European Vacation*

*I think that title has been taken ...

We're planning a nonrev adventure to north central Austria in mid-April. Our destination is about one hour north of Linz by car. What is the best way to get there?

Hubs to use/avoid?
Delta partners to use?
Is it nonrev on the OALs? Or ZED? Or Discounted fare?
Can we get train discounts?
What is "schnitzel" anyway?

We've done well stateside with nonrev so far, but we've only flown on Delta. Their routes get a little thin once you hit AMS and CDG (on the spaghetti map). Any advice would be most welcome. Thank you.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FOMTS

*I think that title has been taken ...

We're planning a nonrev adventure to north central Austria in mid-April. Our destination is about one hour north of Linz by car. What is the best way to get there?

Hubs to use/avoid?
Delta partners to use?
Is it nonrev on the OALs? Or ZED? Or Discounted fare?
Can we get train discounts?
What is "schnitzel" anyway?

We've done well stateside with nonrev so far, but we've only flown on Delta. Their routes get a little thin once you hit AMS and CDG (on the spaghetti map). Any advice would be most welcome. Thank you.

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Hubs to use/avoid:
Use these in this order where possible: the ones used by your airline with seats, the ones used by an alliance carrier with seats (eg, DL employees generally get better rates on AF or KL, UA gets better rates on LH/SN, AA gets better rates on BA/IB since they're all in Skyteam/Star/OneWorld), and the ones used by any other airline with seats. Although, I've heard PIT and CVG have CDG flights on DL that tend to have seats. I think they have RDU-LHR as well, unless that was AA.

Avoid (again, in order) Airports with full flights, LHR (if possible. They have high departure taxes.) ... really, I would recommend anything with space, depending on what that may be. With that said, things change quickly, so beware! Strikes happen, for example, and passengers have to be rebooked somewhere. There are a LOT of people travelling in and out of Europe around that time, so expect long standby lists in advance.

OAL = Other Airline
ZED = Zonal Employee Discount (a standardized discounted fare for flying on OAL). Technically it's classified as nonrev still, even if you're paying a small amount. Also still standby, generally bottom of the list.

Train discounts for airline employees is something I haven't heard of, at least abroad. But I could be wrong.

You know chicken fried steak? Schnitzel is similar, but pork and with German flavors.

This may help
ZED info- http://nonrev.net/content/119-what-zed-fare.html


And you’ll want a train option - Seat61 - The Man in Seat Sixty-One - the train travel guide... train info - routes, schedules, fares
One more thing, from one Californian to another, I gotta tell you, I don’t think Austrian
schnitzel and our Wienerschnitzel hot dogs have anything in common.:cool:

Be aware you could have some weather issues on the ground. start looking at that list of OALs and the ezeds are very easy to tkt. wait for email purchase info and take record locator to transit or tkt desk. Hope you do carryon bags only. seat 61 is your best friend for links. Also tripadvisor forums for Austria. Don't forget CVG/CDG as option. FRA is a bit pricey with taxes, too. yep, stick w Skyteam when possible. look at all cities we serve, one at a time on the spaghetti map. My flight from MXP to FCO was $50. Ck alt airports in EU. some cities have LCC option and main lines compete in some. MXP alt was LIN Linate on the other side of city but worth 13€ Bus to find almost hourly flts to FCO. Ck out LCC like easy jet but pay attention to baggage and checkin procedures.

I avoid AMS like the plague. Too much competition because everybody goes there or thinks of that first.
For your trip, DTW-FRA could be good. I have had great luck on that route as it is not as desirable as other EU routes. But as M7 said FRA taxes are high....about $120. JFK-ZRH could be a good one too.

Trains in and around Germany and Austria are a good option however unless you are planning on hiring a Trabbant ... one hour north of Linz is what we here call the Czech Republic !!

Stay away from LHR. Train discount depends on your age. You can only get eurail pass outside Europe but it is pricey. It is better to buy individual train tickets in advance if you can. Austrian Airline is good. Less taxes in CDG compared to AMS but the airport is more messy.