I've been toying with the idea of going to Milan (and a few other Italian spots) in July and have been doing some perusing of airfares. I'm finding them pretty high ($860) R/T. I've been puzzled since I'm seeing pretty good fares to London and some other destinations. So, it occurred to me to check out splitting up my flight and taking advantage of one of those deals and then taking a short and cheaper flight to Milan. My preliminary search shows quite a savings!!!

Has anyone had success with a similar plan??

I can think of a couple of caveats.

1) If you're doing the flights one right after the other, and your first flight is late enough for you not to make your connection, you'll be a no-show and out the money you paid for the second ticket. You won't be protected because the trips are not all on the same ticket. You'd then have to buy a very expensive last-minute, walk-up ticket.

2) If you're looking at a low-cost carrier such as Ryanair to get you from London to Milan, remember that they tend to charge for everything above and beyond your basic transporation. If you want to check bags with them, they charge pretty heft prices to do that. Would that eat into your savings?

Those would be my two concerns about your plan.

Where are you flying from? AF and LH have been running some pretty good sales.

Jeff's comments are worth considering.

I'd be flying from Baltimore or Washington.

Good thoughts, Jeff. Thanks.

I'm doing that in August... LAX to Dublin to get to Munich. Delta had a great fare that I couldn't pass up, so I'll be hopping on puddle-jumper from there to get to my final destination.

I'm a serial-carry-on'er though, so that helps with the issues the others have brought up regarding RyanAir. I would lump EasyJet into that point too, among other low-cost carriers. If you pack light and don't expect much more than the lift, they can be very cost-effective in helping you get from point A to point C.

You might look at flying into Geneva. I can see United flights on weekdays in July/August nonstop from IAD to GVA for $597 all in. If you're planning to use the train to get around Italy anyway, then a rail pass that includes Switzerland could make getting to/from Milan that much easier.

To add to Jeff's post.

Most major American based airlines, if not all, fly into Heathrow or Gatwick and so does British Airways. Low budget airlines like RyanAir do not use these airports. You have to consider the transfer fees and time needed to do the transfers. EasyJet has a station in Gatwick. I don't think they do in Heathrow.

The transfers can easily be around $30-$40 one way and you will need at least 1 to 2 hours to do the transfer. Something to consider when you compare the true cost of the trip.

Budget airlines have a strict check in cutoff time, usually ~45 minutes before scheduled departure (regardless if the flight leaves on time). If you are not checked in before that time you are out of luck. Standing in line does not count, you have to be checked in.

Have fun planning!

Don't overlook British Airways as your inter-Europe carrier. I have been able to book really competitive fares from London to Italy and Spain with BA -- even one way.

I don't know enough about the airline business to know why their fares are sometimes so good; it must be that they are competing with EasyJet and Co in some markets. But it's worked well for me and my family on several occasions.

And British Airways lets you check a bag.