First things first,  you’ll need to determine your transportation to go to Europe. These days going by plane is the most practical way to travel to Europe from the US, as it has the most benefits.

1. Less time to get there.

2. Lower cost.

3. You’ll be able to depart from a major airport near you.

4. You can arrive at an airport at your end destination or very close to it. This is also true for departing from Europe back to the US.

If you can obsoletely not fly, you can be possibly take an ocean liner which will take 6 days to get there. These days only ➾ Cunard is the offering a transatlantic crossing from New York to Southampton, UK several times a year. However, some cruise lines that operate in the Caribbean during the winter months operate in Europe during the summer. That means they make a transatlantic crossing twice a year with reduced rates. To monitor these low cost fares and when they become available, go to ➾ Cruisewatch.com

Your Flying Options…

It always a good idea to find a non-stop flight because getting connecting flights could lead to delays and long layovers. While non-stop flights are longer, the combine time spent traveling to your final destination with stops & connections will be longer. Connections can easily lead to delays, your plane could arrive late missing your connecting plane or the connecting plane may be cancelled. Any of these delays could be from bad weather, strong head wind, equipment or air traffic controls problems. Your bags get handled one more time adding  more wear and tear, not to say that your bags may not get to your final destination when you do or, the other way around. The small additional cost is worth every extra penny. 

Why spend your time waiting in an airport for hours when you can be spending more time at your Europe destination.  The largest airport hub in Europe is London, followed by Frankfurt, Paris, Madrid, Brussels and Amsterdam which have connections to almost everywhere in Europe.

International airlines that fly non-stop from US cities to Europe…​

The following airlines also have limited non-stop flights to several US locations. Please confirm schedules as most have seasonal flights only to selected cities.

Airline Class Levels…

Service and Comfort Offerings by Class

Airlines offer several levels of service and comfort when flying. Economy tickets are the lowest cost with First Class the most expensive. So what are the differences for each class? While the level of services may vary a little from one airline to the next, the breakout below is a general comparison. This is for International flights only, as these vary in levels of service from their counterparts on US domestic flights.

FIRST CLASS

Long-haul First Class is found on international/long-haul routes. This class of service offers more comfort and amenities than Long-haul Business Class, which usually include:

Business CLASS

Business Class is found mostly on international routes and planes that are configured for long-haul travel. This class of service offers significantly more comfort and amenities than standard Economy, Premium Economy, and Domestic First Class, which usually include:

premium economy

Some airline carriers offer Premium Economy, a separate class of seating and service, that differs from standard Economy. Premium Economy is found mostly on international flights and, compared to standard Economy, offers about 5-7 inches of extra legroom as well as additional amenities, which can include:

economy class

Economy or as some in the travel industry call it coach is where you will find the lowest fares. Always read your charges carefully before booking as there may be additional charges that you do not incur with the other classes. Baggage fees and limitations, additional seat charge, etc. Always read your charges carefully before booking. Many airlines offer an ECONOMY PLUS ticket with seats in the first several rows of the economy cabin. Upgrade benefits are slightly more leg room, earlier boarding and some tickets may be refundable.

Basic ECONOMY

Some airlines sell discounted Economy seats. Seats are only assigned when checking in at the airport. These tickets have on upgrade benefits and are non-refundable.

To confirm exact benefits for each class, contact the operating airline directly. To look at a complete seat map for a particular airline and flight go to » SEAT GURU.com. There you can see the cabin and seat arrangements for all airline flights.

Airline Alliances…

Airlines have created alliances that may add benefits to travelers, especially those who prefer to use a particular airline. Airlines will codeshare flights so travelers can fly on routes their preferred carrier doesn’t fly. You want to fly on a route your normal airline doesn’t fly you may book that flight on your airlines web site. You want to book a flight on American Airlines that has no scheduled flights to your destination but, British Airways in their alliance does. You book the ticket on the American Airlines web site but, you will be flying on a British Airways operated plane.

Common in the airline industry is the codeshare agreement between airlines. This allows two or more airlines to publish and sell the same flight under their own airline designator and flight number on their schedule. Code-sharing in the airline industry gives you a wider selection of flights while traveling in different areas of the globe. This also allows you to earn or use your regular airlines points with any other partner airline within the alliance.