Gekko

I need to arrive in Rome on the morning of September 8, departing New York City. Staying until 9/20, tourist-class ticket.

Flights to Rome are ridiculously expensive compared to what I've paid to fly to London & Paris.

Am I missing something? Can I fly into another city in Italy and take a train?

Many thanks.

LoveItaly

Gekko, check out the cost to fly to Milan (Malpensa airport). If that is less expensive you can take the Malpensa shuttle bus to the Central Train Station in Milan (about an one hour trip, cost 5€ ) and than take the train from there to Rome.

Eloise

I don't know where you are, but from Canadian airports flights to Italy - anywhere in Italy - have always been much, much more expensive by comparison to flights to London and Paris.

It's a very risky game to play, but you can book to London or Paris and try to get a discount airline - preferably out of the same airport - to Rome. But I repeat: It's risky; if anything goes wrong and you don't make your connecting flight, you lose the airfare you've already paid and you have to buy a new ticket to Rome, which will not be cheap, since it will be bought at the last minutee.

Eloise

P.S. And on your return flight, if the discount airline makes it impossible, for whatever reason, to connect to your transatlantic flight, then you are in even worse trouble, probably having to buy a full-fare transatlantic ticket.

LoveItaly

Uhm, Gekko did not saying he was flying from Canada he said he was going to be flying from NYC.

Eloise

You're right, I missed that.

But the same risky strategy applies for New York as it does for any other city, whether in Canada or the United States.

Gekko

Thanks ... I'll check Milan for my dates ... any other cities or ideas?

LoveItaly

Hi Gekko, I have always found from SFO to Italy Milan seemed to have good fares. These last years I have flown into Venice but I haven't checked the fares compared to other airports as Venice is where I needed to fly into. I know family members in Oregon who are in Tuscany right now found flying from Portland down to SFO and than to Milan was the best fare for them. Play around with the various websites and see what you come up with. I think you have more options from NYC than we do from SFO. Let us know what you come up with.

rex

How high are the fares that you consider ridiculously expensive?

Travelocity shows fares from $834 (1 stop) and from $855, nonstop - - all in.

Fares to/from Nice are from $672; $697 nonstop.

In the midwest, we should be so lucky.

Best wishes,

Rex

rex

ttt...

Gekko

I waited until today to purchase, 31 days out, and paid $850, Delta direct from JFK to Rome, great times & seats as well.

Just a few days ago the same flights were over $1000 per ticket, so my strategy to wait 'til the 30 day time apparently paid off.

Thanks to all for advice.

i_am_kane

Gekko,

$850 on Delta from JFK to FCO - not bad at all considering it's a direct flight, and it's not in the dead of winter.