Flight questions East Coast to Italy
Aug 15th, 2014, 04:30 PM
#21
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I'm confused by your language. You're saying non-stop - which is not what you mean. A flight with a stop means the planes stops someplace but you continue to the final destination on the same plane.
You're talking about about flights with a change of plane - which I would not contemplate with 2 little kids.
If it will save you a lot to fly out of NYC then - after paying for getting from wherever you are to NYC - that go for a true non-stop where you go direct from NY to Rome of Milan or Venice or whatever.
You don;t want to be racing around a strange airport in europe with 2 little kids trying to catch a flight leaving in 40 minutes.
You're talking about about flights with a change of plane - which I would not contemplate with 2 little kids.
If it will save you a lot to fly out of NYC then - after paying for getting from wherever you are to NYC - that go for a true non-stop where you go direct from NY to Rome of Milan or Venice or whatever.
You don;t want to be racing around a strange airport in europe with 2 little kids trying to catch a flight leaving in 40 minutes.
Aug 15th, 2014, 07:23 PM
#22
>>>A flight with a stop means the planes stops someplace but you continue to the final destination on the same plane.<<<
That's a direct flight. Non-stop flight doesn't make any stops. Direct can stop, but you don't change planes.
From the states, the only non-stop flights will be mostly to Rome or Milan. Venice will also have some non-stops, but some of them will be seasonal. Delta has seasonal non-stop JFK/Pisa.
I'm surprised you are seeing any flights/prices for late June since they are only posted through mid-June at the moment (10 months out is how far out you can book). You need to wait until the end of August to access flights for end of June 2015. Some airlines may drop or add routes between now and then.
That's a direct flight. Non-stop flight doesn't make any stops. Direct can stop, but you don't change planes.
From the states, the only non-stop flights will be mostly to Rome or Milan. Venice will also have some non-stops, but some of them will be seasonal. Delta has seasonal non-stop JFK/Pisa.
I'm surprised you are seeing any flights/prices for late June since they are only posted through mid-June at the moment (10 months out is how far out you can book). You need to wait until the end of August to access flights for end of June 2015. Some airlines may drop or add routes between now and then.
Aug 16th, 2014, 06:21 AM
#23
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Hi Franchesca,
I live in RI too and we travel to Europe from here 4-5 times a year. The best price and routing is almost always PVD to PHL to VCE or FCO on US Airways. Once in awhile we fly Aer Lingus from Boston, but only if there is a significant price discount.
I feel the convenience of starting the trip in Providence versus Boston makes up for the inconvenience of a two-leg flight.
I live in RI too and we travel to Europe from here 4-5 times a year. The best price and routing is almost always PVD to PHL to VCE or FCO on US Airways. Once in awhile we fly Aer Lingus from Boston, but only if there is a significant price discount.
I feel the convenience of starting the trip in Providence versus Boston makes up for the inconvenience of a two-leg flight.
Aug 16th, 2014, 06:43 AM
#24
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Hi all!
Thanks again for your helpful advice. Just to clarify -
1. The above post was not because I plan to buy tickets now. That will happen next year. Just trying to get a sense of convenient flights and how they may impact our itinerary. However, I would be curious how far out folks book. I was thinking 4 months or so...
2. Nonstop was what I meant - not having a layover. Thought it would be easier with kids.
3. You can search flights on Kayak this far out. That's where I got the above fares.
Thank you all for your time and thoughts! Much appreciated.
Thanks again for your helpful advice. Just to clarify -
1. The above post was not because I plan to buy tickets now. That will happen next year. Just trying to get a sense of convenient flights and how they may impact our itinerary. However, I would be curious how far out folks book. I was thinking 4 months or so...
2. Nonstop was what I meant - not having a layover. Thought it would be easier with kids.
3. You can search flights on Kayak this far out. That's where I got the above fares.
Thank you all for your time and thoughts! Much appreciated.
Aug 16th, 2014, 07:36 AM
#25
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I still think out of JFK would make the most sense. You'd have your choice of non stops to lots of cities in Italy, no layover in Europe with cranky kids.
What about taking Amtrak from Boston or Providence to Penn Station,NYC, then the Airtrain from Penn Station to JFK? No driving necessary, and parts of the ride on the train (Providence - New London) are stunningly beautiful, right over the water. The kids would have some room to move around and you wouldn't have to worry about getting stuck in traffic.
Good luck!
What about taking Amtrak from Boston or Providence to Penn Station,NYC, then the Airtrain from Penn Station to JFK? No driving necessary, and parts of the ride on the train (Providence - New London) are stunningly beautiful, right over the water. The kids would have some room to move around and you wouldn't have to worry about getting stuck in traffic.
Good luck!
Aug 16th, 2014, 09:24 AM
#26
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AMTRAK or bus, PVD to South Station, Boston, Silver Line to Logan.
Aer Lingus has two flights to Dublin daily, one at 6 PM, one a bit later. The planes, flights, and cabin crews are no advertisement for Ireland, but they have been cheapest for the last two years and there are three advantages.
The flights are very short.
The later flight gets you into Dublin around 0800 and you can have a decent breakfast and perhaps even coffee while you wait. You will get neither on your transatlantic Aer Lingus flight and the earlier one (1810 or so) gets you to Dublin before anything is open in the terminal.
You can go through the whole return US immigration process in Dublin, avoiding the endless lines at JFK or EWR.
PVD to PHL might be okay if the price is attractive. I don't know about US re entry at PHL but I have had to go out of security then back through on domestic flights. Maybe they fixed that.
Aer Lingus has two flights to Dublin daily, one at 6 PM, one a bit later. The planes, flights, and cabin crews are no advertisement for Ireland, but they have been cheapest for the last two years and there are three advantages.
The flights are very short.
The later flight gets you into Dublin around 0800 and you can have a decent breakfast and perhaps even coffee while you wait. You will get neither on your transatlantic Aer Lingus flight and the earlier one (1810 or so) gets you to Dublin before anything is open in the terminal.
You can go through the whole return US immigration process in Dublin, avoiding the endless lines at JFK or EWR.
PVD to PHL might be okay if the price is attractive. I don't know about US re entry at PHL but I have had to go out of security then back through on domestic flights. Maybe they fixed that.
Aug 16th, 2014, 09:48 AM
#27
>>>You can search flights on Kayak this far out. That's where I got the above fares.<<<
You can't search flights that aren't loaded by the airlines yet and those dates simply aren't loaded. Kayak is being creative as they often are, but those flights aren't bookable and Kayak is simply making them up (as many things you see on Kayak don't actually exist). If you go to the actual airlines websites, you will see they are not booking that far out and haven't loaded those flights. USAir will have them x'ed out on the calendar (currently only showing flights through June 16th, tomorrow they will add flights for the 17th).
If you want to search flights for multiple cities at once, use the underlying software that powers many of those searches - ITASoftware. You can put in whatever perimeters you want. To search multiple departures cities enter the airports codes (example - BOS,PVD,JFK and FCO,MXP,VCE). You can search specific airlines or airline alliances. You can also search exact dates or ranges (select a departure month and a range of days you want to stay). You can't book on ITA. When you find what you want, go to the airlines website and book it.
http://www.itasoftware.com/
You can't search flights that aren't loaded by the airlines yet and those dates simply aren't loaded. Kayak is being creative as they often are, but those flights aren't bookable and Kayak is simply making them up (as many things you see on Kayak don't actually exist). If you go to the actual airlines websites, you will see they are not booking that far out and haven't loaded those flights. USAir will have them x'ed out on the calendar (currently only showing flights through June 16th, tomorrow they will add flights for the 17th).
If you want to search flights for multiple cities at once, use the underlying software that powers many of those searches - ITASoftware. You can put in whatever perimeters you want. To search multiple departures cities enter the airports codes (example - BOS,PVD,JFK and FCO,MXP,VCE). You can search specific airlines or airline alliances. You can also search exact dates or ranges (select a departure month and a range of days you want to stay). You can't book on ITA. When you find what you want, go to the airlines website and book it.
http://www.itasoftware.com/
Aug 17th, 2014, 03:38 PM
#30
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Thanks to the helpful folks who have given me a lot to think about.
DonnaD44, I think that is a really workable option. I'd rather be stuck in Philly or NJ where I can easily come up with a plan B.
Sandralist - thanks for running the scenarios. I'll definitely keep looking at other cities now that I have a sense of the possibilities.
Greg I appreciate what you said about "pick your hassle". This is our first big trip with kids, and some perspective is needed on our end!
Appreciate thoughts on booking both legs together, that non-stops are easier but not imperative...
Definitely helps me to think through our itinerary, now that I have a sense of what the flight options are.
DonnaD44, I think that is a really workable option. I'd rather be stuck in Philly or NJ where I can easily come up with a plan B.
Sandralist - thanks for running the scenarios. I'll definitely keep looking at other cities now that I have a sense of the possibilities.
Greg I appreciate what you said about "pick your hassle". This is our first big trip with kids, and some perspective is needed on our end!
Appreciate thoughts on booking both legs together, that non-stops are easier but not imperative...
Definitely helps me to think through our itinerary, now that I have a sense of what the flight options are.
Aug 17th, 2014, 07:40 PM
#31
Do look at the multi-city options aka open jaw tickets on the airlines websites. You fly into one city and out of another for about the same price. So no need for backtracking, e.g., fly into Venice, head south to Florence by train or car. Continue on to your other destinations, end up in Rome and fly home from Rome.
Aug 18th, 2014, 06:21 PM
#32
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I second DonnaD44's response. We fly from Maine to Philly, then directly to our European city. Changing planes in Europe is far more of a job (especially with kids in tow) than changing planes domestically. Enjoy your trip planning!
Aug 18th, 2014, 09:44 PM
#33
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In case you are not aware, the passenger compensation regulation is different between the US and Europe. http://www.airsafe.com/complain/bumping.htm In US, the carriers are given more latitude in dealing with issues.
I am not sure what kind of plan B you have in mind if you get stuck in PHL or EWR. If that means making it to Italy, there are more options to get to Italy from other European countries than from the US.
When choosing an airport for layover, choose by airport, not by country. The layover offered by booking engines are claimed to be "legal" but not necessarily practical. If you are not familiar with the particular airport, sanity check the itinerary here before clicking the "buy" button.
I am not sure what kind of plan B you have in mind if you get stuck in PHL or EWR. If that means making it to Italy, there are more options to get to Italy from other European countries than from the US.
When choosing an airport for layover, choose by airport, not by country. The layover offered by booking engines are claimed to be "legal" but not necessarily practical. If you are not familiar with the particular airport, sanity check the itinerary here before clicking the "buy" button.
