Travel Do Prefer A Long Direct Flight or Stop Over?

Long Direct 12 Hour Flight or Stop Over Somewhere

  • Long Direct Flight -- Less Hassle But Insanely Long

  • Stop Over Somewhere -- Deboard, Reboard, Etc.


Results are only viewable after voting.

jchiara

is really in love...
O.G.
Oct 4, 2006
10,701
31
Hi everyone.
I've taken both from LAX to Zurich -- one was a direct flight on Swiss, the other was a stop-over in NY for a few hours and then onto Zurich.

I could have sworn that the 11-12 hour direct flight on Swiss I would never do again considering they were sold out and I had to sit in the middle aisle in a middle seat (never again.....!!!!!) but then I've also lost my luggage during my layovers due to missed flights, problems with the plane, etc.

I'm just wondering since another flight is coming up for me again, would you suggest just sucking it up and taking that long direct 12 hour flight (in an aisle seat this time FOR SURE, and I HAVE to take Economy), or take my chances with late flights and possible lost luggage just for an hour or two to stretch my legs and then having to board another flight (which sometimes is late too!).

Thoughts?
 
I always go for direct flights, even though they are often more expensive. I also try to chose night flights so I can sleept for most of the time.
 
Nonstop! The more connections there are the more chance there is for delays/cancelled flights/mishandled luggage, etc.

I flew Chicago to Bejing one time, 14 hrs, and it wasn't bad. It's much shorter than a couple of flights to get there.
 
direct flight. i'm a little annoyed that i couldn't find a direct flight for my upcoming trip, so i have to stop in atlanta and paris and spend a few hours in each airport. i'll be traveling for nearly an entire day before i even reach my destination...
 
Definitely direct. My longest flights have been from San Francisco to Seoul and San Francisco to London, and I always prefer nonstop. It's long and boring, but less hassle.
 
Long direct. I hate getting off the plane and having to wait around in a random city for my next flight. Plus delays are stressful and there's the increased risk of losing luggage, crashing(!), security.. And finally I find that the longer flights tend to have the better selection of movies/TV shows with AVOD. My longest direct flight was either HK to Chicago or Istanbul to Chicago. If I had flown Delta from Istanbul it wouldn't have been direct. I'd fly to New York then NY to Chicago, I'd have to go through customs in NY, collect and recheck my luggage, fret about delays, waste time waiting at the airport, and forgo AVOD and have no choice of films, just the overhead old school TVs every few rows. :sad: Trust me, I wont make that mistake again.
 
Direct, preferably non stop. I don't want to get stuck in the middle because of weather or a mechanical then have to standby for another flight if one even exists. Plus half the battle is boarding and stowing my bags if I'm not there to board earlier.
 
I prefer a direct long flight. I hate being stuck in an airport with nothing to do and expensive stuff everywhere. I don't care how long the direct flight is, I just do not like to be waiting in an airport. Usually though when I travel to the Philippines from NY I can't avoid a stop over.
 
Yeah, I'm starting to think long too.
A friend of mine liked the idea of stopping off in different cities and having a look around, but who has time?
Plus the lost luggage, problems with the connecting flight...it could all be a recipe for disaster.
Besides at least you get to fly on those ginormous Airbuses. The elephant of the sky.
 
Always direct! I've done 16 hr flights before and would always prefer that over stop overs. I guess the long flights don't bug me that much---as long as you have a book, some movies, snacks etc they aren't horrible. But getting on and off is such a hassle.