Toronto to Rome: advice for comfort options

[Twickenham]

Just thought I would come back and thank everyone who helped us decide on flights to Rome, for our November cruise! We very much enjoyed BA's premium economy flights..(Heathrow itself, not so much..!)

 

Now to decide on what to do for Copenhagen next year!

Thanks again.

 

Thanks for reporting back - glad you enjoyed your flights!

 

Does this mean you choose to fly BA with a London stopover rather then fly direct

to Rome with AC or whoever ? I try to fly direct if at all possible.

 

I would go PE in a heartbeat over non-stop - and for FCO, there's actually an added advantage, as the departure procedure seems to be more complicated for NA-bound flights than for inter-Europe ones. Of course, now I've discovered AMEX sign-up/referral bonuses, I'm all about flying biz, preferably on Turkish Airlines... :D

[Zach1213]

Does this mean you choose to fly BA with a London stopover rather then fly direct

to Rome with AC or whoever ? I try to fly direct if at all possible.

 

To me, there are many things that go in to a flight beyond just being nonstop. If I want to fly premium economy, for example, not all airlines offer premium economy. Sometimes layovers are worth it for a more comfortable product. Also, price, of course - if a nonstop is $2000 and a one-stop is $1200, I can do a lot with $800 extra (or even $200 or $300), if I've determined it's worth it. Finally, it's quite often I will make a stop if it means flying with an airline I prefer or a mileage program that I am a member of or find more useful to have miles with.

 

I know many people are hung up on nonstop, and I agree nonstop is great, but there are plenty of reasons to make a stop in my opinion.

[richstowe]

Zach ,I certainly agree with you about the importance of price . We flew Montreal to Rome

via Toronto for our Med cruise. There were no direct flights available one way and the

premium was 350 extra PP the other way. In fact we payed a total of 180 for the "privilage" of

stopping in Toronto instead of New York as it was 3 hours shorter each way and with AC .

So I do get it . What I am surprised at is paying a premium for economy + with a stopover rather

then direct in regular economy. I agree that "there are plenty of reasons to make a stop".

[Globaliser]

What I am surprised at is paying a premium for economy + with a stopover rather then direct in regular economy.

I'm not. In the OP's position, I'd probably do the same as them.

[QuattroRomeo]

Yes, we had 1 stop at Heathrow for a couple of hours. The flight to Rome was of course on a different, smaller plane and had no PE, but we still got really good seat positions and it was a short flight. The timing of arrival was fine for us, so the stopover wasn't a problem. We stayed 2 nights pre-cruise so even if the luggage was late, we had a bit of a cushion.

 

The seats were quite comfy, the meals were really good, and there was a decent variety of shows to choose from on the tv screen. Plus hubby could plug in his CPAP. As a tall person, I appreciated the leg room. We did enjoy the extra comfort, and felt much better on arrival, than our last trip.

 

The only thing that was a little odd was the washroom wasteland for our seat class! It felt weirdly intrusive to have to walk to the back of the plane for a washroom! It was better on the flight home-on that plane, the washroom was just behind our PE area, but still had to part through the curtain!

[Zach1213]

Yes, we had 1 stop at Heathrow for a couple of hours. The flight to Rome was of course on a different, smaller plane and had no PE, but we still got really good seat positions and it was a short flight. The timing of arrival was fine for us, so the stopover wasn't a problem. We stayed 2 nights pre-cruise so even if the luggage was late, we had a bit of a cushion.

 

 

 

The seats were quite comfy, the meals were really good, and there was a decent variety of shows to choose from on the tv screen. Plus hubby could plug in his CPAP. As a tall person, I appreciated the leg room. We did enjoy the extra comfort, and felt much better on arrival, than our last trip.

 

 

 

The only thing that was a little odd was the washroom wasteland for our seat class! It felt weirdly intrusive to have to walk to the back of the plane for a washroom! It was better on the flight home-on that plane, the washroom was just behind our PE area, but still had to part through the curtain!

 

 

I've flown PE on BA twice and experienced the same with restrooms. Once I didn't have to use it (slept the whole way, from before takeoff to final approach...3am departure), and the other I did end up going all the way to the back if I remember correctly. It was odd.

[Globaliser]

The only thing that was a little odd was the washroom wasteland for our seat class! It felt weirdly intrusive to have to walk to the back of the plane for a washroom! It was better on the flight home-on that plane, the washroom was just behind our PE area, but still had to part through the curtain!

I've flown PE on BA twice and experienced the same with restrooms. Once I didn't have to use it (slept the whole way, from before takeoff to final approach...3am departure), and the other I did end up going all the way to the back if I remember correctly. It was odd.

Strange: I can't think of any configuration that would require WT+ to walk all the way to the aft end of the cabin to get to a toilet. There are some configurations where the nearest toilets are at the aft of the first economy section, so you'd have to walk through that to get to them, but they're still forward of another economy section.

[QuattroRomeo]

Strange: I can't think of any configuration that would require WT+ to walk all the way to the aft end of the cabin to get to a toilet. There are some configurations where the nearest toilets are at the aft of the first economy section, so you'd have to walk through that to get to them, but they're still forward of another economy section.

 

You are probably right; we had a 787 going over, and the PE section was smaller on it than on the 777 coming back. The 777 had a washroom immediately after the curtain behind PE. The 787 did not though; I remember having to walk past several rows of passengers (and seeing how cramped they looked)!So maybe 2 sections of economy? Anyway I was half asleep, but it felt funny on both planes to pass through a curtain, and get the 'why are you using our washroom' looks! Certainly not a big deal comfort wise, but it did feel a little odd!

[Zach1213]

Strange: I can't think of any configuration that would require WT+ to walk all the way to the aft end of the cabin to get to a toilet. There are some configurations where the nearest toilets are at the aft of the first economy section, so you'd have to walk through that to get to them, but they're still forward of another economy section.

 

 

Well, I guess I do tend to walk as far as possible for a lav on longhaul flights. And I probably had a few G&Ts. So...you'd probably know better than me ;)

[Globaliser]

And I probably had a few G&Ts. So...you'd probably know better than me ;)

Well, actually, I know how that feels ... :D

[kindling maker]

We've only flown to Europe twice- once in 2004 on Alitalia to Milan/Genoa, where we found the economy seats to be completely devoid of any cushioning.. very uncomfortable. Then in 2012 we flew Air Transat to Barcelona..the seats were terribly cramped, no leg room and awful when the seat in front of you reclined.

I've been pouring over seat guru and other sites trying to find a better alternative to Rome this time. It appears that Lufthansa has a good following for coach, and British Airways for premium economy. Does this sound correct to those who have more TA experience?

We go in November. Lufthansa has a 2hr layover in Frankfurt while BA has a 1 hr in Heathrow. Or have I missed better options? Any opinions appreciated!

 

Flew Air Transat direct to Rome and was able to get the bulk head seats behind the 1st class section, wasn't an outrageous add on...flight was a dream.