What airline would you recommend San Francisco to Rome
Jul 19th, 2015, 06:59 PM
#1
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What airline would you recommend San Francisco to Rome
Hi I am still in the planning stages but looks like the best deals are Delta, Air France, or Alitalia. We will be flying economy. Can anyone tell me anything good or bad. I've only flown British Air before and that is out of price range this trip. Thanks in advance for any info. My hubby is 6'5" I'm a little worried for him but upgrading is out of budget. Thanks again!
Jul 19th, 2015, 07:36 PM
#3
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It looks like what you are looking for is the leg room?
The primary resource for this is www.seatguru.com.
First, understand the type of classes available for different flights. When you say "upgrading is out of budget" do you mean any upgrade or are you thinking of upgrade of the first class?
Each of the airline mentioned have finer grain of classes for transatlantic legs.
Air France has Premium Economy, priced between economy and business and comes with significantly better seat.
Alitalia has similar seats called Classica Plus.
Delta has Premium Comfort which gives 4 inches more leg room at minimum, but a lot more if you can get bulkhead seats. Delta Comfort seats are similar to other economy seats, but much cheaper than Air France or Alitialia with better seats. To get super leg roomy Economy Comfort seats on Delta, all you have to do is to book many many months ahead and pay the premium on right kind of planes as noted by www.seatguru.com. These are the first ones to get booked.
If you have to do layover, there are different opinion on whether to do it in the US or in Europe. I prefer a layover in Europe as I hate flying on any of the transcontinental domestic big single aisle misery flights.
Where the seat is located is very important. Would be take a seat with leg room but next to a lavatory which you have to listen to flushing sound?
Also study the layout of the specific airplane on that specific day. Recognize that the airline can swap equipment or cancel your flight and rebook your flight and can totally foul up your seat strategy without compensating you.
However, there are many other factors besides leg room and the price.
Scheduled departure/arrival times.
Layover consideration.
Recent historical on time record. http://flightaware.com/
Strikes http://www.summerinitaly.com/planning/strike.asp
The primary resource for this is www.seatguru.com.
First, understand the type of classes available for different flights. When you say "upgrading is out of budget" do you mean any upgrade or are you thinking of upgrade of the first class?
Each of the airline mentioned have finer grain of classes for transatlantic legs.
Air France has Premium Economy, priced between economy and business and comes with significantly better seat.
Alitalia has similar seats called Classica Plus.
Delta has Premium Comfort which gives 4 inches more leg room at minimum, but a lot more if you can get bulkhead seats. Delta Comfort seats are similar to other economy seats, but much cheaper than Air France or Alitialia with better seats. To get super leg roomy Economy Comfort seats on Delta, all you have to do is to book many many months ahead and pay the premium on right kind of planes as noted by www.seatguru.com. These are the first ones to get booked.
If you have to do layover, there are different opinion on whether to do it in the US or in Europe. I prefer a layover in Europe as I hate flying on any of the transcontinental domestic big single aisle misery flights.
Where the seat is located is very important. Would be take a seat with leg room but next to a lavatory which you have to listen to flushing sound?
Also study the layout of the specific airplane on that specific day. Recognize that the airline can swap equipment or cancel your flight and rebook your flight and can totally foul up your seat strategy without compensating you.
However, there are many other factors besides leg room and the price.
Scheduled departure/arrival times.
Layover consideration.
Recent historical on time record. http://flightaware.com/
Strikes http://www.summerinitaly.com/planning/strike.asp
Jul 19th, 2015, 09:44 PM
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When you get your flight information look for the record locator (usually a 6-digit alphanumeric) for your flight - - then go to the airline website and pull up your record using that code and your name. If you can't find the record locator, try calling the airline and maybe they can find it for you. In the unlikely event that it is a group ticket on a bulk fare this might not be possible, but otherwise by looking at your record online the website should give you any options for upgraded seats. Some are just a couple inches more legroom, while others could be bulkheads or exit rows that give a lot more space.
Jul 20th, 2015, 03:22 AM
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Although I don't know your budget, for economy I would recommend Swiss (Actually LX operated by Swiss). Connect in Zurich, which is an easy airport to manage. However, AFAIK, Swiss doesn't have a premium economy, so if your budget stretches to PE, definitely go with an airline that has a good PE product.
Jul 20th, 2015, 05:35 AM
#8
>>>In the unlikely event that it is a group ticket on a bulk fare this might not be possible<<<
The OP is booking a package so I imagine it is a bulk ticket.
I'm not sure AZ lets you pick seats unless you are withing 24 hour check-in period or perhaps they are assigned at the gate.
The OP is booking a package so I imagine it is a bulk ticket.
I'm not sure AZ lets you pick seats unless you are withing 24 hour check-in period or perhaps they are assigned at the gate.
Jul 20th, 2015, 07:29 AM
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Book on Delta planes and pay for Comfort Plus seats. At 6'5", your husband will need it. If you can pay up for the full premium economy on AF or AZ, then that is an option too, but I have to say I am not a huge fan of the AF seat.
