Is Ryanair Hamburg to Florence worth it?
May 11th, 2006, 02:52 AM
#1
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Is Ryanair Hamburg to Florence worth it?
Is this airline worth it? We are a family with 3 children and I would love to travel at these great fares, but frankly would pay more to avoid a terrible airline.
May 11th, 2006, 03:00 AM
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Ryanair is one of the most on-time airlines in Europe, just pray you aren't one of the few that are delayed, because when they're late, they are LATE (12 hours, in my case). Also make sure you can fit in the luggage allowance, it isn't all that big, and overage charges are quite high. And make sure you know where the airport actually is; some of the airports they fly to are in the middle of nowhere (usually old military airfields that are basically in some farmer's field), and take time & money to get to and from the city. All that said, lots of people fly on Ryanair all the time, don't expect anything except getting you from here to there, and you'll be fine.
Another possibility to think about is taking a night train (saves you a nights accommodation); with a couple of connections, but most of the time on the night train, you could leave Hamburg at 6:24 pm, change in Frankfurt at 10 pm, wake up in Milan at 7:45 am, and be in Florence at 10:45 am (bahn.de, click on English).
Another possibility to think about is taking a night train (saves you a nights accommodation); with a couple of connections, but most of the time on the night train, you could leave Hamburg at 6:24 pm, change in Frankfurt at 10 pm, wake up in Milan at 7:45 am, and be in Florence at 10:45 am (bahn.de, click on English).
May 11th, 2006, 03:11 AM
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Ryanair's "Hamburg" airport is actually Lubeck, but if you don't have a problem with getting there, are willing to follow Ryanair's rules TO THE LETTER and have a backup plan if (rarely) THINGS GO WRONG then there's no problem with Ryanair.
May 11th, 2006, 03:14 AM
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I think AlanRow has summed this up perfectly and it could apply to many of the European "budget" airlines.
I would emphasize that you have to plan carefully and remain alert and flexible. Once you've done it the first time you'll wonder why you didn't do it long ebfore this.
I would emphasize that you have to plan carefully and remain alert and flexible. Once you've done it the first time you'll wonder why you didn't do it long ebfore this.
May 12th, 2006, 11:03 AM
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Please be aware that they indeed fly out of Luebeck, which is about 45 miles from Hamburg. The airport (Blankensee) is not exactly easily accessible - unless you use the Ryan-Air shuttle bus which departs from Hamburg downtown ZOB (bus station) and which costs you extra.
It might be worth looking into Lufthansa's BetterFly tariffs - EUR 99.00 roundtrip - and they do indeed fly you from HAM and into Florence. But <b>do make sure that the Florence Aiport is open - they are having a new surface for the runway installed, which is why recently flights were diverted to Pisa - which in fact is where Ryanair would fly you to, too. Taxi-fares from Pisa to Florence are around EUR 120.00, which I find rather steep. But Ryanair might operate a bus here, too.</b>
It might be worth looking into Lufthansa's BetterFly tariffs - EUR 99.00 roundtrip - and they do indeed fly you from HAM and into Florence. But <b>do make sure that the Florence Aiport is open - they are having a new surface for the runway installed, which is why recently flights were diverted to Pisa - which in fact is where Ryanair would fly you to, too. Taxi-fares from Pisa to Florence are around EUR 120.00, which I find rather steep. But Ryanair might operate a bus here, too.</b>
May 12th, 2006, 11:29 AM
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There is a cheap Terravision bus between Pisa airport and the Florence train station. There's also a train, but I can't advise on that.
The luggage restrictions are a factor, but if you take care to note the rules, there should be no problem.
The luggage restrictions are a factor, but if you take care to note the rules, there should be no problem.
May 12th, 2006, 11:50 AM
#8
The train station at Pisa is immediately next door to the station. Trains run aprox every half to Pisa central, from there it is about an hour to florence. There are some direct trains from the airport to Florence, see www.trenitalia.com
