What airlines do you like to Europe?

Any opinion on some of the cheaper ones like Iberia, Aeroflot, or Air Berlin?

Don't fly Aeroflot.

It certainly is cheap. Not worth it?

VS

I flight Iberia regularly to Spain. They are ok. Not amazing but better than most US Airlines. At least you get some free cheap Wine so you can doze off!

I agree that you do not want to fly Aeroflot. We have used Air Berlin in Europe and had pleasant flights. IRC, the planes were new.

As far as inexpensive, it depends on where you want to go. Currently we have found inexpensive flights on United to Oslo and Milan. We have oodles of United miles and then use them to fly to other destinations in Europe.

Edited to add: once you get to Europe, it can be surprising how inexpensive many flights are to other destinations.

It depends on where you are flying within Europe. Sometimes the hassle factor doesn't justify the cheaper prices. The airports are as big a consideration as the airline itself. For example, Heathrow, which I avoid like the plague. I would avoid Aeroflot. Russia is too unstable right now; if the situation escalates further they could impose sanctions on air travel, at which point you'd have no recourse for a paid ticket.

There will be no sanctions on air travel. The West wins big on travelling over Siberian routes.

One airline that has been offering really cheap fares and their fleet is new is Norwegian Air. Norwegian.co. Many of the consolidators don't publish for them, so you have to look at their site.

FFB said:

There will be no sanctions on air travel. The West wins big on travelling over Siberian routes.

Interesting you say this. Considering Russia announced over the weekend it would nuke Danish warships if Denmark joins NATO, I doubt the West is thrilled about flying over Russian airspace these days.

Singapore Airlines from JFK to FRA.

Last month the most reasonable tickets we could find to Spain in May were via Turkish Air. Prices were around $ 750 vs over $1100 for every other airline we could find. So, we are flying to Spain Via Istanbul, and staying 5 days in Istanbul for just a bit more than amount we saved by flying there. I have heard Turkish Air isn't great - but for us it was worth it.

Turkish Air was recommended on this board last year. Part of the appeal is the FREE tour they offer if you have a layover in Istanbul. I could have flown direct to Tel Aviv on another airline, but opted to fly Turkish Air for the experience. I was so pleased that I did. If you have extra time to spare, it was worth the experience. The flight itself was great and the Istanbul Airport is lovely.

sarahzm said:

Last month the most reasonable tickets we could find to Spain in May were via Turkish Air. Prices were around $ 750 vs over $1100 for every other airline we could find. So, we are flying to Spain Via Istanbul, and staying 5 days in Istanbul for less than the amount we saved by flying there. I have heard Turkish Air isn't great - but for us it was worth it.

I just wish I could do that, but with a 3 yr in tow it is just not possible. Funny thing is, my cousin is visiting us from Spain from June to August, and her ticket is half the price of going from NY to Spain. I checked the same dates from NY to Spain and it is nearly double. Hard to understand considering that the Euro is almost at parity with the USD right now.

Luftansa has always been excellent. I may be one of the few but I like British Air. Their rates seem to have gone up this year. I remember once being at Heathrow and reading a long drawn out schedule.

An Airport employee approached me and asked, "Can I help you sir"?

When did that ever happen to anyone in Newark?

Lufthansa

When Lufthansa's pilots are working, sure. Emirates to Europe is amazing. Singapore Air through FRA (or anywhere they go--I've only used them to FRA) is great. BA is up and down...will be on them shortly. UA and AA are hell, though I'd go UA over AA any day. Not flown Delta in ages, nor Iberia. One trip on Iberia was enough. Don't mind Air France. Turkish Air I've never flown, but was just steered far away from them by AmEx and the Corp Travel folks earlier today, coincedentally.

ctrzaska said:

Turkish Air I've never flown, but was just steered far away from them by AmEx and the Corp Travel folks earlier today, coincedentally.

Curious as to why...

Complaints about poor service and poor connections mainly (though the standard State Dept risks always come up too-- this was for a potential layover in Istanbul). A colleague compared it to taking Air India to Frankfurt. You COULD, but why in hell would you want to if you didn't have to?

ctrzaska said:

Complaints about poor service and poor connections mainly (though the standard State Dept risks always come up too-- this was for a potential layover in Istanbul). A colleague compared it to taking Air India to Frankfurt. You COULD, but why in hell would you want to if you didn't have to?

That's not fair. I would never compare Turkish Air to Air India. LOL... My belief is that the Turks are not in vogue these days, for several reasons if one studies politics. But the airline is excellent. Ataturk airport is humming and surprisingly efficient. With that said, I would not fly with Middle Eastern airlines. I have concerns with security and also the number of ISIS people going through Istanbul these days en route to Syria and other trouble spots.

Had a couple of excellent flights with Air Berlin (codesharing with United to EWR I believe, so you get the miles). Another cheap option through Belgium, I believe, is Jet Air -- I believe they stop there en route to India.

Today's plane crash makes me think about all of this all of the time. This crash involved "Wings" airline a subsidiary of Lufthansa.
My brother is a pilot with AA. He has flown commuter jets for over 20 years. I will still pay for the big, well maintained planes over the commuter jets if they are available on the same route.

ctrzaska said:

Complaints about poor service and poor connections mainly (though the standard State Dept risks always come up too-- this was for a potential layover in Istanbul). A colleague compared it to taking Air India to Frankfurt. You COULD, but why in hell would you want to if you didn't have to?

I can't speak to poor connections, since I willingly had a 9 hour layover
I went in June and the security seems more than adequate.

I would love to do some sightseeing in Istanbul again. I was there when I was 15 and have amazing memories of the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia, but I didn't really get the full impact at that age. Now, I would be blown away and appreciate it fully.

Norwegian has great bargains, as mentioned.

Are they only out of JFK?

What does everyone think of Emirates? Found a nice nonstop.

Emirates is great.

Okay. That's all I need to know. Although I did see a lot of bad reviews.

Second for Emirates. Flew them just last week.