For a cheap fare, would you fly in a turboprop?
 

I've found a decent price on a ticket from Denver to Venice on Lufthansa. Only concern, it connects from Munich to Venice using an "Aerospatiale/ Alenia" turboprop which would fly over the Alps. Would this tend to be a bumpy ride? The planes are fairly new, and are turbos only due to the short distance. The flight is about an hour, but DH hates flying, so we don't need a scary flight. Anyone experienced this type of plane?

The ATR72 they use on this route is one of the largest commercial turboprops with ~70 seats.

I'm pretty sure that we flew a turboprop from Nice to Geneva, and believe me, I'd remember if it was a horrible ride! I do remember the view over the Alps- just breathtaking.

Why not just ride the train from Munich to Venice? 7 hours, scenic, around €90 or less. You'd probably save the cost of the train in a lower airfare cost.

Have flown a turboprop at least three times from Lugano to Zurich over the Alps and it really isn't bad. I'm not even crazy about flying.

Both the ATR-72 and the ATR-42 are excellent. If you want a white knuckle ride, try taking a Chinese-made Yunan-8 from Luang Prabang to Vientiane in Laos during a thunderstorm.

I've done it lots of times between Geneva and Milan or Rome when coming to or from Boston. It all depends on the weather. Can be the longest hour of your life or a breathtakingly beautiful moment over the Alps.

the train is a good idea,too, but i do think the prop planes are even safer than jets when it comes to problems.

i have flown in them frequently across spain since one of the airlines here only has prop planes.. if that helps at all.

Give me a turboprop anytime, much more fun than flying in an anonymous metal tube

We flew from Munich to Venice in a turboprop. I don't care for flying and didn't have a problem.

Are you flying Air Dolomite? When we book this flight we didn't understand the name of the airline. We were calling it Air Del Monte, like the canned veggies.

Hi V,

>...DH hates flying...

I also suggest taking the train.

It is a very scenic ride across the alps.

((I))

I would definitely recommend the turboprop. I just flew last week from Frankfurt to Florence on Lufthansa turboprop and I slept like a baby the whole time. When I did wake up every now and then, the view was amazing, since the plane flies fairly low. I think it would be a mistake to take teh train because: 1) The plane ticket price from Denver to Munich is almost cerrtainly barely cheaper than the ticket with the last leg thrown in, meaning you'll incur an extra 90 Euro per person for the "scenic" train ride, which I've only taken at night, but would have to assume that for every minute of breathtaking view of the alps, there's 15 minutes of pitch-black tunnel. 2) I wouldn't waste a whole day's itinerary on train travel. If you really want to see the alps, work a visit into your itinerary. You're not too far in Venice. I'd rather spend 7 hour experiencing the Alps by foot, bike, and car, than through the window of a train. 3) Remember, they're Germans. When I went through the security check in Frankfurt, they frisked me front and back head to toe, then metal detected me from the bun in my hair to the soles of my shoes. She even did a manual inspection of my hair to make sure I had no concealed weapons in my bun, then opened my suitcase to inspect the olive oil bottle pourers I brought as a gift. If they're even half as diligent in inspecting your plane before takeoff, you'll be fine.

Take it. This is a really spectacular flight. I am not wild about turboprops in the US for various reasons, but this is unbelievably beautiful, and the airline is, as Shan333 says, almost anal in the care they take. You can look out the window (the ATR has a high wing) and practically see Heidi, her grandfather, and the goats!

If you hate flying, have your doctor give you some Ativan, take one, and enjoy the flight!

I did the return flight from Venice to Munich in October. Operated by Air Dolomiti with a codeshare agreement with United and Lufthansa. Very comfortable flight and surprisingly quiet as well. Very professional-don't worry.

It depends whether you are a nervous flyer or not. If you aren't I'd say go for it.

If you are, bear in mind it'll be a lot noisier than a jet aircraft and is also likely to be bumpier due to the lower altitudes at which these aircraft fly - even if the weather is good. I know I will probably be shouted down, but I would not really recommend any prop aircraft for the nervous.

I was very apprehensive about flying from Zurich to Venice in a turboprop, but I absolutely loved it. I liked the turboprop because it flew low, thus allowing me to have a better view of the scenery. But the scenery is great from the train too.

I wouldn't recommend it to the queasy or nervous traveller. I've done it many times on flights between the smaller cities in the American West, and it can be quite a bit bumpier than travel in larger jets. If you're neither of the above, no problem, go for it.

Of course I would.I flew to Chichen Itza in the first winds of a hurricane.
And I get motion sick and almost did on this.
Get there, enjoy.

I ordinarily love flying. And I've flown a turboprop only once - don;t know the model but there were at least 50 people on board.

I was convinced we would never get off the ground - I was getting ready to start flapping my arms - never mind any distance up in the air.

Suggest any other choice - train, car, hitch - anything.

Have taken these several times and have had absolutely no problems except for once. The turbulence was fairly bad on one of the flights - several people (including myself) were vomiting.

In spite of this I would definitely do it again because that one experience would be rare, I would think. The little four-seaters I have flown in are much worse.