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Better ua business lax-txl: stop ewr or lhr?

Better ua business lax-txl: stop ewr or lhr?

Old Dec 21, 2018, 8:54 am
  #76  
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Originally Posted by 764toHI
I'm not sure this makes sense. Sure if you misconnect at EWR on the way to TXL, you can be rerouted via ZRH (late LX flight), LHR or FRA (if you're lucky since UA960 only departs 1 hour after UA962), but that adds an additional connection and opportunity to misconnect on the shorthaul to TXL.

Also, you'll end up in the same position as if you had taken a direct TATL flight from LAX... with the additional consequence of having to wake up early to catch the transcon to EWR. Missing the connection after the LAX TATL flight simply means waiting for the next shorthaul which I think is far easier to manage vs. the scenario above.
Yes, I would much rather deal with rebooking at FRA, MUC, or ZRH than EWR. I'd also rather overnight in Europe if nothing's available same day. This is not even a close call.
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Old Dec 21, 2018, 9:07 am
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Originally Posted by Kacee
Yes, I would much rather deal with rebooking at FRA, MUC, or ZRH than EWR. I'd also rather overnight in Europe if nothing's available same day. This is not even a close call.
*1000.

Anything beats EWR internationally - even HKG! In addition, there are tons of more options to get yourself to BER inside Europe be it within * or outside * (which they'll rebook you into if you're VIP on long haul flight).

-James
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Old Dec 21, 2018, 9:10 am
  #78  
 
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Friends don't let friends connect in mainland China and... EWR

Originally Posted by Kacee
Yes, I would much rather deal with rebooking at FRA, MUC, or ZRH than EWR. I'd also rather overnight in Europe if nothing's available same day. This is not even a close call.
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Old Dec 21, 2018, 10:20 am
  #79  
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Originally Posted by Christefan
If you misconnect stateside, typically you have more options to get a reroute than when arriving at the European connection stop where onwards flights are much harder to predict.
Sorry, this makes no sense to me in the context of this thread.
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Old Dec 21, 2018, 10:55 am
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Looping back to the train vs plane discussion earlier in this thread, I would almost always prefer to take a train over a plane but this is one case I'd probably take the connecting flight. Normally the last thing I want to do getting off a redeye TATL is to wait around an airport for an hour or two and then get on a cramped A319. But, much of the inefficiency of air travel (getting to remote airport, clearing security, etc.) is not applicable for connecting flights.

If I was standing in Frankfurt city center and going to Berlin, I'd take the train every time, even if it were more expensive. If I'm standing airside at FRA and have a protected connection to an hourly flight, the calculus changes, especially if (like with award travel) the price is the same.

However, there are times I have (and would again) connect to a train. Price is a big motivator. There are many times when e.g. an LAX-FRA ticket + train ticket is way less than LAX-FRA-TXL ticket. If it's $700 r/t to FRA [in Y] and $1400 r/t to TXL via FRA, to me it's a no-brainer to take the train unless I'm on a super tight schedule. I usually go to Europe for 3 weeks at a time so 4 hours on the train direct to city center vs 2 hours boarding, taxiing, flying, taxiing, and finding transit to city center doesn't make a huge difference. I can use my phone, use my laptop, eat a sandwich, look out the window, and arrive unfrazzled.

With the Rail & Fly it's only EUR 33 for an unrestricted train ticket anywhere in Germany:

Rail&fly with United in Germany
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Old Dec 21, 2018, 11:01 am
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Originally Posted by threeoh
Looping back to the train vs plane discussion earlier in this thread, I would almost always prefer to take a train over a plane but this is one case I'd probably take the connecting flight. The last thing I want to do getting off a redeye TATL is to wait around an airport for an hour or two and then get on a cramped A319. A few hours on a train is much more pleasant. Plus, much of the inefficiency of air travel (getting to remote airport, clearing security, etc.) is not applicable for connecting flights.

If I was standing in Frankfurt city center and going to Berlin, I'd take the train every time, even if it were more expensive. If I'm standing airside at FRA and have a protected connection to an hourly flight, the calculus changes.

However, there are times I have (and would again) connect to a train. For example, there are many times when e.g. an LAX-FRA ticket + train ticket is way less than LAX-FRA-TXL ticket. If it's $700 r/t to FRA [in Y] and $1200 r/t to TXL via FRA, to me it's a no-brainer to take the train unless I'm on a super tight schedule. I usually go to Europe for 3-6 weeks at a time so 4 hours on the train vs 1.5 hours boarding, taxiing, and flying doesn't make a huge difference. I can use my phone, use my laptop, eat a sandwich, look out the window, and arrive in the city center.

With the Rail & Fly it's only EUR 33 for an unrestricted train ticket anywhere in Germany:

Rail&fly with United in Germany
Wow, did not know of this programme ... will need to keep it in mind the next time I travel stateside from Europe.

My experience with DB has been mostly positive quick and relatively good experience. However, the time I travelled with them there was a huge re-route involving taking 3 buses and 2 trains but that was caused by a rail bridge collapsing in Germany, something certainly outside their control. The only bad experiences I've had with rail was in Italy where their trains seem to break down like clockwork involving pax having to evacuate the train stand on an adjacent track and wait for the replacement train to arrive. I've certainly been inconvenienced more by air than rail but I suppose YMMV.

-James
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