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Difficult Travel Arrangements

Dixiechick

As much as I love out many trips with Tauck, I have become irritated that Tauck often has little or no concern with ease of flight logistics. We had to cancel a trip to Northern Spain because it was impossible to find flights that would get us from Douro to Dallas with more than a 1 hour or less connection time. So we booked Bordeaux, Paris, and the Seine for June ‘26 and had a terrible time getting to Bordeaux.
We ended up scheduling a Dallas to Dublin flight with a 5+ hour layover time to fly Aer Lingus to Bordeaux. Ño Business Class on this flight. And no American frequent flyer club in Dublin.
Does anyone know of an airport club in Dublin that we can pay to use for our layover?
Nancy Goble

Comments

British

Oh crumbs. Does not sound good, we just booked a trip to Bordeaux. Hope that was not a mistake! Not looked at flights yet.

BKMD

Just over 2 hours by train from Paris to Bordeaux.

Goddess

I don't know how in the world Tauck (or any travel company) could possibly figure out flight logistics for the many tours they offer and the many people they serve. I've learned to be really creative in planning flights and just going with the flow with long layovers. Too risky to approve short ones these days.
Try this link: https://www.dublinairport.com/enhance-your-journey/lounges/lounge-airline-partners

British

BKMD, We thought about the train, will be in London first.Not until October.

BKMD

British - Looks like about 6 hours from London to BOrdeaux on Eurostar, then TGV. Even if flights are available, still might not be any quicker by air with all the airport waiting time.

Mimitravels

We also booked this trip for the fall of 26. We booked our flight (Air France) with one stop from Orlando to Paris then on to Bordeaux. And direct Paris to Orlando on the way back.

kfnknfzk

Yes, Air France in my opinion is the best airline for travel anywhere in France. We are fortunate to fly non-stop to CDG then hop on another Air France flight to other cities.

British

It’s the flights within France that I am concerned about.

Folsomdoc

I agree! We leave in a few weeks for Paris, Dordogne and Bordeaux. Our final stop is Biarritz. From there it’s a short hop to CDG and that’s the one I’m worried about. I’ve scoped out trains and there is a 6AM one to CDG. I’m prepared to pull the trigger on those should our connection be in jeopardy.

OurTravels34

Train travel is much easier and so much more pleasant then flying these days. I’ve taken trains in France (Trainline.com) and they go on the cartons unless of course there’s a train strike.

Mimitravels

We just flew from Morocco through Paris and back to Orlando last week, with minimal wait times going through customs and no flight delays.

bucketlist

We had no problem traveling from Biaritz to Charles DeGaulle. We have begun staying over at an airport hotel if the flight times don't work well, especiallyif the connection time is short.

ginger_201

@dixiechick : "Book directly at dublinairport.com/enhance-your-journey/lounges rather than through a third party to avoid markups.
One thing to note: If you have a credit card with Priority Pass (like the Amex Platinum), Dublin Airport lounges are part of the Priority Pass network Head for Points, which could get you in free — worth checking before you pay out of pocket"

Folsomdoc

I was alluding to the cancellation of intra-European flights due to the shortage of jet fuel. Yes, if it runs it would be an easy connection.

British

The more time that goes by without a resolution to the war, the more chance of fuel shortages and cancelled flights.

MarketArt

Dixiechick, Aer Lingus has a small "Revival" Lounge at Dublin Airport. You may want to check your eligibility.

rhonelover

We are concerned about inter Europe flights. We are connecting in Zurich for Budapest on a flight we made reservations for about nine months ago. It is nerve racking, but beyond our control. I win look into train, but that is a long trip.

RNS

I just came across this post. My wife and I are booked on the small group Northern Spain trip this summer. Tauck could not get us a cheap enough flight (tickets became unavailable within 5 minutes). We then booked the trip ourselves with return from Porto through Madrid, business class (except Porto to Madrid). There is a 2 hour layover in Madrid for a flight to Dallas. We made these arrangements a long time ago but I did want to note there was a way to accomplish what you wanted though flights get booked up. This was through American Airlines. Have a great trip wherever you go!

WI_Snowbird

I just wanted to jump in and say I feel your pain. We live in a “regional airport “ city, so everything is multiple connections for us. I’m at my wits end trying to get flights for our Classic Italy tour next year with adequate time for connections.

British

You will probably get some suggestion for flights like using a travel agent here on the forums which we have never done

Years ago, Tauck told us they specifically suggest the flights which they know will connect with the start of the tour, which is often why their flights seem not direct and possibly more expensive. We found that out the hard way by not doing our research and we used their flights which made three flights when we found out we could have done it in two.
We think the Gift of time is mostly to ensure as many people as possible can get to the destination before the tour begins.
Note, we did book our flights to Bordeaux but my husband booked them and I can’t recall the route. We are in Europe right now so I can’t check.