IF not Eurofly, then what??
 

Eurofly Airlines has gotten terrible reviews on all message boards.. Its schedule is very convenient, but I'm concerned before booking for the summer..

But what's my alternative from NY area to Naples??

It seems that all connecting flights through London or other European cities leave too tight connections or HUGE time gaps...

Or am I better off flying nonstop to Rome, then driving from Rome to the Amalfi coast??

Hi M,

>..am I better off flying nonstop to Rome, then driving from Rome to the Amalfi coast?<

If you can't get a good flight to Naples, I suggest flying to Rome and taking the train to Salerno and the ferry to Amalfi or Positano.

If you are going to stay in Sorrento, take the train from Rome to Naples.

Schedules are at www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html

((I))

I am also looking into this for a trip this spring and so far, Iberia looks to be the best bet, flying via Madrid. Have you looked into flying to Rome with American? I have not done this yet but maybe it will work if you do not like the Madrid option.

Meant to say Iberia from JFK to Madrid connecting to Naples. The option posited above, of the train to Rome, and then the train to Salerno and then a ferry, entails too much schlepping for me! Your other option is a driver from Rome airport to your destination. Or driving yourself.

Thanks for the replies.. The train and ferry just won't work with two little kids, I need the quickest, easiest way to Praiano.

I've looked at the Iberia/Madrid route but the connection on the return is only 1 hour. Judging from experience, I only connect with a minimum of three hours internationally....

I'm leaning toward driving from Rome at this point.. Anyone done this?.. Looks like 3 hours on the map...

Hi M,

I wouldn't drive from Rome to Praiano immediately upon arrival.

You will be jet lagged.

>I need the quickest, easiest way to Praiano.

A driver from Rome will be about 400E or more.

How about a train to Naples and a limo to Praiano? About 100E + train fare.

((I))

There are plenty of nice connections with about 2 hours at various European airport.

For example, Aer Lingus from JFK arrives DUB at 5:15a, then departs to NAP 7:20a.

Iberia from JFK arrives MAD at 7:10a, departs to NAP at 10:00a. A little long, but okay.

Air France from JFK arrives CDG at 7:30a, departs to NAP at 9:30a. It's a comfortable connection despite being CDG.

Continental from EWR arrives MXP at 7:55a, then connect to Alitalia at 9:45a.

And so on...

So, I don't know why you say you can't get good connections to NAP.

Does Eurofly really get worse reviews than, for example, Alitalia? No airline in economy class on a trip from the US to Europe is going to be superb, in my opinion.

I've just found sooo many negative reports on Eurofly here and on tripadvisor.com.. STories of flights being 10 hours delayed, canceled, people bussed from Rome to Naples, absolutely no customer service, etc... I had a really bad experience with Air Plus Comet going to Spain, so I'm a bit concerned about these small airlines, but the timetable (and price) for Eurofly is great...

I'm going to reanalyze the connection route... It just seemed that every time I found a good connection going to Naples, the return just didn't work... (Last year I connected in LHR on my way to Malta with 3 hours and barely made it after going through 2 hours of security!)

Rkkwan: Many thanks for posting the airline options; now I/we have to figure out the return flights, back to JFK. For my part, I prefer to fly with airlines linked with to Flying Blue (preferable) or to the Iberia Club (second choice)

Melody: When thinking about the price of the limo from the Rome airport directly to the A/C, I wonder just how much more expensive this is when you subtract the price of the possible Rome-Naples flights (if you choose to fly that way) and the transport from Naples to the Amalfi Coast. Just a thought...

Problems with Eurofly is typical of small airlines. They have no backup planes, they use contractors at various destinations, they often fly routes less than once per day, and they have no interline agreement with major airlines to take care of you.

One aircraft has a mechanical problem and then people get stranded for days...

That's the price you pay for going with such airlines.

<i>The train and ferry just won't work with two little kids...</i>

I am curious as to why. IMO, large comfortable seating areas, snack areas, etc. is always preferable to cramped airplanes with stressful time wasting connections...

The high speed train from Rome to Naples is just over 90 minutes - much quicker than any airport layover...