via Philadelphia / TravelPaths.ie / USAirways

A

Ash

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Does anyone have any personal experience of any of the above?

I'm interested in flying to the American mid-west. There's no direct flight from Dublin so have the option to go via NY, Chicago, Atlanta or Philadelphia. Has anyone travelled onwards in the US via Philadelphia? It is easy to manage? I'd be travelling alone so these things are important.

Also, one of the better fares offered that I've seen so far online is on USAirways on TravelPaths.ie. Does anyone have any comments on USAirways transAtlantic flights or about TravelPaths, a company I've never heard of before.

I'd be grateful for any information or comments anyone has on one, two or all three.

Thanks everyone.
 
Hi Ash,

Sorry I can't answer most of your question perhaps EvilDoctorK will be able to help out when he drops by - his travel knowledge knows no bounds :)

In the meantime perhaps this thread might be of some assistance
 
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Hi sueellen,

As ever AAM is a font of information. Thanks for pointing out the sites. Loads to look through there.

In the past I'm sure I've seen mention of a website which gives detailed information about airports around the world. Would you happen to remember the name of the site?

Thanks again for for help.
 
Connecting via Philadelphia airport is probably quite a decent option - Its a nicer airport than JFK all in one terminal building as opposed to JFK and Chicago where the terminals are quite far apart and you kind of have to take buses between them

However more of a concern would be what happens if (as is quite likely in the medium term) USAirways collapse. None of the major US Airlines are in great financial shape but US Airways is the worst by far.

If the fare is good (i.e. a lot cheaper than anyone else) maybe give it a shot - but make sure you pay with credit card as at least then you have some comeback I think if the worst happens!

If it's only a few quid cheaper than the alternative - I would think it might be better going via Atlanta with Delta or some other route. Via Atlanta is probably the next best option .. Atlanta is also a fairly decent airport (it's huge but pretty well organised) and you'd be travelling right through with one airline which is generally preferable if things go wrong.

Edited to add .. i've never heard of Travelpaths.ie either - though they say they are fully bonded/licensed so you should be fine.
 
more research needed

EvilDoctorK,

Thank you for sharing your experience and advice. I'll take it all on board.
I knew USAirways were in financial difficulties but according to another source has revealed that USAirways should be okay until the end of June. I'll research fares a bit more.
I have flown via Atlanta with Delta and dont recall any major problems negotiating the huge sprawl and train system which connected the teminals. A few people I know who've travelled via Chicago have nothing positive to say about it at all.
As I said, I'll look into routes and fares some more. Still haven't found anyone who has used TravelPaths.ie.

By the way, is there ANY international flights which DONT have the stopover in Shannon? Eliminating that might become a factor influencing my choice.

sueellen, that was the site I was looking for. Thanks.

Thanks again to everyone for their contributions.
 
Re: more research needed

Ash,

The rule now is that for every non-stop flight from Dublin-US there has to be a corresponding service from Shannon ... this is less restrictive than the old rule which meant that you had to stop in SNN in both directions on every flight.

As far as I know Delta generally offer a "triangular route" on alternate days going ATL-DUB-SNN-ATL one day and ATL-SNN-DUB-ATL the next day... so if you get your days right you can get non-stop flights to Atlanta in both directions.

US Airways (Philadelphia) and Continental(Newark) offer daily separate flights from Dublin and Shannon so are always non stop (in the summer at least).

Aer Lingus it depends on your destination .. I think usually Chicago & LA are non stop from Dublin, Boston generally only non stop from Shannon and New York has non stops from both.

I would say that Atlanta, Philadelphia & Newark are perhaps the best connection points ... JFK and Chicago the worst .. from a point of view of terminal layout etc.
 
No so fast there, !<!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END--><!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END-->The AirTrain at JFK airport is up-and-running which makes inter-terminal connections a snap<!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END-->
[broken link removed]​
<!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END--><!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END-->N.B. Philly is kip and has possibly the worst catering of all the international gateways in eastern USA.
 
That is true Max .. I was forgetting that .. JFK has come along a lot in recent years with the revamped terminal that Aer Lingus use and the Airtrain ... I have to say I still prefer Newark .... but you are right it's not as bad as it used to be at all.... can't comment on the catering out of Philadelphia i've only flown out of it 2 or 3 times and I can't say it sticks in my mind either way !
 
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