I flew another discount airline, Blu Express, from Rome to Catania in April, 2010. Other than the "usual" problems (flight delayed out of Rome, bussed out to the tarmac, plane full of rowdy h.s. kids returning home), it was very basic but totally fine. My sister who was living in Italy at the time recommended them as a cheap alternative.

The most anxious moment of the entire thing was when we had to have our luggage weighed when checking in! (I'm a notorious overpacker...) We squeaked in just under the limit. Phew!

Actually, there was one other wrinkle. Our initial itinerary was delayed by a week because of the Icelandic volcano eruption at the time. We had purchased our tickets online in advance and couldn't cancel and rebook very well from outside of Italy. However, we did end up getting it resolved in time for our trip.

Note that for Blu Express and I believe many others, there are only so many seats at the best prices, and the cost will rise as you get closer to your dates.

Read Wikipedia for these airlines for a background.

Blue Panorama. 104 reviews.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187886-i343-k2495146-Blue_Panorama_Airlines_Have_you_used_them-Sicily.html

Wind Jet. Look carefully for the reviews.
http://www.air-valid.co.uk/windjet/views-opinions.html

Will you make a connection right away or spend some time in Rome? I would scrutinize the schedules and allow lots of time to connect at FCO, even an overnight, which could eat up some of that $$ savings and deprive you of half of your last day in Sicily. The budget airlines generally don't have agreements with the majors, so if your flight is late (or worse, cancelled and they put you on THEIR next flight, not THE next flight out of Sicily) you could be a no-show for your transatlantic flight if you planned to catch that flight the same day.

I'd certainly go for the savings if the plan were to spend a few days in Rome before heading back.

Ryanair and Easyjet also do flights from Sicily to Rome, check from which towns from Sicily they depart on their websites.

. I flew with Ryanair and did not encounter any problems whatsoever. In my opinion, travelling on a low cost airline is certainly worth saving all the extra money, on certain dates flights are so very cheap. Just be careful that the checked-in bagages are within the weight limit allowance, and the carry-on ones also within the weight limit and dimensions.

Look at the Italian Alitalia site. We found Milan/Palermo and then Catania/Milan tickets that were pretty much the same price as the discount carriers. The same prices weren't available on the US site.

I would scrutinize the schedules and allow lots of time to connect at FCO, even an overnight

Admittedly, I did this route in reverse (with our vacation ending with time in Rome before departing the country). But I would never say you need an overnight to connect at FCO!!

I believe we had about 3 hours between the scheduled landing of our international flight into Rome and the domestic one departing to Catania. That was more than enough time to: collect our bags; pass through immigration/customs; determine where we needed to be for Blu Express; take the airport bus to a different terminal; wait in line and check in for the domestic flight; locate, wait in line, and use an ATM; clear security; locate our departure gate, then backtrack for breakfast, which we consumed before returning to the gate.

Give yourselves a good cushion of time between flights, but you don't have to go overboard, just saying.

Thanks everyone for weighing-in!

Kayd: Our plans are to spend a few days in Rome before heading home, so making a time-sensitive connection is not an issue.
Rastaguytoday: Thanks for the links - The reviews are all over the map and run from APPALLING!! to RECOMMENDED (I would defintely fly them again) What's a girl to think? I know you can also have a bad travel experience on the high-priced airlines.
Anna_Galea: Unfortunately RyanAir and EasyJet don't fly from Catania, Sicily to Rome any longer.
Marija: I had a look at the Italian AlItalia site. We may end up booking here, but the prices are at least 100 euros more than BlueExpress and WindJet.
gGreen: Thanks for the heads-up on BluExpress (Blue Panorama). Their prices are inexpensive and they fly at the time we would like. They are based in Catania so that is a plus as well. May end up booking them and hope for the best. I can take no frils for a 1.5 hr flight.... just have to hope for major glitches. I must admit that their inexpensive cost relative to other airlines leaves me feeling "there is something wrong here."

Thanks again everyone - I really appreciate you taking the time to offer suggestions.

Oops.... on my reply to gGreen.... I meant to say "...just have to hope for NO major glitches." hmmmm.... Freudian slip? nah.

We flew Blu Express Rome to Palermo. It was OK, not wonderful but sufficient for the price. I doubt the experience with Alitalia would be much different.

The only reason I wanted to book with Alitalia was because we had an international connection the next day and I wanted the security of multiple flights by the same carrier in case there was a problem with our flight. Mt. Etna does cause flight delays in and out of Catania. Otherwise I don't see much difference between carriers.

Thanks Mimar and Marija for the feedback. I agree with both of your comments.
Mimar - agreed! You can an equally iffy experience and pay alot more money.
Marija - the prices on the AlItalia Italian site were cheaper than the US site, so thanks for the heads-up!

ggreen--my comment about the connection at FCO had to do with the possibility of losing your transatlantic flight to North America (one-a-day, leaving around noon) altogether because of late arrival on the budget carrier, not the case you described where the connection was from the transatlantic flight (usually arriving in the morning) to a short domestic, where you would have multiple options for onward flights the same day. Even in that case the cost for a missed connection could be considerable, though, since many budget airlines have no mercy with missed flights--they let you buy a full fare last-minute ticket for the next flight, though.

I only bring this up because many bargain fare shoppers are not aware of the hazards when combining a cheap flight with one on a major. I am happy to use the cheapos for a point-to-point, but would never select one as a segment in a longer trip because I'm not comfortable with the risks--I want the security of home-to-final destination a single ticket.

I only bring this up because many bargain fare shoppers are not aware of the hazards when combining a cheap flight with one on a major.

Agreed, though I guess I'm more flexible about my flights home.

freedom2011, far be it from me to rearrange your itinerary-! But that said of course I'm going to make a suggestion anyway! If you'll be spending time in Rome ahead of your return home, you might want to consider flying Catania-Naples, then take the train Naples-Rome (city center to city center). There's a frequent bus from Naples airport that circles around to the train station; there's a secure left-luggage counter at the train station; and Naples is well worth a half day at least! (Just read Marija's trip report from October 2010 to see what I mean!) At any rate, it might be worth looking into the fares for comparison...

"Agreed, though I guess I'm more flexible about my flights home.

Flexibility is one thing, but being too late has more consequences than just an extra vacation day. You may have to pay full fare on that next-day flight unless airline personnel take mercy on you; they have no obligation to a passenger who is a no-show for the flight, which is what they consider one who does not hold a single through ticket for both segments. You could get by with paying only a change fee or/and the difference between your purchase price and the last minute fare.

ggreen - thanks for your suggestion on visiting Naples en route to Rome. I am receptive to alternatives!

Naples,ah no? Take the nonstop back to Rome/FCO and save yourselves the heartaches of time;hassles and possible losing of your personal items.
My daughter lived in Sicily (Ortigia) and I have flown Alitalia many times both from Milan and Rome with no problems and alot less hassle when some of the discount carriers had a mechanical with no backup planes. Just saying...

dutyfree, I'd say that's a fairly outdated - and largely inaccurate - opinion!

freedom2011, I love Naples as do many posters on this board. You won't encounter any more issues in a day or two in Naples than you would anywhere else. But I'd venture to guess that if you're excited to visit Sicily, you've already overcome adverse opinions to your plan. I know I did! But we loved the part of Sicily we got to see, so I'm glad I didn't listen to the naysayers.

Of course, that's not to say that Naples doesn't have a reputation. And it is still a city more of faded glamor than shiny tourist-centric sights. For me, the fact that it's a city that goes about its business is what appeals to me! And it's way less gritty than Catania...

Naples is home to terrific food, ornate churches, the world-renowned archeological museum, and a fabulous view of the bay from the port and from the upper reaches of the city.
- For food, any decent guidebook of Naples will list pizzerias, seafood restaurants and pastry shops (try the local treat sfogliatella!). Naples even has its own coffee brands; you might want to taste-test them all!
- Churches include Pio Monte della Misericordia with a gorgeous Carravaggio, and the impressive Duomo San Gennaro, among others
- Wander the "Spaccanapoli", the long street through the historic district
- If you have only, say, a half day and have any interest in archeology, an hour or two in the National Archeological Museum is a must! When Pompeii was excavated, most of the finds ended up in this museum, which is chock-a-block full of mosaics, wall paintings, sculptures, gorgeous household implements...
- Or forgo the churches and museums and head straight to the top of the Volmero hill. The former monastery Certosa di San Martino has beautiful gardens with fabulous views!

* * *
This page gives some good information about the Naples airport, including details about the bus from airport to train station:
http://www.worldtravelguide.net/italy/naples-international-airport

This is the page on the Ferroview dello Stato Italiane (national train) site about left luggage services, in English:
http://tinyurl.com/c4p2jk

I'm sure there are a number of good guidebooks for the city. (On my most recent trip in 2010, I used the Fodor's one and found it very helpful.) You'll also find a lot of information in the Fodor's Destinations:
http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/italy/naples-and-campania/naples/

* * *
Here are a few recent trip reports that describe better than me some of the joys of Naples:

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/bruce-and-marija-go-to-naples-alba-neive-turin-florence-and-paris.cfm?68

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/eight-days-exploring-and-eating-in-naples-paestum-and-rome.cfm?65

ggreen-I work for a major US airline that flies to several cities in Italy and I fly/work to these cities every month. I base my opinions on being in Naples myself and those of the Italian agents who work our flights and what they tell our passengers.Flying nonstop from the US to Rome,Venice, Milan,Pisa,etc. is so much easier after an all night flight than going to Naples and dealing with transfers,train schedules,etc.I am just saying....