What airline Rome (FCO) to Newark, EWR..aside from United or American

[MudderBear]

Hello.  I usually fly United or American.  Have only traveled to Europe once.  We are doing a cruise from Barcelona to Rome next year.  Both United and American's prices are sky high (sorry for the pun).  I have time to book, but I am started to do research now.  I'm wondering if flying on Lufthansa or Swiss Air or TAP might be better.  I am willing to have two separate reservations.  One way to BCN and one way back from FCO.  To those experienced travelers out there, what suggestions can you offer?  Since I have to actually book to my home airport after I arrive in the states, I am willing to book EWR, JFK, IAD or even Chicago.  The one thing I want to avoid is changing planes in a foreign country from Rome.  In other words, I want the flight to be direct from Rome to whatever airport in the USA.  Would appreciate suggestions from more experienced travelers.  Thank you very much!

[FlyerTalker]

51 minutes ago, MudderBear said:

I am willing to have two separate reservations.  One way to BCN and one way back from FCO. 

 

No.  That will be two one-way tickets, which will almost certainly be more expensive than an open-jaw round-trip.

 

52 minutes ago, MudderBear said:

The one thing I want to avoid is changing planes in a foreign country from Rome.  In other words, I want the flight to be direct from Rome to whatever airport in the USA.

 

Why?

 

In doing so, you are going to severely restrict your options.  So know that this requirement will limit choices and likely result in higher pricing.

 

There is nothing wrong with making a connection in Europe.  Thousands of people do it every day.

 

 

[MudderBear]

Just a little apprehensive about changing in Munich or Frankfort..  But anyone, regarding two separate "tickets".  I might use United Miles points  going out to BCN, so I really do need to have two separate bookings.

Edited June 18, 2023 by MudderBear

[Globaliser]

1 hour ago, MudderBear said:

Since I have to actually book to my home airport after I arrive in the states, I am willing to book EWR, JFK, IAD or even Chicago.

 

It's not clear if you're thinking about booking from/to one of those airports, and then making a separate booking for the flight between there and your home airport. If that is what you mean, that's unlikely to be a sensible. Make a through booking from your home airport to your destination, and similarly back again.

 

47 minutes ago, MudderBear said:

But anyone, regarding two separate "tickets".  I might use United Miles points  going out to BCN, so I really do need to have two separate bookings.

 

If you can make a separate award booking for each direction, but on different airlines/alliances, then that would work. If you can only get an award booking in one direction and you have to pay cash for the other direction, there's a chance that you'll pay more for that half of the flying than if you just buy a round-trip ticket for cash.

 

1 hour ago, MudderBear said:

The one thing I want to avoid is changing planes in a foreign country from Rome.

 

52 minutes ago, MudderBear said:

Just a little apprehensive about changing in Munich or Frankfort.

 

Why? It's so much easier to connect at a European airport than to do so at a US airport after an inbound international flight. And Munich in particular is more efficient than just about any US hub that I've been to. And if it's a fear of "foreign" that you have, you'd probably find Miami airport more alien than either of these. (Although "Frankfort" is, I think, in Kentucky.)

 

Your main constraint on this front is actually that you have an onward domestic flight to take after arriving in the US, so you actually can't avoid that horrendous US process.

[Bo1953]

It sounds to me that what the OP is wanting to do will not be the most 'economical' OR cheaper in the long run...

 

I can suggest that they consider using miles one-way and using cruise line air the other, which MAY result in reducing their total cost and providing the non-stop routing, USA-EU-USA, desired. MMV though...

 

In our case, we are taking a similar sailing this September and were able to get a non-stop EWR-BCN and the return is FCO-LHR-EWR.

 

While we wanted a FCO-EWR non-stop flight, the pricing was more than what we wanted to pay and figured if our luggage did not make the tight LHR-EWR connection, no big deal as we would be 'home' as it were...

 

The OP needs to take the time to figure out all of the combinations/permutations financially, of what they want to do and decide if it is worth it.

 

Also, not knowing when they are actually traveling, it really is impossible to tell what the points will be for the flight over and what the $$ cost to return as those flights may not be posted yet AND can change in terms of points needed, too.

 

Better to make those decisions earlier than later, as for the same flights we are taking this year have doubled +. Book refundable, if pricing goes down, you will be in a better position to take advantage of that, even on the points portion.

 

Good luck and bon voyage

[CruiserBruce]

OK, let's enter some facts into the record.  First, if you want non-stop from any of the airports you mentioned, to FCO, then you have to pretty much have to look at who has hubs there...UA out of EWR, for example.  LH will not fly a non-stop from a US airport to FCO. Doesn't happen,  exception codeshares that actually on US airlines operating out of those airports. 

 

Second, you should be be looking at matrix.ita.com to answer your basic question about who flies non-stop from X to Y.

 

Third, there is absolutely NOTHING  wrong with connecting in Europe.  Just need to do your research and planning. As mentioned,  thousands do it every day, and there are tons of discussions about it here.

 

MUC is perhaps the easiest of the airports in your area to connect through. 

 

Curious why you think there are airlines out there seriously cheaper than UA, or AA, or DEL,  on a given route. They monitor each other's prices,  and respond accordingly. 

[Post Captain]

3 hours ago, MudderBear said:

... I'm wondering if flying on Lufthansa or Swiss Air or TAP might be better....  

 

The one thing I want to avoid is changing planes in a foreign country from Rome.  In other words, I want the flight to be direct from Rome to whatever airport in the USA.

Well, right off the bat, if your second statement is non-negotiable, you won't be able to fly any of the three airlines named in your first statement, since none of those airlines provide "direct" (I assume you really mean non-stop) flights from Rome to any airport ("whatever airport"?) in the US.

 

(Incidentally, for what it's worth, just off the top of my head, I expect TAP's airfare would be the cheapest--if cost is your top priority and if you're willing to change at Lisbon.)

 

In any case, I would heed FlyerTalker's advice to book open-jaw (aka multicity) outbound and return flight(s).  The usual flight/airfare search engines will reveal a variety of open-jaw flight combinations in and out of various airports on both sides of the Atlantic.

Edited June 18, 2023 by Post Captain

[MudderBear]

I'm the OP.  I don't have to include my home airport into the mix, as I CAN if need be book that separately round trip for the before and after leg of the trip, so that will only be IN the equation if it works to my benefit cost wise.

 

I honestly don't think I can book United one way with miles (EWR to BCN) and then cash from FCO to EWR.  Thank you to whomever posted that MUC is an easier airport to connect in.  I will keep that in mind.

 

It's just when I go to Kayak, I am finding flights (particularly in question TAP and Swiss Air) whose prices totally are below United.  I really would love to use UA because I have alot of miles (points).  Unfortunately, as I have about 220,000 points, I still need to lay out about $3 thousand to "buy" extra points.  What's the use?  For about 2 or 3 thousand dolllars more I can just save those points for my domestic vacations.

 

As far as seasons, I would be traveling in mid May which is not a big demand travel period.

[FlyerTalker]

9 minutes ago, MudderBear said:

I'm the OP.  I don't have to include my home airport into the mix, as I CAN if need be book that separately round trip for the before and after leg of the trip, so that will only be IN the equation if it works to my benefit cost wise.

 

Yep....we can always provide the best assistance when information is withheld.

 

10 minutes ago, MudderBear said:

I honestly don't think I can book United one way with miles (EWR to BCN) and then cash from FCO to EWR. 

 

Of course you can.  You would buy a one-way award ticket and a one-way revenue ticket.

 

The price for the one-way on UA would likely be higher than a round-trip, but so be it.

 

11 minutes ago, MudderBear said:

It's just when I go to Kayak, I am finding flights (particularly in question TAP and Swiss Air) whose prices totally are below United.  I really would love to use UA because I have alot of miles (points).  Unfortunately, as I have about 220,000 points, I still need to lay out about $3 thousand to "buy" extra points.  What's the use?  For about 2 or 3 thousand dolllars more I can just save those points for my domestic vacations.

 

And those TAP and Swiss flights won't be non-stop from Rome back to the USA.

 

In all honesty, you are trying to accomplish multiple goals that are inherently incompatible.  Something's gotta give.

 

14 minutes ago, MudderBear said:

As far as seasons, I would be traveling in mid May which is not a big demand travel period.

 

Though you might not be in the highest demand time, it's your specific dates and routings that matter.  And you say that they are "sky-high".  Guess they could be even higher later on.

 

So....just what advice do you really want, and which of your conditions are you willing to be flexible about?  What are your priorities - in order?  Because you can't have it all, given what you've said already.

 

 

[Globaliser]

29 minutes ago, MudderBear said:

I don't have to include my home airport into the mix, as I CAN if need be book that separately round trip for the before and after leg of the trip, so that will only be IN the equation if it works to my benefit cost wise.

 

But it isn't necessarily a good idea to book that bit on a separate ticket, because you then have two unconnected journeys and no protection against a mishap that makes you miss the second flight.

 

32 minutes ago, MudderBear said:

It's just when I go to Kayak, I am finding flights (particularly in question TAP and Swiss Air) whose prices totally are below United.  I really would love to use UA because I have alot of miles (points).  Unfortunately, as I have about 220,000 points, I still need to lay out about $3 thousand to "buy" extra points.  What's the use?  For about 2 or 3 thousand dolllars more I can just save those points for my domestic vacations.

 

Then that's probably your answer. This trip is not a good use of points, so just pay cash for these tickets. You're likely to be able to earn some United miles if you fly TAP or SWISS, so that will add a bit to your stash.

[em-sk]

8 hours ago, MudderBear said:

I'm the OP. ....

 

I honestly don't think I can book United one way with miles (EWR to BCN) and then cash from FCO to EWR.  Thank you to whomever posted that MUC is an easier airport to connect in.  I will keep that in mind.

 

It's just when I go to Kayak, I am finding flights (particularly in question TAP and Swiss Air) whose prices totally are below United.  I really would love to use UA because I have alot of miles (points).  Unfortunately, as I have about 220,000 points, I still need to lay out about $3 thousand to "buy" extra points.  What's the use?  For about 2 or 3 thousand dolllars more I can just save those points for my domestic vacations.

 

As far as seasons, I would be traveling in mid May which is not a big demand travel period.

 

There are a few exceptions.  However for the most part transatlantic flights are almost always cheaper as round trip with a Saturday stay over.   If you search online you want to pick the multi-city option and get both outbound and return priced on the same ticket.

 

United, TAP Air Portugal, Swiss, Lufthansa and Air Canada are all star alliance partners.  That means you credit miles from any of these airlines into your United loyalty program.  The one thing to keep in mind is if your booked into the cheapest fare you may be getting very few miles.  Some low fares may only give you 25% or 50% miles.  There may even be a few rock bottom fares with 0.  

 

If your trading in points, on United all Star Alliance (including TAP and Air Canada) operated flights should be available for you.  220,000 is a good amount of points.  you should be able to get something with that.  You may even be able to business class with that number of points. 

 

Usually the points don't include taxes and fees.  With international travel those can easily be a few hundred dollars.

 

 

 

 

 

[CruiserBruce]

I think you might want to book a one way flight with your miles, then check your cruise line air program for the other one way flight. As discussed here frequently,  one way international flights are one of the best things about cruise line air programs. 

[MudderBear]

Thank you all for your assistance.  It gives me alot to think about.  Luckily, I have a good deal of time ahead of me to book, but I wanted to start doing research now.  The prices are ridiculous.  Ballpark figure of about $3000 for round trip in ECONOMY for a single senior.  Then double that for my spouse.  The 200,000 miles in my account aren't going very far either with the new prices.  Ugh.  I'll be paying more for my air than the two of us on the cruise.

[FlyerTalker]

6 hours ago, MudderBear said:

Thank you all for your assistance.  It gives me alot to think about.  Luckily, I have a good deal of time ahead of me to book, but I wanted to start doing research now.  The prices are ridiculous.  Ballpark figure of about $3000 for round trip in ECONOMY for a single senior.  Then double that for my spouse.  The 200,000 miles in my account aren't going very far either with the new prices.  Ugh.  I'll be paying more for my air than the two of us on the cruise.

 

Where are you getting those kind of numbers?

 

First off, most airlines have not released inventory for "Mid-May", as you are getting inventory through about the 16th now.

 

Next - are you buying a couple of one way tickets?  That will boost your price.

 

I plugged in a sample trip of May 1 to 14, JFK-BCN and FCO-JFK.  Getting prices as low as $760 on Air Europa via Madrid in both directions.

 

But then, since you won't give us cities, won't give us dates, and are pretty definitive that you want non-stops to/from the USA - I give up.  Pay the three grand each.

 

 

 

[Zach1213]

There have been a lot of good responses so far, but I'll echo some of them. There's really no advantage to connecting in the US versus Europe, and if anything Europe is better because you have more options (both air AND ground) if something goes awry. Airports like Frankfurt and (especially) Munich are incredibly efficient, signs are in English, and pretty much everyone speaks English. I'm a big fan of getting to Europe and then connecting, versus connecting in the US. 

[SelectSys]

On 6/18/2023 at 2:03 PM, Globaliser said:

But it isn't necessarily a good idea to book that bit on a separate ticket, because you then have two unconnected journeys and no protection against a mishap that makes you miss the second flight

This is true, but it can work out at times depending on what you are trying to do.  I did exactly this earlier in the year to flying separately SAN to PHX to get a cheap business class ticket roundtrip to BER on BA.

 

I ended up waiting 6+ hours in PHX for on my outbound  journey to make sure I built in enough schedule padding with at least 3 backup flights available.

[MudderBear]

• Hello.  I am the OP.  Here's what I did.  I went and booked straight through from my home airport SAV to BCN via EWR.  On the return, I booked FCO to IAD to SAV.  It's all on one booking.  Yes, I paid through the nose (I used points).  I went for the most direct flights, but most importantly, the least amount of hours....for example 11 hours vs. like 25 hours (each for going AND returning).  Since I used miles, I have the option to make changes or cancel anytime I wish.  I appreciate everyone's advice.

[katmu]

OP-  It’s likely expensive if you are flying from Savannah instead of Atlanta.  Are you able to fly from Atlanta for this trip, as it would give you a lot more options at likely better prices.

[MudderBear]

I did look, but there isn't much difference in price, etc.,  And actually, as far as the points, it was the same amount of points whether or not I included SAV into the mix...and trust me, I was willing to book that separately.  But since there was no extra charge, I included SAV in my booking.  I'm going to keep monitoring fights, etc, as using points I have the option to cancel and rebook.

[waterbug123]

On 6/18/2023 at 10:29 AM, MudderBear said:

 In other words, I want the flight to be direct from Rome to whatever airport in the USA.  Would appreciate suggestions from more experienced travelers.  Thank you very much!

If you want to fly nonstop from Rome to anywhere in the US, you will be limited to US-based airlines, including Delta, American and United, or ITA, which is based in Italy.  No one other airline can offer nonstop service between Rome and the US; they'd have to connect in their own hub city, i.e. Paris for Air France, Munich for Lufthansa, Lisbon for TAP etc.

[Desdichado62]

ITA flies to JFK though and not EWR.

[fbgd]

On 6/19/2023 at 6:10 AM, MudderBear said:

I'll be paying more for my air than the two of us on the cruise.

Booking a more expensive cruise should solve this problem.

[Bo1953]

25 minutes ago, fbgd said:

Booking a more expensive cruise should solve this problem.

A good approach, for sure.... LOL

 

bon voyage

[Globaliser]

On 7/1/2023 at 10:21 PM, waterbug123 said:

If you want to fly nonstop from Rome to anywhere in the US, you will be limited to US-based airlines, including Delta, American and United, or ITA, which is based in Italy.  No one other airline can offer nonstop service between Rome and the US; they'd have to connect in their own hub city, i.e. Paris for Air France, Munich for Lufthansa, Lisbon for TAP etc.

 

Although in general, one would expect non-stop flights between two countries to be operated only by airlines from those two countries, that isn't the case where one of the countries is Iceland, Norway or an EU country. Any airline from those countries can fly non-stop between any point in those countries and the US.

 

Consequently, a Norwegian airline called Norse Atlantic is currently operating daily non-stops between Rome Fiumicino and JFK, in addition to the flights operated by ITA, American, Delta and United. Norse Atlantic also operates other flights including a daily non-stop between Paris Charles de Gaulle and JFK.

 

In addition, there are sometimes special agreements to allow an airline of a third country to operate a non-stop route. For example, Singapore Airlines is currently operating a daily non-stop between Frankfurt and JFK; and Emirates has a daily non-stop between Milan Malpensa and JFK.

[waterbug123]

32 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

 

Although in general, one would expect non-stop flights between two countries to be operated only by airlines from those two countries, that isn't the case where one of the countries is Iceland, Norway or an EU country. Any airline from those countries can fly non-stop between any point in those countries and the US.

 

Consequently, a Norwegian airline called Norse Atlantic is currently operating daily non-stops between Rome Fiumicino and JFK, in addition to the flights operated by ITA, American, Delta and United. Norse Atlantic also operates other flights including a daily non-stop between Paris Charles de Gaulle and JFK.

 

In addition, there are sometimes special agreements to allow an airline of a third country to operate a non-stop route. For example, Singapore Airlines is currently operating a daily non-stop between Frankfurt and JFK; and Emirates has a daily non-stop between Milan Malpensa and JFK.

Thanks, I know there are a few fifth freedom flights such as the Emirates MXP-JFK but wasn't aware of the Norse flights.