Advice on best route to MSY New Orleans?

I'm headed out to New Orleans in May for a few days (for a conference) and I have looked at several options using VS from LHR/LGW to any of JFK, IAD, MIA, MCO, ORD then getting an internal CO/AA/WN/B6 etc flight down to MSY.

Does anyone have recent experience of this trip and if so any recommendations or horror stories?

Thanks in advance.

Martin

I'm headed out to New Orleans in May for a few days (for a conference) and I have looked at several options using VS from LHR/LGW to any of JFK, IAD, MIA, MCO, ORD then getting an internal CO/AA/WN/B6 etc flight down to MSY.

Does anyone have recent experience of this trip and if so any recommendations or horror stories?

Thanks in advance.

Martin

Yep, Mrs NH did the exact same thing in '09, again for a conference. Most of the options offered were convoluted routing through variety of US hubs.
However, a VS MAN-MCO, then air southwest direct MCO to New Orleans, proved very pain free.

NH

I recently flew from MSY back to the UK and found the best option to be UA (MSY-IAD) then VS (IAD-LHR) ... I travelled to MSY from Palm Spring so can't comment on whether this route works well going out. The reason for UA for me was frequency of flights and connection time, lots of options I looked at left very long periods between flights.

Two comments: IAD is not however the best airport to connect in, so allow plenty of time if you do, and if you can book on one PNR to help avoid misconnection, I would.

If you weren't travelling on VS I'd look at BA or AA to Dallas and on to MSY on AA.

I travel to New Orleans every year for a conference. Although its not overly popular on this site due to customs issues I go through Miami and connect with AA. I travel UC or PE and never had much of a wait to go through customs. I overnight in Miami to take the connection stress out of it and head over the next morning. Coming back I go straight through. Hope that helps

i have done this through Chicago with AA but see Jet Blue fly JFK-MSY so without a doubt that would be the route I would choose..

as for N'Orleans -what a great place ...you MUST give Obriens a look but beware the Hurricanes they pack a punch......

Thanks for all the advice - much appreciated.

I'm trying to book now, but I can't get the useless VS website to do anything at the moment n(

As Slinky says, IAD is going to give you lots of options with UA, but is a tough airport for connections that are not UA-UA coming in from the UK. MIA/MCO/ORD could be challenging for customs. I'd give EWR and JFK a look see, and perhaps slight preference for EWR. If you overnight at entry, you can pretty much fly into whichever airport you prefer. Going back it's much less of an issue since there is no customs problem. I'd pick an airport and connection I can make airside, without having to go through security again.