Flying with Air France and Alitalia (carryon and layover questions)
 

Hi there,

In March I'm flying from Toronto to Milan, with a 1.5 hour layover in Paris. It's Alitalia, operated by Air France. On the back a week later, I'm flying nonstop from Rome to Toronto with Alitalia.

1)on the way there, is a 1.5 hour layover enough time, assuming my initial flight is not delayed? I've never dealt with a layover before and I'm travelling alone, so I'm starting to get really nervous about this.
2)I'm paranoid to check my baggage in case it doesn't make the layover. I'll have gifts in the bag which I don't want to get lost or delayed. They are bamboo embroidery hoops - I can't find any evidence anywhere of those not being allowed?
3)I have a small rolling carry-on suitcase (I believe the external dimensions are 22.5" high x 15 inches" x 10"). This seems to be above Air France and Alitalia's dimension limits? I was able to bring it onbaord a flight to Edinburgh two years ago. I'm guessing I should look for something a bit smaller?
-if I find a spinner suitcase the is within their dimensions and weight, can I also bring on board either a Fjallraven backpack (the regular kind the hipsters wear) or a Herschel Little Americana backpack? Or do they want you to bring a small purse as your addition carry-on and nothing bigger?
-last question - Air France's weight limit is 12kg for both bags. Fine. Alitalia's website says 5kg - surely that must be for both bags combined??

I'm a total spazz.

The Alitalia limit for hand baggage is 8kg, not 5kg. That applies to the handbag, not the so-called "personal item" which is typically not weighed (though Air France seems to indicate they will weigh both bags). Since a Fjallraven backpack is the same size as a large purse, I don't see a problem with it.

On most carriers, the dimensions include handles, wheels, etc, so a 22.5 inch bag is definitely too large for both Air France and Alitalia. Why not just take the bag you already own and check it? Let me preface this by saying I'm not one of those people who always carries everything on board; I've come to the conclusion that it's just not worth it unless I have a very tight connection. The bamboo embroidery hoops are not particularly fragile, and they aren't something that's likely to be stolen. Few bags really go completely missing, and if you can check a bag for free, that's going to make your life much easier during the trip. I get why people don't like to check bags, but particularly if you are an inexperienced traveler, it's better to travel with less.

1.5 hours for a connection at CDG is probably enough time, but you won't have any to spare (and having fewer carry-on bags will make that connection easier), and you may have to rush.

Thanks very much for your reply. I actually forgot to ask that - is it better to do a layover without a checked bag? I have literally never experienced a layover before and have no idea what to do. Will I have to go through bag checks again and all that? Or do I just have to run and find the plane?

I guess I'm just worried about checking the bag as if it does get lost, I'm only in Milan for 3 days and then moving onto Rome.

DH and I always check bags and have never had an issue (knock on wood) - anywhere - Africa; Europe; Asia. We flew Air France/Alitalia last year on our Italy trip had no issues there either.

I would check you bag

Thank you! How long was your layover on your trip to Italy?

Our flight to CDG was 15 minutes late for 1 hour connection to Alitalia to Rome. It was but a 10 minute walk to the gate where the Alitalia flight was located and we had no problem getting on the plane which had not yet started boarding when we arrived.

Our luggage arrived in Rome 2.5 hours after we did.

Thanks Jeff801! Did you stick around and wait for your bags or did they send them to your hotel?