WineCountryUA

Given that both are changing on a regular basis this will take some regular effort, but you can give it a try


Might be best to check out the limited schedule for the hopper first
UA's Micronesia Island Hopper - consolidated questions, advice, ....

Raymoland

Americans are allowed to enter Ireland. You are supposed to self isolate for two weeks and then again on returning to the US, but it can be done.

mozilla

I won't be pointing a moralizing finger, just stick to the facts.

Yes, if you have a ticket say EWR-FRA-IST, and your paperwork is on order, you will be allowed to board in EWR. On arrival in FRA, no one is going to stop you if you decide to forgo your FRA-IST segment and stay in the non-Schengen area. You won't be able to enter the Schengen area, but you're undoubtedly aware of that. If eligible for access, you could enter a lounge that is open before your FRA-IST segment departs, and you could stay in the lounge until closing time, no one is going to throw you out. You could also go duty-free shopping or eat in a concession that is open.

From the non-Schengen area, you could board and fly a return flight FRA-EWR anytime, again no one is going to stop you, and as a US citizen, no CBP officer will stop you from entering the US.

One tidbit. If you ticket everything on UA, your return FRA-EWR flight cannot be around the same timeframe as your ticketed FRA-IST segment, as UA's system will detect an illogical combination (even on different tickets) and cancel one of the segments. Ticketing the outbound on LH and the inbound on UA would work in the past, but there have been reports of them now being able to cross-check each other's reservations. I'm not sure if ticketing on TK and UA would work.

So to be safe, the return would preferably be the next day, which would probably also be your only option anyway given the minimal amount of flights on the schedule. But that's fine, FRA has a hotel in the non-Schengen area, which is why I would prefer FRA over MUC .

findark

No, split tickets is not considered a connection. You might be able to talk an agent into it by showing your other ticket, but the computer will flag the reservation as requiring documents for the destination country as ticketed, and the agent following protocol will deny you boarding. The agent certainly shouldn't let you board as the carrier has assumed no liability for your "connection" and you are inadmissible if you do not make your next flight.

DEN

Although not a separate country ( some may argue that point .....), EWR-HNL & return might be an alternative if you’re looking for mileage/segment/etc or just the solitude of flight again. I believe HNL requires quarantine on arrival in most cases but an airport layover would go very much unnoticed. Even if you set off the COVID quarantine alarm and the Storm Troopers capture you, with an immediate return ticket, you are likely safe and mostly within the rules.

DEN

dblumenhoff

I'm surprised they even have info on USA-USA connections given that it's illegal due to cabotage.

geo979

Since you asked, no, it is utterly ridiculous.

WineCountryUA

Not if an USA based carrier, such as UA is used for one of the legs.

HNLbasedFlyer

There are no EWR-HNL flights - you'll need a connection somewhere.

The Hawaii quarantine allows you to make an onward connection - so you can land here and leave as long as you don't leave the airport. They've just installed thermal scanners at the airport, so don't arrive sick.

villox

For the record, I've so far been able to talk my SO into a possible roundtrip EWR-BOS, but nothing more. And even then we will probably stay home.

cmd320

If you want a halfway decent flight you could do EWR-LAX-EWR with B6's Mint product. They're selling for as low as $399 each way on certain dates at the moment which is pretty good for Mint.

Billy Mumphrey

I understand the desire to get up in the air again, but I would go somewhere where you can actually do and see something. I went to Sweden from the US last month and decided that international travel is really not that fun right now. Interesting, yes, but only if you enjoy witnessing deserted airports and all the new protocols. There was no quarantine in Sweden, making a vacation possible, but wearing a mask for 10+ hours and eating food out of a plastic bag in J isn't actually all that enjoyable. Flying to Europe and never leaving the airport is insane though. If you have to travel internationally I'd go somewhere where you can move around without quarantine. Turkey seems like a good candidate, as mentioned above. FWIW, I'm only planning on domestic travel for the rest of the year.

mozilla

I personally prefer the deserted airports over the overcrowded ones. I just love how there is virtually no wait for anything, and that it is now possible to actually focus on some work in the terminal outside of the lounge. If you don't like this, don't even think about flying private, because this is the closest many of us will ever get .

The protocols don't bother me. I only lament the lack of open concessions, but usually, I do find an acceptable alternative.

My feeling is that this will remain with us for a long time, especially now that the carriers are realizing how much money they are saving by cutting on food in J. I'm not delaying travel anymore because of this.

lhrsfo

And London too. No entry restrictions, merely a quarantine requirement which is irrelevant if staying at the airport. Offers many more return flight options.

mozilla

My only concern with the UK would be that you'd still have to pass through immigration and the "I'm staying at the airport"-line is enough of an edge case (especially for younger males) to warrant a complimentary trip to secondary inspection so you definitely get to see the airport. That's not an issue per se as they will let you go when everything is "cleared up," but it will remain on your permanent record, possibly resulting in more time-consuming secondaries in the future.

The advantage with the EU is that you can avoid seeing any narrow-minded border official until back on US soil.