Wanted: opinions and expertise on this flight find...

[NCMtnBoys]

I'm looking for airfare for a cruise out of Venice next October. I've been checking since the booking window opened up and have been less than enthused with the high prices. Today I see the following option and am gonna ask my questions BEFORE booking (seems that some ask their questions AFTER booking and then maybe wished they wouldn't have booked).

 

I was wondering if any of you pro's thought it was something that I should pass on, or whether I should RUN (not walk) to book it, given the fact that oil prices seem to be going up, up, up.

 

Flying into Rome, out of Venice. We're spending a couple days in Rome and four nights with my brother near Lake Garda, pre-cruise. So my dates are fixed.

 

Outbound:

 

CLT-FCO Oct 1, 2011

 

Air Canada leaving Charlotte at 11:05am, through Toronto with a 7 hour layover, arriving in Rome at 10:30am the following morning.

 

Return:

 

VCE-CLT Oct 15, 2011

 

SWISS (operated by Contact Air) leaving Venice at 9:40am, through Zurich with a 2 hour/5 minute layover, then SWISS through Chicago with a 2 hour/25 minute layover, then onto Charlotte on United, arriving at 8:47pm, same day.

 

Price all inclusive is $867 per person.

 

Now, I found this on kayak.com and is bookable by linking to Orbitz or Cheaptickets. I cannot get the same fare by going to Orbitz or Cheaptickets directly, nor can I get anything close going to the airline websites directly. Nowhere else am I seeing any flights for my desired itinerary this reasonable. Last year I booked a flight from CLT-CPH round trip for last Sept for $855 very early on, and never did the price come down in the months that followed.

 

Also, I am not able to tell what fare codes these are when looking at the flight descriptions.

 

Just wondered if, considering I think ticket prices are going to continue to climb, this is something any of you experts would book yourselves, or avoid. I realize the layover on the outbound is excessive, and two connections on the return is a pain, but price is the main concern. Would you think that these are consolidator? Even the consolidator websites aren't showing prices this low. Any thought about whether prices would be lower or come down with Fall sales sometime later in the year?

 

Thanks in advance for caveats, opinions and observations.

 

.

[Gardyloo]

If you click through to the page before credit card entry, you can go to item No. 9, and click on "See an overview of all the rules and restrictions applicable for this fare." It shows that it's an S fare on AC outbound, and a W fare on LX returning. Nothing exotic or unusual - typical doomsday cancellation/change provisions. Looks okay to me.

[CruiserBruce]

I think it is a good fare, and would book it.

 

Is the 7 hour layover in Toronto your only choice?

[NCMtnBoys]

I think it is a good fare, and would book it.

 

Is the 7 hour layover in Toronto your only choice?

 

Yes, unfortunately. But willing to do it. Maybe we can leave the airport and check out Toronto for a bit to kill some time.

 

There are three flight combos for this price, the difference being getting back to Charlotte later on the return.

[frugaltravel]

Just a normal published fare through Star Alliance airlines (thus the mixing of airlines is allowed).

 

Not sure how realistic it will be though going from the YYZ airport into the city and back. The airport is quite a distance from downtown. Might consider some sort of lounge pass purchase instead.