best OW UK to SKP ?
Oct 13, 2019, 3:59 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2019
Programs: BAEC Silver, Volare Executive / Skyteam Elite+
Posts: 672
best OW UK to SKP ?
Hi, hoping to tap the group knowledge/experience here - are there any oneworld (or, oneworld 'leg one') routes to SKP ? I can see LHR via ZAG with BA then Croatian, so I can have a nibble and glass of wine at T3 but leaves me wih 4hrs in ZAG outbound with (presumably?) no lounge as 2nd flight is not oneworld, and nothing at SKP on return either.
Does anyone do this journey regularly and have a better idea before I book? Travelling Y but BAEC silver (possibly gold next month when I take this trip, but doubt that makes much difference). Origins LGW/SOU/LHR ideally.
Does anyone do this journey regularly and have a better idea before I book? Travelling Y but BAEC silver (possibly gold next month when I take this trip, but doubt that makes much difference). Origins LGW/SOU/LHR ideally.
Oct 13, 2019, 4:04 pm
#2
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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Posts: 2,349
The only OW airline operating to SKP is QR from DOH. For non low cost carrier airlines in to SKP, transit points are ZAG (OU), VIE (OS), IST (TK), ATH (A3), BEG (JU). As you can see...it has decent *A coverage!
Obviously there is service on Wizz from LTN-SKP (not daily though), but coming from the south coast I guess you'd be as well forgetting about that.
Obviously there is service on Wizz from LTN-SKP (not daily though), but coming from the south coast I guess you'd be as well forgetting about that.
Oct 13, 2019, 4:42 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2019
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Cheers. Yeah LTN is a pain, especially since I don't drive so the morning service means a 3/4am taxi or a lovely night in Luton before (and I'd far rather sleep in my own bed, hit a OW lounge in London then transit somewhere I can ideally get a drinkable glass of wine, and as a bonus avoid Wizz!). But Qatar via Doha seems a stretch for me to justify!
Don't suppose any suggestions from anyone on the 'best' plan? If not I'll go with ZAG....
Don't suppose any suggestions from anyone on the 'best' plan? If not I'll go with ZAG....
Oct 13, 2019, 4:55 pm
#4
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Brighton UK
Programs: BAEC-Silver, AMEX-BA Prem' Plus & Standard, Accor Gold, HH-Silver, IHG,IBIS On Business
Posts: 955
Actually just booked a jaunt to Zagreb for my birthday next month. There is an airport operated lounge and by all accounts after doing some research it's decidedly better than you'd anticipate. You can use PP or pay for access however when looking the place up I did note that they have signed an exclusive deal with Amex to be the only payment they take now( im guessing this doesn't affect PP/ DP etc). It's the lounge BA use & it is available to J class pax on Croatian taking international flights which you would be( it's unclear your plans on cabin for a 2nd leg). As there's no OW coverage after ZAG maybe look at the cost difference between Y & J if you want to take that routing. Our return leg is 14th november and happy to give feedback if it lives up to expectations IF lounge access figures enough to influence routing/ cabin selection.
I know it's not OW but if memory serves me right we flew good old sleazyjet from LGW-SKP but this was a couple years ago so if you could face flying on the orange bus directly it would still need checking to see if the routes still around.
Skopje was a lovely place when we visited make sure you spend some time in the old town( we stayed there and actually prefered it) People are great, foods pretty good and crime seemed low. The roads are very hit and miss though if you're going to be driving around the city or country.
The new( ish) lounge is here Franjo Tu?man Airport Zagreb - Business Lounge and as I said from research it's looked upon quite positively
I know it's not OW but if memory serves me right we flew good old sleazyjet from LGW-SKP but this was a couple years ago so if you could face flying on the orange bus directly it would still need checking to see if the routes still around.
Skopje was a lovely place when we visited make sure you spend some time in the old town( we stayed there and actually prefered it) People are great, foods pretty good and crime seemed low. The roads are very hit and miss though if you're going to be driving around the city or country.
The new( ish) lounge is here Franjo Tu?man Airport Zagreb - Business Lounge and as I said from research it's looked upon quite positively
Oct 13, 2019, 4:57 pm
#5
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Krakow
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Like most of central and eastern europe SKP is not well served by OW, much better served by *S
I suspect that flying to Doha and back is going a little out your way, so youa re probably better looking at non OW options.
I suspect that flying to Doha and back is going a little out your way, so youa re probably better looking at non OW options.
Oct 13, 2019, 5:19 pm
#6
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Just go direct and pay for the bells and whistles (such as they are) on Wizzair. Other than lounge access and the suboptimal boarding experience there is little to distinguish them from mainline BA ET.
Oct 13, 2019, 5:52 pm
#7
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Brighton UK
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As OP is south coast i'd lean towards EZY out of LGW ( IF they still fly it as stated above) rather than Wizz out of Luton. Having had the matching experience ( don't drive) of staying a night in LTN it's a loathsome experience of several hours on a train, paying for the bus to get to the airport and then being stuck in their leaky shed of a terminal building with little in the way of facilities and 'bonus extras' of expecting you to pay for a liquids bag if you haven't had the foresight to bring your own. The local hotels aren't anything to write home about and of course push up the overall cost if used. LTN from the south coast for those of us who don't drive is a nightmare to get to and, just imho, even worse when you arrive at the place.
EDIT: Okay having checked their ( EZY) route map it looks like they have stopped flying to SKP and now do PRI / Kosovo instead so guess that's off the options list.
EDIT: Okay having checked their ( EZY) route map it looks like they have stopped flying to SKP and now do PRI / Kosovo instead so guess that's off the options list.
Last edited by TWCLAM; Oct 13, 2019 at 5:59 pm Reason: correcting info
Oct 13, 2019, 9:38 pm
#9
Join Date: Jun 2018
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Oct 14, 2019, 12:48 am
#10
Join Date: Jul 2007
Programs: BAEC OW Gold/Emerald
Posts: 538
For my annual winter work meetings in Budva (Montenegro), I'd fly BA to Zagreb and Croatia Airlines to Dubrovnik and then drive into Montenegro. It was a pain, with a travel time that'd get me half way to Australia.
For the sake of 80TPs, and with OH in tow, it just wasn't worth it. So I just booked with Austrian via Vienna into Podgorica.
For the sake of 80TPs, and with OH in tow, it just wasn't worth it. So I just booked with Austrian via Vienna into Podgorica.
Oct 14, 2019, 1:08 am
#11
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
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Posts: 22,127
Isn’t this where we really feel the loss of MA?
In this particular case, I would not try to fly OW. It’stoo high risk on separate tickets too. Lounge access is handy but not enough to justify the inconvenience either.
In this particular case, I would not try to fly OW. It’stoo high risk on separate tickets too. Lounge access is handy but not enough to justify the inconvenience either.
Oct 14, 2019, 1:58 am
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2019
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Cheers all.
I guess since the only direct option is Wizz from Luton and that pains me both ways I need to find *something* indirect, and it made sense in my head to gravitate to OW (as TWCLAM says, LTN not the best place to overnight before a morning flight - plus it isn't daily, and the return days don't work for me either ). If Wizz was daily and a late afternoon/evening flight from Luton I'd probably take it - I've flown Wizz plenty in the past so not pure snobbishness - but the Saturday return is a deal breaker.
what risk am I missing here, missed connections? I found a Turkish route via IST if you're advising I stick to one carrier, but all that really does is give me a couple of hours more sat in a hotel in exchange for fighting the crowds in the terminal. And I'm sure it's all perfectly fine, but it doesn't seem the *best* month to book a flight in to Turkey....
I guess since the only direct option is Wizz from Luton and that pains me both ways I need to find *something* indirect, and it made sense in my head to gravitate to OW (as TWCLAM says, LTN not the best place to overnight before a morning flight - plus it isn't daily, and the return days don't work for me either ). If Wizz was daily and a late afternoon/evening flight from Luton I'd probably take it - I've flown Wizz plenty in the past so not pure snobbishness - but the Saturday return is a deal breaker.
what risk am I missing here, missed connections? I found a Turkish route via IST if you're advising I stick to one carrier, but all that really does is give me a couple of hours more sat in a hotel in exchange for fighting the crowds in the terminal. And I'm sure it's all perfectly fine, but it doesn't seem the *best* month to book a flight in to Turkey....
Oct 14, 2019, 2:03 am
#14
Join Date: Oct 2014
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Programs: Now BAEC Brown, fallen from 10 yrs BAEC Gold; Oyster 60+ Travelcard
Posts: 89
I regularly fly to SPU. In Winter when BA don't fly (for many years it's been a summer only route) BA.com offer me a routing via ZAG with the connection on OU - all one PNR. I have just tried a dummy booking LHR-SKP in late November and the same option is offered, with ZAG - SKP on OU.
Oct 14, 2019, 2:38 am
#15
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
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drwook welcome to Flyertalk and welcome to the BA Forum, and I very much hope we will see more of you here in the future.
I would be the first to admit this is under the hegemony of Star Alliance, I'm not sure it makes them much money, but I'd give up looking to BA, except perhaps in getting to FRA/MUC.
I would be the first to admit this is under the hegemony of Star Alliance, I'm not sure it makes them much money, but I'd give up looking to BA, except perhaps in getting to FRA/MUC.