Does a Flight with a change of airport make sense

[rbslos18]

Our goal is to get from SDF to FCO on 12/20. The only non-stop from the US to FCO are flights out of JFK (plus one from Newark which is a very long day).. In order for this to work we would have to fly into LaGuardia, get our luggage and take a cab to JFK. Does this make sense to avoid landing in Europe and dealing with the COVID testing issues? The alternative is two stops, one in the US and one in Europe. Currently we fly SDF-ORD-LHR-FCO on British Airways.

Thanks

[mchell810]

If you prefer the airport changes to flight changes it can be done; however, you need to be sure to leave sufficient time to get from Laguardia to JFK.  While the distance isn't a lot traffic on the Grand Central Parkway and the Van Wyck Expressway (which you must take to get to JFK) can be very heavy. 

[CruiserBruce]

Does it make sense....well, I will say it happens, perhaps most commonly, from my experience in London between Heathrow and Gatwick. But I wouldn't do it.

 

The better option is the United flight through EWR. Yes, it adds 4 hours, but without the additional complexity and stress of changing airports. I would do that route in a heartbeat before changing airports.

 

 

[rbslos18]

2 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Does it make sense....well, I will say it happens, perhaps most commonly, from my experience in London between Heathrow and Gatwick. But I wouldn't do it.

 

The better option is the United flight through EWR. Yes, it adds 4 hours, but without the additional complexity and stress of changing airports. I would do that route in a heartbeat before changing airports.

 

 

Thanks. I will see if that is an option.

[GeezerCouple]

The ONLY times we've changed airports is when we needed to spend a night at a hotel between flights because that was the only reasonable connection.  So... we'd need to exit and re-enter the airport with all the security follies anyway.

 

Otherwise, I just can't imagine changing airports.  That would take so much time, especially allowing for delays at each airport plus traffic, that any other routing that would require a longer connection would still be more appealing.

 

GC

[Zach1213]

It always makes me nervous. I've done it, but I certainly try to avoid it. LGA to JFK would be one that I would prefer to avoid. I've done Narita to Haneda in Tokyo with relatively quick and reliable public transit. I've done Heathrow to City in London with the same. But, honestly, I would avoid most in the US because you're likely going to rely on taxi/Uber/Lyft and traffic can vary so much. That's just my opinion and experience, though. 

[FlyerTalker]

On 9/19/2021 at 9:58 AM, rbslos18 said:

Does this make sense to avoid landing in Europe and dealing with the COVID testing issues? The alternative is two stops, one in the US and one in Europe. Currently we fly SDF-ORD-LHR-FCO on British Airways.

 

Simply put....you have been WAY overthinking this trip.  (And FWIW, somehow you will have to be "landing in Europe" if you want to get to Rome.)

 

Let me put it this way.  In order to avoid a connection in Europe, you would rather:

 

1) Wait for and retrieve your bags at LGA

2) Tote your luggage to ground transportation

3) Wait for transportation to take you to JFK

4) Pay for the transportation to JFK

5) Endure the Van Wyck Expressway

6) Tote your luggage in the JFK terminal

7) Go through the check-in process again at JFK

😎 Go through the security process at JFK

 

Did I miss something?

 

Personally, I would do this if it was either A) the only way to make this trip or B) saving many hundreds of dollars.  Of course, you may see it differently.

[iancal]

We have done LHR to LGW and reverse a few times.  We will only do it in off hours to avoid traffic congestion. Plus..we only have carry on so as soon as we de-plane we go immediately to airport bus stop.

 

If our time was tight, if we had to wait for baggage, or if we had a connection that required travel at rush hour we would certainly reconsider our plans (or our flights).

[rbslos18]

1 hour ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Simply put....you have been WAY overthinking this trip.  (And FWIW, somehow you will have to be "landing in Europe" if you want to get to Rome.)

 

Let me put it this way.  In order to avoid a connection in Europe, you would rather:

 

1) Wait for and retrieve your bags at LGA

2) Tote your luggage to ground transportation

3) Wait for transportation to take you to JFK

4) Pay for the transportation to JFK

5) Endure the Van Wyck Expressway

6) Tote your luggage in the JFK terminal

7) Go through the check-in process again at JFK

😎 Go through the security process at JFK

 

Did I miss something?

 

Personally, I would do this if it was either A) the only way to make this trip or B) saving many hundreds of dollars.  Of course, you may see it differently.

With 11 changed itineraries using 6 different airlines, I may be overthinking this. Even more unnerving is the “computer generated” itinerary changes.  This is one of the disadvantages of cruise line air. We normally do this on our own. Given the risks with the pandemic we decided the financial risks would be lower. But the trade off has been regular changes. The other issue driving the changes are the PCR tests which would have to be done over the weekend and are difficult to find. Hopefully the stress and uncertainty will pay off with a memorable cruise.  

Edited September 21, 2021 by rbslos18