direct or multi stop flight to israel

1,517 Views | 7 Replies | Last: 7 yr ago by Vernada
gus1390
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AG
Planning a trip to Israel for my family. Trip will include my 85 year old mother. Curious on thoughts of those who have made the trip before if a direct flight is too long of a flight compared to flying into continental europe, staying overnight and then continuing on
ChipFTAC01
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My wife and I went over last year to visit my sister and BIL when they were living. Actually, all of my family went during the couple of years that they were over there. I think the only direct flights to TLV from the US are from LAX and JFK/EWR.

My wife and I flew over from Houston on BA through London. Not bad, had about a 4 hour layover each way in London.

My folks flew over from Houston on United. IAH->NY->TLV. I think they came back through Frankfurt. Pretty short connections, just a couple of hours in each direction.

My sister flew from Denver through London and had a long layover in London and spent the day sightseeing. Overnight layover on the way back.

My brother flew Air France I think. I know he stopped in Paris on one of the legs. Maybe did some sightseeing in one direction.

For me, personally, both trying to not extend the pain of those travel days and also to minimize my vacation days left travelling, it is worth to just get the travel over in one day. I did have a bad sinus infection on the way back and that was one of the longest days of my life.
XPATAG
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AG
I live in the Middle East and fly regularly between the US, Europe, and Middle East. In my opinion it really depends on the amount of time and cash.

If you have time and would like to add another destination on to your travel now is the best time. You can fly into one of the main hubs in Europe and take a couple of days to relax. This cuts your flights down into manageable chunks in the cattle car section. Good stops at the major hubs include Amsterdam (KLM), Frankfurt (Lufthansa), Paris (Air France), and London (British Airways). Our favorite as a family is Amsterdam.

If time is an issue then it can be worthwhile to pony up the cash for business class tickets. Maybe just buy one business class seat for your 85 yr mother. Having the ability to have your seat completely recline flat is a lifesaver on flights that are longer than 8hrs. Some airlines have economy plus which isn't bad if you can get bulkhead seating.

Typically on family vacations we stick to having a 2-3 day stop over in Europe to just get off and move around. The break up helps a lot, especially with younger kids and older parents. Plus there is so much historical places to visit. We have one set of parents coming over this fall and we set them up to layover in Istanbul (It's actually a pretty amazing place), before coming to us.

fightinags2013
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I was pretty worn out by the time I arrived in Tel Aviv after doing Dallas to Newark, Newark to Frankfurt, and Frankfurt to Tel Aviv.

I agree that stopping for a day or two in Europe could be helpful.
histag10
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My parents have made that trip a few times, and prefer to get all of the travel out of the way at once.

Instead of spending extra money on a day or in europe, could you use that to bump at least her up to business or first class to help ease the stress of travel?
fightinags2013
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That's a good point. Get her the comfort of a nice seat and it might not be as much of a hassle
gus1390
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thanks for the feedback. good ideas all
defroach
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I think it would be more hassle to do one flight, leave the airport, go to a hotel, stay the night, go back to the airport, check back in, and continue flying versus just flying all the way through even if there is a 4-5 hour layover.

It adds a lot less stress just getting it over with.

It is worth stopping if you have more than two nights, though.
Vernada
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AG
I always take direct if it's feasible.
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