airlines

Hi Gail. No you do not need a ta to do this,, you may however find some web travel sites are not set up for it. Most single airline sites are.. just click on " multiple destinations" and enter your departure( Portland), then your first stop ( Rome) then your second departure point( Milan) to Portland.

You may find it cheaper to to a Rome return,, open jaw flights are great ,,but in my experience ,, not usually the cheapest travel option.. it sort of depends on airline.

Good luck,, and you can of course find a ta to do this for you,, its usaully a small fee,, but may be worth peace of mind if you are nervous about it.

The industry calls it an "open jaws" ticket...into one city and home from another. On websites like kayak.com (and indeed on most airline websites) it's labelled as "multi-city" or something similar. On Cheaptickets, it's down the left side as "Expand search options (Multi-city, preferred airlines, etc.)" Click on that, and it will open up a whole series of paired boxes. Then you can enter Portland and Rome (and the date of travel), then Milan and Portland.
Many of these websites will also allow you to sign up for e-mail alerts, which will notify you when flights you have chosen change in price.
You might also want to consider nearby airports as well. I know Seattle's about three hours away...but the cost savings might make it worth your while.

Thanks so much for the help! We have a 2 hr drive to Portland as it is, so will probably stick with that airport. Also, any thoughts on preferred airlines, or are they all about the same?

hi gail
another website to ook at is besttravelstore.com. remember to click multi-city and you see different options for your airfares. we we will be going to venice next october and checking out this site. another site is bestfares.com enjoy. eat drink and be merry! happy travels
miss pupule

I'm old school, I book direct with the airlines (online). I don't like these online agencies because I have heard too many stories about problems with changed flights and often if you need change flights it is not possible with some of these online brokers.

i am with norm use kayak.com. I like the site because the fare quotes already include taxes and fees, so you have the final cost. they will direct you to the cheapest site

Browse the airline websites and configure a trip using the "multi-city" option. You can get an idea of the airline schedules and cost of the ticket and then you can shop around the discount websites. I prefer to deal directly with the airline of my choice, however, but a good discount website to start with is Bestfares.com. You can configure a multi-city trip there. If you become a Best Fares member ($60/1 yr), you can have access to "Snooze You Lose" type fares that airlines post for very short periods of time and are exclusive to members. Great bargains can be had (up to 70% off). For instance, I once flew from DFW to Orange Co., CA for $58 round trip (pre 9/11) on Northwest Airlines. Your Best Fares membership will entitle you to member only discounts on airfares, cruises, hotels, and car rentals.

Beware of connecting flights, though. If you book them through one airline, even if the other flight is with a partner airline, they are responsible for getting you and your bags to your final destination. If you book the flights separately and miss the connection, you are really on your own.

One other thing...when you book your tickets...make sure the names on the tickets matches the name on the passport exactly.

Otherwise, you may have problems as TSA is requiring exact name matches.

If the passport says Robert Smith, the tickets must say Robert Smith--not Bob Smith, or Rob Smith or Bobby Smith.

I have been flying open jaws for years, I've found it to be cheaper, and I do not need to back track. Generally, I use Delta and their group of associated airlines. This past August we arrived at Fiumicino to be told our flight was canceled. They put us in a 4 star hotel in a Mediterrean resort, fed us lunch, dinner, breakfast, and got us home the next day. I like scheduled airlines, although I've booked on Expedia with good results.

Buon viaggio,

RB

"Beware of connecting flights, though. If you book them through one airline, even if the other flight is with a partner airline, they are responsible for getting you and your bags to your final destination. If you book the flights separately and miss the connection, you are really on your own."

A family member just had this happen to her. She was flying Rome-London-Baltimore on the same airline. There was a problem with luggage that prevented her flight from leaving Rome for three hours. She arrived in London just as her flight to Baltimore was leaving. The airline put her up in a hotel overnight, paid for her food and transportation, and booked her on the next flight out. It may not happen often, but it does happen.

Thanks again for all the helpful replies. As we start planning more for this trip I'm sure this forum will be a great resource!