MIA to FCO for Equinox crusie - crazy airfares

[sharky23]

Hi there,

 

I was wondering if anyone is heading for the July 26 Equinox sailing out of Civitivecchia and is also finding airfares to be exorbitantly high (out of the U.S. anyway)?

 

I'm looking at the only direct offered from MIA to FCO (on Alitalia) and they want $1900 pp...economy! :eek: We're traveling with a three-year-old and I'm at a loss, we just can't do a connecting flight.

 

Is anyone else in my shoes? The airfare is almost as much as the cruise! I have two months before I have to cancel the cruise for a full refund of our deposit (which we don't want to do). :(

 

Should I hold off and wait and see if they come down to something reasonable? Can they really expect people to pay nearly 2 grand pp?

I'm flabbergasted. :confused:

 

Thanks for any and all feedback,

 

S

[scottbee]

Hi there,

 

I was wondering if anyone is heading for the July 26 Equinox sailing out of Civitivecchia and is also finding airfares to be exorbitantly high (out of the U.S. anyway)?

 

I'm looking at the only direct offered from MIA to FCO (on Alitalia) and they want $1900 pp...economy! :eek: We're traveling with a three-year-old and I'm at a loss, we just can't do a connecting flight.

 

Is anyone else in my shoes? The airfare is almost as much as the cruise! I have two months before I have to cancel the cruise for a full refund of our deposit (which we don't want to do). :(

 

Should I hold off and wait and see if they come down to something reasonable? Can they really expect people to pay nearly 2 grand pp?

I'm flabbergasted. :confused:

 

Yes, you can expect to pay that much. You want to pay the premium for a non-stop, and you can save yourself $500/ea by flying FLL-CLT-FCO instead; this is how much summer European airfare costs these days

[6rugrats]

You want to fly to Europe in the middle of summer, you insist on a nonstop (not direct) flight and you wonder why airfare is high? Lots of people have already purchased airfare for summer travel, leaving only the higher fare buckets available.

 

There is no reason you can't deal with a connecting flight. If you consider a one stop flight, you can get the price down to about $1350.

 

I don't have a crystal ball, but airlines have cut flights/routes and I am seeing higher prices this year than last. I am not sure I would count on fares going down.

[MiddleEarth]

Could be worse.. Buy your ticket from Delta and the non-stop will cost you $2394. (But this ticket is actually a codeshare... and you would actually be on the same Alitalia equipment!)

 

Certainly, with one stop in Charlotte NC on US Airways will cost you $1338 (or $1441 if through Philadelphia.)

 

If you really need to have non-stop on the transatlantic leg, you might consider doing a multi-leg stopping to visit with friends or family for a day or two at each end.

 

We're doing just that.. Montreal to Zurich and then following day to Rome with our return going Venice to Frankfurt and following day to Montreal. (Great to have relatives overseas!)

[kenish]

You know your 3yo best of course, but when mine was that age a connection was often a good thing. It gave him a chance to get the "wiggles out".

[sharky23]

You want to fly to Europe in the middle of summer, you insist on a nonstop (not direct) flight and you wonder why airfare is high? Lots of people have already purchased airfare for summer travel, leaving only the higher fare buckets available.

 

There is no reason you can't deal with a connecting flight. If you consider a one stop flight, you can get the price down to about $1350.

 

I don't have a crystal ball, but airlines have cut flights/routes and I am seeing higher prices this year than last. I am not sure I would count on fares going down.

 

While summer fares are usually higher (and I expect them to be) $1900 pp on Alitalia is flat out absurd. There's no two ways about it.

 

As for there being no reason I can't deal with a connecting flight, well, being a pretty nervous flier it will add to the stress immeasurably. But you wouldn't have known that would you?

[sharky23]

Thanks Middle Earth. We considered hanging out for a few days in NY as you stated. I just can't take that much time off.

 

But we've come to the conclusion that for a better fare we'll need to connect. And it seems, as Kenish mentioned, it might end up being a good thing for the family, get up and stretch and all. Factor in the airlines we're considering all seems to have better marks than Alitalia and are more kid-friendly and it just makes sense.

[personnext]

You are traveling the fourth busiest air route between all of the U.S. and Italy during one of the busiest times, so $1,900 is what to expect.

 

From Miami, check Air Europa and Air Berlin for cheap fares, though Air Europa does not fly on TuTh and Air Berlin does not fly on ThSa. Alitalia also has a non-stop from Miami to Milan on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturday. That might be cheaper, and at least the connection to Rome from there would be short and easy.

 

I find it easier to transfer in Europe rather than the U.S., but that will vary by person.

[6rugrats]

While summer fares are usually higher (and I expect them to be) $1900 pp on Alitalia is flat out absurd. There's no two ways about it.

 

As for there being no reason I can't deal with a connecting flight, well, being a pretty nervous flier it will add to the stress immeasurably. But you wouldn't have known that would you?

 

snarky 23 - How could anyone know that you are a "nervous flyer" if you didn't include it in your post; you implied the reason you couldn't have a connection was because you have a three year old.

 

I did not say whether or not I considered $1900 a reasonable fare.

[sharky23]

snarky 23 - How could anyone know that you are a "nervous flyer" if you didn't include it in your post; you implied the reason you couldn't have a connection was because you have a three year old.

 

I did not say whether or not I considered $1900 a reasonable fare.

 

Bugrat, it's really not important in the scheme of my post. It was just another factor for us to consider.

[sharky23]

You are traveling the fourth busiest air route between all of the U.S. and Italy during one of the busiest times, so $1,900 is what to expect.

 

From Miami, check Air Europa and Air Berlin for cheap fares, though Air Europa does not fly on TuTh and Air Berlin does not fly on ThSa. Alitalia also has a non-stop from Miami to Milan on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturday. That might be cheaper, and at least the connection to Rome from there would be short and easy.

 

I find it easier to transfer in Europe rather than the U.S., but that will vary by person.

 

Thanks, I'm starting to lean this way in my thinking as well. Swiss looks like they match up well for us. I appreciate your thoughts on the matter!