Chicago-Barcelona-Rome-Chicago

[sharonax3]

I don't know where to begin searching for airfare. We will be going on our cruise May 2011 out of Barcelona. We will fly from Chicago to Barcelona, then after the cruise I would like to spend a few days in Rome and then fly home to Chicago.

Does anyone have suggestions? Most of you have such great advise and ideas. I have tried Kayak but it gets a little confusing ..We wont have tons of luggage, just one piece and a small carry on.

As you can tell this will be my first time to Europe. Any help is appreciated

 

thanks again

Sharon

[riffatsea]

I have a friend who did a similar itinerary from Baltimore.

She got a multi city ticket from her home city to Barcelona and back from Rome. It is a very common thing to do.

I assume the cruise ends in Rome???

Just go to Kayak or any airline web site and click on MULTI CITY . This will allow you to put in your dates .

IF the cruise is round trip Barcelona and you want to go to Rome afterwards then just do a multi city ticket Chicago/Barcelona Rome/Chicago and buy a separate one way Barcelona /Rome ticket from one of the internal Europe airlines found here:

http://www.whichbudget.com

[dabear]

We also live in Chicago suburbs and are going to BCN at the end of January for a cruise. there are no nonstops from ORD so you have to decide if you want to connect in the US or Europe. We were using UA miles but did not like their web choice of connecting with CO in Newark and then flying on a 757 to BCN. On longer flights we prefer jumbos with 2 aisles to be able to walk around etc. Also consider how convenient is your connecing airport (ie changing terminals with bus vs walk, train or 2x security). We contacted UA and will be connecting through Frankfort going and Munich returning + flying economy plus gives us more legroom & LH is a good airline). Try websites that give you multiple cities or contact the airlines directly. Also consider the quality of the airlines and costs (most European lines are rated better than our US carriers).

[sharonax3]

thank you for the suggestions. I will try Kayak again. sometimes it gets a bit confusing. . You would think a large airport such as Chicago would have non stops? If all else fails, I think I will just call a ta. I love planning out my own trips, but this one requires a lot of research. Maybe it's just the price that has me so crazy.

[riffatsea]

The prices ARE high this year in May!! I have been looking for a fare for my son and his gf and everything is just around $1,000(just below or just over)

I told him to wait until January to see if anything happens to fares. The airlines are only showing "sales" through April right now. BTW the "sales" this year are also quite HIGH!!

[GlendaleCruiser]

The prices ARE high this year in May!! I have been looking for a fare for my son and his gf and everything is just around $1,000(just below or just over)

I told him to wait until January to see if anything happens to fares. The airlines are only showing "sales" through April right now. BTW the "sales" this year are also quite HIGH!!

 

Actually, we paid the same amount last year for Phoenix to Rome as we are paying Phoenix to Barcelona. The fares are out there. Just have to keep looking. I got mine from a TA. Around $1100.

[hkto]

The one that I quoted in my previous message (ORD-FCO-BCN-FCO-ORD $1069 fare in May 2011 with Alitaila) is not unreasonable considering that it covers more than one destination. There are cheaper fares from NYC to BCN in May (in $750 ballpark) but it doesn't cover Rome portion.

[sharonax3]

The one that I quoted in my previous message (ORD-FCO-BCN-FCO-ORD $1069 fare in May 2011 with Alitaila) is not unreasonable considering that it covers more than one destination. There are cheaper fares from NYC to BCN in May (in $750 ballpark) but it doesn't cover Rome portion.

 

Thank you. I checked out that website and I will be using it as it is much easier to navigate than Kayak. There were some very good deals. Alitalia looked like the most direct flight, but there were others that were cheaper. Now I will have to research about the companies themselves, as mostly I fly Southwest, United, etc. Love Southest as there are never baggage fees.

 

thanks again

sharon

[coin ops]

You may want to try 1800flyeurope.com They are showing $885 for ORD-BCN and FCO-ORD next May on American Airlines .

 

We just used them for our one-way to BCN for a transatlantic next October and had no problems with the reservation. It showed up on American Airlines website within an hour.

[riffatsea]

I have also used 1800flyeurope successfully in the past.

My rule of thumb is to use them IF they save me at least $300. I ended up on a Delta flight with them (twice) and got all my FF miles too!

[letsgo39]

I have also used 1800flyeurope a couple of times.They were fine and I had no problem after making my reservation reserving and changing my seats a few times directly on the airline website. Another factor is that when all the flights were cancelled last April due to the volcano for over a week we had no problem getting a full refund from 1800flyeurope even though we had used the first segment getting from Nashville to Cincinnati.The times I have used them the fare was MUCH cheaper thru them than anyplace else. We have gone to Europe the last 7 years but only discovered 1800flyeurope 2 years ago.I check several different sites and just go with the best deal. Several companies are just booking agencies but 1800flyeurope is a true consolidator meaning they buy bulk tickets and when those tickets are gone they do not get more at that price so if you see a good price thru them you should go ahead and book it.