italy4julie

Does anyone have any suggestions on which airline would be good to travel from LAX to Rome? One friend told me that it was best to have any connecting flights in the USA. That way you are not dealing with customs, missed flights etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

DalaiLlama

Since there are currently no non-stops, I agree that is it better to make your layover in the US, then when you land in Italy (after missing out on a night's sleep because of the time difference) you are where you want to be.

Allow for a more than generous layover - even planning to stay a night in a connecting place like NYC or Boston is a good idea, since you'll lose a night's sleep going across the Atlantic, and added to the long day across the US it can wipe you out.

Alitalia is to be avoided these days, the airline is in dire straits and the service and mood are at rockbottom. Be careful - Delta is in cahoots with Alitalia, and a Delta-booked flight might turn out to be a codeshare with Alitalia.

greg

I have a different view on the "layover in the U.S." approach. I have been avoiding layovers in the U.S. My thinking is that the domestic routes are at the mercy of "market" based scheduling (like what happened earlier this year) while the international routes are more regulated.

Kristina

I went to Rome from LAX in March. Unless something has changed there are no non-stops.

We flew United LAX-DC-Rome and it was "ok" because we paid for the optional upgrade to Economy Plus when we checked in online.

On the way home, we flew Rome-Munich-LAX on Lufthansa. I like that routing better because I prefer going through customs in LA rather than another US city where I would have to do that and then catch a connecting flight. It's just too risky if your flight gets delayed.

dfr4848

On our last 4 trips to Europe (not from LAX), we've changed planes in Europe and have had no problems. And we've actually prefered it to connections in US. Some airports like AMS, MUC, and FRA (to a lesser extent) are easy to navigate and connection hassles have been minimal. Keep in mind that you'll have to go through passport/immigration checks, but you will NOT go through customs until your final destination (as long as you're staying within the Schengen countries).

I'd decide on price, schedule and connection times (whether it's US or Europe). In Europe, we prefer to avoid LHR and CDG; and in the US, we don't like JFK and EWR - just our opinion.

dutyfree

Depending on what time of the year you are going you can fly into CVG,ATl or JFK on Delta and fly nonstop to Rome/FCO.I just read that next summer they will be using 747's out of ATL and JFK that they will get from the Northwest merger instead of the 767's that are currently flying.
You won't be put on Alitalia if you ask for Delta only flights-if the number starts with 8 then its a Alitalia flight.

hpeabody

I recommend that you AVOID LONDON HEATHROW (LHR)! unless you can do without your luggage for a few days or are doing carry-on only.

italy4julie

Thanks everyone for your response! I am looking at flying US Airways stopping in Philly, then direct from there to Rome. Does it matter which Rome airport to fly into? I am leaving on April 9 and returning April 18th. Will we go through customs in Philly?

dfr4848

Most international flights go into FCO. You'll go through customs in PHL on your return.

bratsandbeer

If you are flying US Airways from Philly to Rome be prepared for no leg room in economy. We flew US Airways to Prague and then home from Rome. We could not believe the lack of leg room and we are 5 foot 8 inches. I took out the magazines and put them overhead to gain an inch in space.

And the food was horrible - be sure to take something to eat with you.

BarbaraJ

We just flew US Airways to Milan earlier this month, connecting through Philly. The international terminal in Philly was pretty quiet and customs was a breeze coming back. US Airways was okay. I never eat on the way over, since I try to sleep as soon as we take off. The service was okay, not spetacular. It may have been because we were flying in and out of Milan, but both flights were about 1/3-1/2 full. We had plenty of room to spread out.

Last year we took Delta to Rome. IMHO, the service and comfort were better on Delta than on US Airways.

italy4julie

Thanks everyone for all your input! I went ahead and book our flights today with US Airways. I understand that it might be a bit short on the comfort but we are flying on an airbus 300 and it is hugh! Our flight leaves from Philly at 6pm and we will arrive at 8:45am the next morning. I plan on sleeping all the way there so I don't miss a minute! I also always bring food with me on planes just incase its bad! So again, thanks for all your help! Ciao