GETTING THERE
Arriving by plane
According to ezinereligion, the major national airlines in the USA are
American Airlines (AA) (Internet: www.aa.com),
Delta Air (DL) (Internet: www.delta.com) and
United Airlines (UA) (Internet: www.united.com)).
American Airlines flies from Frankfurt and Zurich, United Airlines (cooperation with KLM) and Delta Air from the international airports of Germany, from Vienna, Geneva and Zurich. United operates the routes Frankfurt – Houston as well as Frankfurt and Munich – New York (Newark) as direct flights. Delta Airoffers direct flights from Düsseldorf to Detroit and from Zurich to New York (JFK) and Atlanta. With United Airlines connections are from Dusseldorf, Munich, Vienna, Geneva and Zurich. The airlines fly to all important destinations in the USA, sometimes in cooperation.
With Lufthansa (LH) there are direct connections from Frankfurt to New York and Los Angeles as well as from Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich to Miami. In the code share with JetBlue (B6) Lufthansa offersOnward flight options from New York and Boston to Austin (Texas), Buffalo (New York), Fort Lauderdale (Florida), Fort Myers (Florida), New Orleans (Louisiana), Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), Raleigh / Durham (North Carolina), Rochester (New York), Syracuse (New York), Tampa (Florida) and West Palm Beach (Florida).
Swiss (LX) offers direct connections from Zurich to New York and San Francisco. There is a business jet connection between Munich and Boston with LH’s Swiss partner Privat Air.
Air Berlin (AB) offers connections from Berlin and Düsseldorf to New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami and Fort Myers. Air Berlin (AB) flies from Düsseldorf to Orlando and from Berlin to Los Angeles.
British Airways (BA) offers daily direct connections from London (Heathrow) to Las Vegas. Feeder flights to London from Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich.
Note on arriving by plane
Flights in a westerly direction (from Europe to the USA or from the east to the west coast) take longer than flights in an easterly direction due to the influence of the wind. Flights from the east coast of the USA to Europe are reduced by approx. 30-40 minutes (from the west coast 1 hour).
Flight times
Frankfurt – New York: 8 hours 15; Frankfurt – Los Angeles: 11 hours 35; Berlin – New York: 9 hours 30; Vienna – New York: 9 hours 45; Vienna – Los Angeles: 14 hours 20
Zurich – New York: 9 hours; Zurich – Los Angeles: 12 hours 35;
Arrival by car
There are numerous border crossings between Canada and the United States. The main routes are New York – Montréal / Ottawa, Detroit – Toronto / Hamilton, Minneapolis – Winnipeg and Seattle – Vancouver / Edmonton / Calgary. There are road links to Mexico from El Paso, San Diego, Tucson and San Antonio.
Greyhound offers connections to Canada and Mexico. For more information and contact address, see Travel – National.
Arriving by train
In Yuma, El Paso, Del Rio and Laredo, the American route network changes to the Mexican one, but there are only a few regular passenger connections to Mexico available.
Almost all long-distance trains are operated by the US National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak). There are several passenger connections to Canada. The main routes are New York – Montréal, Chicago – Toronto and Seattle – Vancouver. Trains to Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa run from Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit and Buffalo.
For more information, please contact Amtrak (New York: Tel: (800) 872 72 45 or (305) 835 12 22; Internet: www.amtrak.com) and the following Amtrak agencies:
Hamburg:North America Travel House, CRD International (Tel: (040) 30 06 16 70, Internet: www.crd.de/amtrak);
Berlin: MESO America-Canada Travel (Tel: (030) 21 23 41 90. Internet: www.meso-berlin.de/).
Rail passes
Amtrak offers three different Rail Passes, each valid for one year:
• for 15 days with 8 segments,
• for 30 days with 12 segments and
• for 45 days with 18 segments
Children under the age of two travel free when accompanied by an adult over the age of 16.
Arrival by ship
Many cruise ships from all over the world call at the east and west coast of the USA, including Carnival Cruise Line, Cunard Line, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Orient Lines, Princess Cruises, Radisson Seven Seas Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Seabourn Cruise Line and Silversea Cruises.
On the go by train
Almost all long-distance trains are operated by the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak), while suburban and short-haul trains are operated by regional companies.
Amtrak’s main route is the Boston-New York-Washington DC route. Other Amtrak- Routes run south (Florida and New Orleans) and from Boston via New York and Washington DC to Chicago. From Chicago there is a daily connection to Seattle, Portland, Oakland (San Francisco), Los Angeles (via Omaha – Denver – Salt Lake City – Las Vegas or via Kansas City – Albuquerque – Flagstaff), San Antonio and New Orleans (via St. Louis and Dallas / Ft. North). There is a connection between San Antonio and Los Angeles via El Paso – Tucson – Phoenix. There is a train from Los Angeles to New Orleans three times a week.
The ACELA Express introduced by AmtrakBullet trains travel at up to 150 mph, reducing travel time between Washington and New York to 3 hours; the normally four and a half hour drive from New York to Boston only takes 3.5 hours with this connection.
Amtrak package tours: There are various package tours available to many states in the United States. The Amtrak brochure has all the details. Most trains are air-conditioned, have one-size-fits-all and sleeper cars at an additional cost; all long-distance trains have dining cars. The east-west routes in particular lead through a beautiful landscape. Most Americans use the car or the bus.
Contact Amtrak (New York: Tel: (212) 582 68 75; Internet:http://www.amtrak.com/) and the following Amtrak agencies:
Hamburg: North America Travel House, CRD International (Tel: (040) 30 06 16 70, Internet: www.crd.de/amtrak);
Berlin: MESO America-Canada Travel (Tel: (030) 21 23 41 90. Internet: www.meso-berlin.de/).
Note on rail travel
Rail Pass: Amtrak offers three different Rail Passes: for 15 days with eight segments, for 30 days with 12 segments and for 45 days with 18 segments. The Rail Pass is valid for one year, with no seasonal or public holiday restrictions.
Seat reservations (coach class) are included in the price, but must always be made before commencing a train journey.
The passes are only valid as payment for rail travel – a separate reservation is required for a guaranteed seat on a specific Amtrak itinerary. You can find out whether a reservation is necessary at any Amtrak train station. For trips during the main travel times you should reserve well in advance. Children under the age of two travel free when accompanied by an adult over the age of 16. There are group, family, weekend and flat-rate tickets. The tickets can be more expensive than combined bus / plane tickets. One-way tickets bought outside of the US are often significantly cheaper.
Average travel times: Chicago – New Orleans: 19 hours; Chicago – New York: 18 hours; Chicago – Washington DC: 17 hours; Los Angeles – Dallas: 46 hours; Los Angeles – Chicago: 69 hours; New York – Miami: 30 hours; new York- New Orleans: 30 hours; New York – Washington DC: 4 hours
. The states AZ.
On the way by ship
The ship connections on the rivers, lakes and on the coasts are very good. Ship traffic is particularly heavy on the Ohio River.
The Great Lakes: Passenger and cargo ships as well as tour boats operate on the great rivers and lakes from Duluth, Sault Sainte Marie, Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, Rochester, Cleveland and Buffalo.