We'd then take the train up to Newcastle. Some of it is also scheduling due to my partner's work commitments. An arrival in Manchester at 8.45 am from PHL is actually preferable to the much later arrival in NCL via LHR.