Fly to U.S. from Basel or Zurich?

If ending a cruise in Basel, would you recommend flying back to the U.S. from Basel or Zurich if flying back on the day the cruise ends? It appears Basel flights might be about $200 less per person with no big difference in total travel time via air so we are curious why we hear flying from Zurich is better.

There are no direct flights to the US from Basel. You have to change in Amsterdam or Frankfurt or elsewhere in Europe. In fact there is only one trans-Atlantic flight from Basel which is Air Transat to Montreal once a week.

Zurich has direct flights to many the US on Swiss and other US airlines; depends on where in the US you need to get to.

If there is no big difference with travel times, you are going to have a very tight connection. Remember that US airlines impose security checks at check-in and at the gate so a tight connection is the last thing you need. And you will run the risk of checked luggage mis-connect.

The flight from Zurich will most likely be direct vs. making a connection somewhere in Europe (Amsterdam, Paris, etc) before you get home from Basel. But if you are OK with that, go for it.

Sorry, JohnKen3, our posts crossed. Now I sound redundant.

And another factor...train connections between Basel and Zurich are frequent, not expensive, and the station is right in the basement of the Zurich airport.

What is your home airport? It sounds like you have to connect somewhere. IF you have options for a single connection either in Europe on a flight out of Basel or connecting in the US on a flight out of Zurich I’d choose the Europe connection. You have to clear US immigration and customs at your first US airport; if that is your home airport you go home; if a connection you have to recheck your bags and go through the entire security screening again. Also flights directly into your home airport are covered by EU Regulation 261/2004 for the entire journey which provides much better protection for delays etc than US rules.

We are flying into Boston from Switzerland after the cruise.

We are flying into Boston from Switzerland after the cruise.

We are doing Uniworld Amsterdam to Basel. We are going on to Zurich because we thought it would be better for touring other cities like Lucern and Bern. We are flying home to Chicago on Icelandic. Do do have a short stop in Reykjavik. After booking we thought maybe we should spend a few days in a Reykjavik. But to change flight was too expensive. Should have been done at time of book.

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I'm doing the reverse - flying from US to Basel. Uniworld got me flights from Nashville to Chicago, Chicago to Munich, and Munich to Basel. I'm happy with the routing, given that I don't live in a major city like NYC, Atlanta, or Boston.

Roz

If we have a connection in Europe coming back to the U.S. do we need to get our bags, go through customs, and then through security again to catch our flight to Boston?

Last year I flew from Budapest to Brussels and then on to Dulles Airport. I didn't have to collect my bag until I got to Dulles.

Roz

If ending a cruise in Basel, would you recommend flying back to the U.S. from Basel or Zurich if flying back on the day the cruise ends? It appears Basel flights might be about $200 less per person with no big difference in total travel time via air so we are curious why we hear flying from Zurich is better.

I’ve ended cruises in Basel twice, and have flown home to Boston with connecting flights in CDG in Paris twice. No problem either time.

If we have a connection in Europe coming back to the U.S. do we need to get our bags, go through customs, and then through security again to catch our flight to Boston?

No, you definitely don't have to pick up your bags and recheck them on a European connection as long as they are checked through to your US destination. Depending on the airport, you may well pass through security again. But you may not. They like to keep you guessing.

Switzerland may be more complicated because it's Schengen, but not EU. I've done plenty of flights with a connection in Europe before coming home, and I THINK it should work the same but I don't have firsthand experience with the exact scenario you describe.

Furthermore, Basel airport has two sections - one in Switzerland, and one in France. Confused yet?

You would ordinarily check your bags through to Boston, and not touch them again until you get there, and pick them up for US customs.

You would probably clear passport control in your last European stop, not in Basel. So you'd fly from Basel to Paris or Amsterdam, say, and then you'd leave the Schengen zone at that airport, passing through passport control to do so. Then you'd fly home.

Note that if you're connecting through London, the procedure would be different because the UK is in the EU for now, but not Schengen.

No, you definitely don't have to pick up your bags and recheck them on a European connection as long as they are checked through to your US destination. Depending on the airport, you may well pass through security again. But you may not. They like to keep you guessing.

 

 

 

Switzerland may be more complicated because it's Schengen, but not EU. I've done plenty of flights with a connection in Europe before coming home, and I THINK it should work the same but I don't have firsthand experience with the exact scenario you describe.

 

 

 

Furthermore, Basel airport has two sections - one in Switzerland, and one in France. Confused yet?

 

 

 

You would ordinarily check your bags through to Boston, and not touch them again until you get there, and pick them up for US customs.

 

 

 

You would probably clear passport control in your last European stop, not in Basel. So you'd fly from Basel to Paris or Amsterdam, say, and then you'd leave the Schengen zone at that airport, passing through passport control to do so. Then you'd fly home.

 

 

 

Note that if you're connecting through London, the procedure would be different because the UK is in the EU for now, but not Schengen.

Thanks for this very useful information! We’re scheduled to fly from Basel to CDG on HOP! (Air France) and then to Houston on AF. Per the AF website it appears we’ll check our luggage in Basel & not pick it up until Houston, but I’m very happy to have confirmation from you!

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We appreciate all the helpful information that people have provided. Thank you very much.

Given the extra security screenings and passport checks for any flight into the US right now, my preference is to take the train to an airport with non-stops into the US. I've had too many connections go wonky to trust that I'll have time for the extra security screening and passport check without missing my flight.

The train from Basel to Zurich airport takes a little over an hour, and is very reliable. The station is in the basement of the airport. You go up one level, check your bags, go up another level to find a shopping center, cross the street, and you are in the main terminal. It is very easy to navigate.

I'll second the train to Zürich option as a good one. We did that coming home from Geneva, rather than make a connection. Pretty easy.

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