Amy

Having had the "pleasure" of enduring Alitalia this year, I have decided not to do so again. However, I'm planning to head to Florence in March.<BR><BR>I have done the research and I know what the options are (from BOS connecting through LHR, LGW, CDG, etc) but I'm looking for others' experiences, good and bad, to steer me to the best decision. With the rush of airfare sales, I'm looking to snag one soon. I've flown BA, VS and AF before, and would do so again in a heartbeat. <BR><BR>I prefer only one connection, and would like to avoid the LHR/LGW transfer. Anyone done this successfully/happily? (So far, I'm leaning toward connecting at CDG, but can be convinced otherwise if it's easier elsewhere). Thanks...Amy

xxx

We flew Ohare to Rome - nonstop on American and then took the train to Florence (train from airport to Rome to Florence). It was a very easy and painless way to get to Florence. Might be an option to go Boston Chicago Rome - kind of backwards, but sometimes easier to connect in the US.

xxx

PS - my preference would be through LHR or LGW (be sure and check flights from there to Florence as I thought LGW had flights to Florence, but LHR didn't). Only other idea would be United through Frankfurt (Lufthansa). Personally, I would steer clear of CDG. Delays and strikes seem more prevalent in France.

sally

In March I flew Air France Boston to Rome (connecting in Paris) then Florence to Boston (connecting in Paris) and would do it again. Two thoughts:<BR>1. The connections that we chose were fine, however, allow yourself enough time in Paris, London or wherever you go to make the connection. I bought my tickets over the phone (not wanting to use my credit card over the internet) and the ticket agent would not put me on a flight that had less than an hour to connect. However, if you buy online, there are no such restrictions (as far as I could tell) so it is up to you to look at the flights and think about whether or not you can make the connection. With respect to the connection to Italy, there are lots of flights each day from Paris/London to Florence or Pisa. but if you don't leave yourself enough time on the return, you'll be stuck as I think there are very few direct flights on Air France from Paris to Boston. More direct flights from London to Boston.<BR><BR>2. It took us longer than expected to get from Florence to the Florence airport by taxi despite what the hotel told us. I can't remember exactly but it is a drive through the city/suburbs and we hit traffic so leave yourself enough time on that end. On the positive side, the airport in florence is small and efficient (surprise!) so once you get there it is quick to check in.<BR><BR>3. A third thought, despite the advice of many on this forum to buy RT tickets through Rome and take the train there from Florence, I wouldn't do that unless you find a ticket RT to rome that is much cheaper than one directly to florence. The train ride between Rome and Florence is an hour and half or more, plus you have to be at the train station before the train leaves in Florence, plus once you get to rome you have to take a train or cab to the airport, then things take longer at the rome airport because there are so many more travelers. Keep that in mind if you have a flight from rome anytime in the morning or afternoon. You'd have to leave florence very early and feel rushed the whole way. <BR><BR>BTW: last march we had absolutely gorgeous weather in Rome and Florence every day.

Amy

Thank you both for your advice. I will be traveling with my mother and I am trying to minimize connections and travel time for her. My first thought was that going to CDG may get the longest/hardest part of the trip over with and a shorter connecting flight. I'm not sure she could handle the Rome train leg of the journey too. But London does have the advantage of numerous ways back to Boston in the event we miss a flight. Good to hear good things about FLR after my disastrous time in Malpensa.<BR><BR>Sally, we must've been in Italy the same week in March, our time in Rome/Amalfi Coast was high 60s to 70s and gorgeous. I'm hoping for the same next year...<BR><BR>Thanks again!

Bec

Amy....I'm flying Alitalia in 10 days to Rome. Was your experience that bad? I'm worried now......

Maria

Amy,<BR><BR>I'm going to Rome and then to Palermo via Continental. I will then connect in Rome with Lufthansa. I also will not fly Alitalia again. We flew them 2 years ago and had a horrible experience. <BR><BR>Also, Continental was $300 less expensive per person! Have a good trip.

Amy

Bec -- I've flown quite a few of the European airlines, and it was the worst, for several reasons: service was non-existent, seats were broken, headsets broken, 2 hours late leaving Milan for no apparent reason, plane coming home smelled so bad of bathroom smells that the crew opened after-shave all over the place to drown it out. Plus, no seat assignments were allowed, so we had to barter with other passengers just to sit with our traveling companion. <BR><BR>The connection in Milan-Malpensa was a disaster (2 hours to get through a security check when you get off the plane from the US...you've got to be kidding...and if we're coming directly off the plane, why another security check? Then another hour to connect to our flight to Naples due to an arcane queueing system everywhere we went.) That's why I'm trying to find a flight plan that will have me landing in Italy, but not connecting through it. Never again for me. But I know everyone has their bad experiences with any airline, including those I sited as being my favorites. This was just as bad as I've ever had.<BR><BR>Amy

Roberta

Ditto warning about CDG - Flew Air France from Boston to Rome with 45 minutes to make connections at CDG. It is do-able but just barely . Transfer required a decent hike, a bus shuttIe and security clearance and then another shuttle. I suspect that Air France may hold the CDG/Rome flight for Boston passengers.

Sally

Amy, if you haven't bought your ticket already I would advise doing the CDG connection from Boston as long as you leave enough time for the connection. the good thing about flying to CDG is that you can then fly directly to Florence and get in a cab to your hotel right at the airport. No need to involve trains, subways, etc. But as I said before, there aren't that many flights direct paris to boston so you won't want to miss yours!

Matt

I flew Air France from CVG to CDG and then changed for FLR with plenty of time. CDG is no better and no worse than any major global airport (LHR, JFK, ATL, LAX, etc.) It's a pain in the ass no matter how you do it, just grin and bear it.<BR><BR>Anyhow, back to the story...<BR><BR>My flight from CVG arrived more-or-less on time in CDG. Upon getting off the plane, you have to go through French customs and you have to fill out a little piece of paper as your customs form (if they don't give you a copy on your flight, the customs officers will give you one). The flights to FLR take off from CDG 2D, and the transatlantic flights arrive at CDG 2C. So you have to hoof it from 2C to 2D, which isn't that bad of a walk -- maybe 1000 feet in total -- and go through security again.<BR><BR>If I remember correctly, I had about 1.5 hours to make the connection, and I arrived at the gate with 45 minutes to go before boarding.<BR><BR>Once you get to the gate, you board a bus that takes you to a commuter airline (CityJet, I think) that's parked halfway across the airport from CDG 2D. Once you're airborne, it's a 1.5 hour flight to FLR. It takes 30-45 minutes to shuttle everyone from 2D to the plane and let everyone board.<BR><BR>Coming home, I flew from BLQ (Bologna) to CDG and transferred for ATL. I had a 2-hour layover in CDG and I needed every bit of it to make the connection.

kam

Don't rule out either flying into Pisa or Bologna from Heathrow. You can even spend your first day in Bologna since it's an interesting city on its own with some fantastic restaurants. The airport is medium sized and works well. Think BA does both of these cities. Florence is an extremely small airport so you'll find fewer options there. The drive from Bologna to Florence is quite pretty over the mountains but on an autostrada. Good luck.

Amy

Thank you all for the advice. I hadn't considered PSA or Bologna. Both would be interesting add-ons to the trip.<BR><BR>Haven't ruled anything out yet other than Alitalia. This will be my 15th trip to Europe, and the most difficult to figure out airfare-wise. This has been quite a learning experience. Thank you!

kam

Amy, seriously take a look at Bologna. You can't stay on the outskirts where the airport is, but need to be in the old medieval city. It's not a typical American tourist destination, but actually has its own leaning tower! University town. Food is fantastic. And then you get up the next day and drive to Florence.

lena

I took Alitalia flight three years ago and didn't have problems with check in or connection to Florence in Milan. The plane was rather shabby though. However, if the alternative is to make a connection rather than a direct flight I would take a direct flight.

Jim Tardio

Amy, if you're landing in any European country from the US, and transfering to a domestic flight, you're going to have to go through security again.<BR><BR>International arrrivals and domestic departures are in differnt parts of all major airports. Going through security is a must, regardless of airlines.<BR><BR>I've been on many international flights and the bathrooms do always seem to stink by the end of the trip. My trip on Air France was the worst, as only 2 bathrooms worked by the end of the flight.<BR><BR>I'm afraid that unless you go first, or business, class, you're stuck with the rest of the herd.<BR><BR>Hope you have a good trip.<BR><BR>http:/www.jimtardio.com/italy.html<BR><BR>

amy

Jim...the Alitalia issue wasn't the bathrooms, the entire cabin reeked. It was nauseating. I've flown 14 times to Europe, and it's never been this bad. I understand that things tend to get sticky and stinky toward the end of long flights in the loo, but this took the cake.<BR><BR>I've made several connections in Europe and never had to go through another security check unless I was going to another terminal, which I wasn't in March. What made this just ridiculous is the minute you were off the plane you were in a mob from 8 other gates to go through security. I could understand it if we'd switched terminals but we were JUST off the plane and weren't switching terminals. There was no queueing, just a mob all trying to get through 3 detectors. (I didn't go through any security at all recently when I did the BOS-LHR-DUB flight, and I did switch terminals there). The whole walk from one flight to the other in Malpensa without the ridiculous 2 hour mobscene should've taken all of 5 minutes. That is why I'll never connect within Italy again if I can help it.

Jim Tardio

I understand, Amy. I have been through Malpensa several times. It always involves a security check because you are changing terminals. You may not always leave the building to change terminals. This is true of all major airports. International and domestic flights do not operate in the same areas of the airports. <BR><BR>I've made connections in Paris, London, Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich...and all involved going through a security check when arriving from the USA and connecting to a domestic flight.<BR><BR>Don't mean to argue with you. But your experience is different from mine.<BR><BR>I don't envy you traveling with an older person. I took my mother on my last trip to Italy, and it was certainly more stressful than my normal traveling procedure.<BR><BR>Good luck!