catania to rome flights?

Correct, Alitalia will seize to exist this week. The new airline, ITA, can be found at https://www.itaspa.com

From Catania to Rome there are also overnight trains that can be a good option.

No update, but too much risk for me. I’d choose an airline I know will be flying even if the schedule isn’t what I’d prefer. I’d hate to get there have the flight cancelled and possibly not be able to get my money back.

I took the night train from Rome to Catania back in 2015 and most definitely do not recommend it. I did not sleep one wink the entire night because the couchette carriage jerked constantly from side to side. It felt as if the rails were not in good-enough condition for a night train. It seemed liked the sort of problem that would also affect regular sleeping cars, though I can't be sure that it would. Naturally I crashed as soon as I got into my hotel room and had to deal with a messed-up body clock afterward.

Ryan Air and Wizz Air are showing dirt cheap non-stop flights that day - why not take either of those? No way would I take Alitalia or an overnight train

Thanks Badger. We'll land in Rome this week (Saturday) and inquire about the air tickets in the airport. The new national airline website is being worked on and is not up as of today (12 Oct); We've considered Wizz or Ryan Air too, though not familiar with them.

I flew Ryanair twice in September. They are a good company, just do not go cheap to spite yourself, you will get burned. Ryanair offers dirt cheap flights by controlling bag size and weight, check-in method, eliminating free boarding passes, basically, you do the work, you save money; try and not follow the rules, you will be hit with fees.

As an example, for your date, there are tickets as cheap as $5.85, that will not work for you. Even the mid-day tickets for $20-25, will not work, except for schedule. But once you click on a good schedule for you, you will see that the price is for value, then you will see prices for "Regular". "Plus", and "Flexi Plus".

What you want is "Plus", it allows you to check in at the airport, Choose your seat, Check a 20 kilo bag, and priority boarding. All that moves the cost up to ~$36. The regular option allows you a 10 kilo bag, too small for you. Checking a bag is nt an issue since it is point to point. You can also do Flexi-Plus for a few more perks, but really only if you think you might need to change your ticket.

Thanks Paul, very helpful to have a recent update. I've tried to find a Ryan Air website to book the tickets from the US, but no luck. Can you recommend a site? Or is it better to purchase the ticket at the airport on the day of the flight? (that makes me a little nervous; I'd prefer having it locked in ahead of time).

https://www.ryanair.com/us/en/trip/flights/select?adults=1&teens=0&children=0&infants=0&dateOut=2021-10-27&dateIn=&isConnectedFlight=false&isReturn=false&discount=0&promoCode=&originIata=CTA&destinationIata=FCO&tpAdults=1&tpTeens=0&tpChildren=0&tpInfants=0&tpStartDate=2021-10-27&tpEndDate=&tpDiscount=0&tpPromoCode=&tpOriginIata=CTA&tpDestinationIata=FCO

I was able to navigate to flight purchase at the above, starting here--- https://www.ryanair.com/us/en

I used the ITA site to book flights to Palermo with no problem a couple weeks ago. Their website says that it is “temporary”, but just above the red banner with that statement are boxes where you can search for flights. It’s a little wonky - try typing in the airport codes (CTA and FCO). I just tried this for your date and a bunch of flights and fares popped up.

Ryanair would be fine too. But be aware that it is a “budget” airline that will charge you lots of “fees.” Be sure to understand their rules about luggage and other fees. I understand that they are quite strict about their rules.

Ryanair would be fine too. But be aware that it is a “budget” airline that will charge you lots of “fees.

I have no need to defend Ryanair, like any airline, they have the people that love them, and the ones that hate them, and the management is fairly outspoken and often says things to stir things up.

However, to be fair, Yes, they are a Budget Airline, like most short haul carriers in Europe. As for fee's, there are no hidden ones. In my example above the ~$35 is what you will pay if you booked yesterday, no added fees. That is less for the checked bag and flight than what most "Non-Budget" airlines charge for a checked bag. The main point for Ryanair (and other budget airlines) is, know what you need for travel, and buy it at ticket purchase. Don't play games or hope to "get away with something", because likely you won't.

As I mentioned, flew them twice last month, Rome to Palermo and Catania to Naples, Purchase cost is what I paid, flight was on time, it was not luxury travel, but beat the heck out of the train or ferry to do the same trip.

Thanks Paul and others for GREAT information. Issue resolved! Got on the new national airline site today and booked our tickets!