We are going to be in Italy from September 8 through Sept. 28, 2010. We would like to fly round trip from Rome to Catania on 9/23, returning to Rome on 9/26. We're having trouble purchasing our tickets on line and were wondering if we wait until we are in Florence on 9/12 to purchase tickets from a travel agency would the price skyrocket or perhaps be cheaper?
Posted by
Rome
212 posts
Both scenarios are possible. Will it not let you purchase because it is too far in advance? Perhaps if you tried a month or two in advance? What specific error are you getting, on which airline and which booking site?
Posted by
Twin Cities, Minnesota
2001 posts
Have you tried Delta? They partner with Al Italia. I actually flew AI last Sept to Catania from Rome and despite my fears from all I had read the flight was not a problem and my luggage wasn't even lost.
Posted by
OP
Tampa, Florida, USA
6 posts
Going through Delta or Alitalia is very expensive. I've heard that if you purchase the ticket after you get over there it is a lot cheaper, but I was also told that if you're buying on short notice the price jumps up. I wonder if eleven days is considered short notice. We were booking on line through Windjet at a reasonable price, but everytime I reach the end of the booking process I just receive an error report.
Posted by
gaston, oregon, usa
842 posts
Diane, have you used Whichbudget or Skyscanner to see which airlines fly that route? Checking Whichbudget they show a couple of other lo-cost airlines; Meridiana, and Bluexpress
Posted by
OP
Tampa, Florida, USA
6 posts
Thank you for the info. We went through Whichbudget and were able to book a flight at a reasonable price with BlueExpress.
Posted by
Santa Clara, CA
252 posts
I went from Rome to Catania on Blu Express without a problem. The plane was about an hour late, but for Italy, that's still way ahead of schedule. Keep in mind that the RS 21" convertible is, technically, too big to carry on per blu-express guidelines. We snuck ours through on the way to CTA, but were forced to check it on the way back.