Advice on flight to Rome?

[rache123]

My cruise is not until November this year, but I'm looking into flights and trying to decide if I should book them now or wait and see if they come down. From Minneapolis to Rome they are $787-$884 now. Late summer/early fall this past year they were $670 to $700.

 

Any advice for me? :) TIA!

[Fblack]

Just avoid JFK. On our flight to Rome last October we chose JFK because of the time we were to arrive in Rome. We sat for 2 hours on the runway and got into Rome late. Our flight went straight to Rome from JFK. But I know others who missed their connections in London since they also left JFK very late.

[GSPLover]

From Minneapolis to Rome they are $787-$884 now. Late summer/early fall this past year they were $670 to $700.

 

And what was the price of gas in late summer/early fall compared to now? You can watch the prices but I would be very surprised if they came down.

[NAS-KARR]

You are optomistic aren't you ? The way the world is going I seriously doubt it......unless you can do something about the price of oil. :rolleyes:

Good Luck e

CIAO,

[readboat]

Try looking at 1800flyeurope.com. Right now they have a price for $737.

for November. We booked with them. We saved $500. North West still wants $1500. for the same flight. The price I gave you includes surcharges and taxes.

We are going in May and the price never went down. With the gas prices I don't think they will.

[cruisemom42]

We traveled to Rome from Atlanta for a November cruise in 2006. Booked the flight (direct) about 8 months in advance for approx. $750 pp. By 2 months out, the same flight was twice as much.

 

If the flight is a good schedule and it's what you want, I wouldn't hesitate. The price sounds reasonable. It's unlikely to be cheaper, and it's highly likely to be more expensive if you wait.

[whale-watcher]

My cruise is not until November this year, but I'm looking into flights and trying to decide if I should book them now or wait and see if they come down. From Minneapolis to Rome they are $787-$884 now. Late summer/early fall this past year they were $670 to $700.

 

Any advice for me? :) TIA!

I would book these flights...this is a very good price! We are flying from MSP to FCO in June, and the prices are MUCH higher...$1500 and UP roundtrip:eek:

[KCcruisin07]

Before you book, double check the price with the airline. It may be less. Also after we booked our flight and cruise I went to our airline. They had flight packages (if you are flexible on dates and itinerary) and give mileage for the cruise!

[GSPLover]

Got an email from Iberia last night. (we flew Iberia from MIA-FCO last summer.) They had some great RT fares out of Chicago to Rome.

[lauderdalebob]

Going to Rome a few days ahead of sailing on the Carnival Freedom throughout the Mediterranean and then transatlantic, a stop in St. Maarten and finally docking in Ft. Lauderdale, home for me. Started checking one-way airfare awhile ago and just came across on Delta a fare for $490 (complete) going from Ft. Lauderdale to JFK and then nonstop to Rome arriving 9:30 a.m. next day - leave on a Saturday and arrive on a Sunday and really good times. Perfect! Everything previously I had seen was stopping somewhere in Europe and I really didn't want to do that and then this came up. Found it through Kayak which directed me to Delta, a special purchase. Expedia was showing much, much more for one way cheapest flight. Kayak is great! Hope you find something pricewise acceptable to you!

[Schill38]

Just be glad that you are going in November! My wife and I are going in May and the cheapest flight we can find round-trip is around $1400!!! Ouch, we've tried everything, Kayak, 1800flyeurope, Expedia, Priceline, and nothing! If anyone has any other ideas please feel free to share!

[agabbymama]

Just be glad that you are going in November! My wife and I are going in May and the cheapest flight we can find round-trip is around $1400!!! Ouch, we've tried everything, Kayak, 1800flyeurope, Expedia, Priceline, and nothing! If anyone has any other ideas please feel free to share!

 

Schill38,

You state you have tried Priceline, but did you do the name your own price. I did, and I always start out ridiculously low, then edge upward until my bid is accepted. I got roundtrip from LAX to Paris in Oct '08 for $550 + $330 fees & taxes. for $880. I was happy with that when Princess wanted $1600.

[hezzy]

Our cruise is in April, 2008, we are scheduled to fly from Dallas to Frankfurt on Lufthansa. We have only 1 hr and 15 min. layover. Will that be adequate to catch the last leg to Rome?

 

Thanks in advance to experienced travelers for info.

[whale-watcher]

Just be glad that you are going in November! My wife and I are going in May and the cheapest flight we can find round-trip is around $1400!!! Ouch, we've tried everything, Kayak, 1800flyeurope, Expedia, Priceline, and nothing! If anyone has any other ideas please feel free to share!

I wish I had purchased the tickets a few weeks ago for 1450....they are now pricing out at 1678/person, and there are 5 of us!:eek:

 

I think that agabbymama's suggestion about priceline is a great idea!

[24butterfly]

Do NOT fly Alitalia.

[threeofus]

Our cruise is in April, 2008, we are scheduled to fly from Dallas to Frankfurt on Lufthansa. We have only 1 hr and 15 min. layover. Will that be adequate to catch the last leg to Rome?

 

Thanks in advance to experienced travelers for info.

 

That is a huge airport. I think it depends on where you land and which gate you have to get to. We are in the same boat (so to speak). You'll get responses that say it was fine and responses that tell you you'll never make it.

I guess if we sit on the runway as an earlier poster told us....then we'll be out of luck.

 

I'm going with the "it will all work out one way or another"

[nomoredyess]

Do NOT fly Alitalia.

 

 

I just booked a trip this week with Alitalia to FCO in June. Please let me know what I am up against!!!!:(

[katiekatie]

A few tips I picked up from a Conde Nast Traveler ...

 

How to get the lowest fare ...

itasoftware dot com provides the most comprehensive and least biased list of fare and route options. Find out which airline offers the best itinerary for the lowest price, then go to the carrier's website to book.

 

itasoftware does not list flights on foreign low cost carriers, however, so to find out which fly where, use whichbudget dot com or wegolo dot com.

 

(personal experience on itasoftware - I was looking to book a flight from Philly to Rome - itasoftware quoted a great price so I called the a/l directly and even with the routing codes they provided, the a/l couldn't match that price, so called a local travel agent and she matched it exactly - and I saved a bunch of $'s).

 

On international flights ... find out if it's a code share. When a US airline and its foreign partner both sell seats on the same flight (making it a code share), one carrier's fares could be substantially lower, so check prices on both. For example, the same flight from New York to say Hong Kong could cost hundreds of dollars less throught Cat Pac a/l then AM a/l.

 

Cheap flights to Europe ... look into flying via Dublin instead of London, for example.

 

Misc. ... I found a great website that gives you a cheat sheet on currency conversion go to www oanda dot com

 

Hope all this helps and can save you a few dollars!

Katie

[nomoredyess]

Our cruise is in April, 2008, we are scheduled to fly from Dallas to Frankfurt on Lufthansa. We have only 1 hr and 15 min. layover. Will that be adequate to catch the last leg to Rome?

 

Thanks in advance to experienced travelers for info.

 

I used to fly out of Dallas quite a bit, and (knocking on wood) the only time we ever took off or arrived late was when the entire system went down in the region this Nov. Plus its a straight shot, so even if you are a few min behind taking off, they can make that time up.

 

I dont mean to worry you, I would worry more about your luggage then yourself, so pack a change of clothes or 2 in your carry on. Your bag will either be on the next flight into Rome or meet you at your 1st port of call. I only know because this almost happen to me last year with SWA in Miami!! It is very frustrating when you dont have any other clothes. Luckily, there are a lot of flights from BWI to Miami!

[24butterfly]

I just booked a trip this week with Alitalia to FCO in June. Please let me know what I am up against!!!!:(

 

If it is non-stop, u shoud be ok. Delta had gotten us in about 1 hour earlier, and there was no gate for the connecting flight to Rome. So, instead of taking our luggage and putting it in a container, they put it in Milan's storage room. Wel, guess what. They didn't load it on the Rome flight. When we got to Rome, no bags! Gave them the Hotel name and everything! Promised both pieces would be thre eary the next a.m.!! Wel, they weren't. 2 make a long story short, we went to the airport, found my husband's luggage, waited, begged and cried for mine, as luck would have it, a porter came out with a stack from some obscure room --it fell off his cart--and that's how I found mine!

[nomoredyess]

If it is non-stop, u shoud be ok. Delta had gotten us in about 1 hour earlier, and there was no gate for the connecting flight to Rome. So, instead of taking our luggage and putting it in a container, they put it in Milan's storage room. Wel, guess what. They didn't load it on the Rome flight. When we got to Rome, no bags! Gave them the Hotel name and everything! Promised both pieces would be thre eary the next a.m.!! Wel, they weren't. 2 make a long story short, we went to the airport, found my husband's luggage, waited, begged and cried for mine, as luck would have it, a porter came out with a stack from some obscure room --it fell off his cart--and that's how I found mine!

 

Well it is a non stop from JFK to FCO, so hopefully we will have good luck. I just looked around, and noticed people left and right bashing Alitalia for their baggage service and how long it took to get the bags and got a little concerned!! Guess all I can do now is hope and pack a few changes of clothes in my carry-on!!

[degarr]

Our cruise is in April, 2008, we are scheduled to fly from Dallas to Frankfurt on Lufthansa. We have only 1 hr and 15 min. layover. Will that be adequate to catch the last leg to Rome?

 

Thanks in advance to experienced travelers for info.

Do you mean Latehansa as the cheaky Ryan Air noted. http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=1230998&size=L

[whale-watcher]

Our tickets MSP to FCO and returning ATH to MSP are now pricing out at $1700/pp, even with 1800 fly europe . com! It turns out that NWA has a cash/miles option for a refundable business class fare for just a few hundred more, so that is what we have decided to do instead (at least this way we can use up our miles before the feared NWA/delta merger!)

[nomoredyess]

So who is the 1st person to have to make this flight and is anyone else flying Al Italia???

[photographia]

I just booked a trip this week with Alitalia to FCO in June. Please let me know what I am up against!!!!:(

 

To be honest, I've flown all over the world, using many, many different airlines, and while in my experience Alitalia wasn't the best, it certainly wasn't the worst either. I guess we've all had our horror stories! Mine involved US Air; the previous poster's involved Alitalia. Anyway, don't fret! I've flown Alitalia to Rome and back before and it was just fine, for what that's worth to you...

 

Regarding 1800flyeurope: I've had great luck with them, but I actually was able to do even better two months ago when I called my local travel agent and quoted him the price I found on 1800flyeurope, and asked if he could beat it. He did a little travel-agent digging-around, and figured out some ticket-code that 1800flyeurope was using, and was able to beat them by $60 for me! (For the record, he wasn't doing anything shifty; it had something to do with the different categories of tickets that the airlines sell on each flight.) Anyway, you might want to try this!