We are planning a 2 week family vacation to Italy next summer(end of June/early July) with our 2 teens and live in the Tampa Bay area. I am trying to figure out the best flight options from either, Tampa, Orlando or Miami and fly into Milan, Venice or Rome. We will not fly out of our arrival airport so we can save time on travel. Looking for some suggestions of what seems to be great routes, flight times and prices. Thanks for the help!
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7229 posts
Welcome to the forum!
Go to Google flights and try all the combinations
You can set flight alerts for routes that work for you, get notified of price change
Book with the actual airline
Use Multi-city Option- not 2 one way tickets
It is easier to fly IN to Venice than out of
In to Venice, out of Rome
Or
In to Milan, out of Rome
is usually a good choice , easy to set up itinerary
Often RT Rome is the least expensive and that can work just fine if necessary
Posted by
Atlanta
5236 posts
Consider flying into Venice if the price is anywhere near comparable to the other cities. Venice is easier to fly into than out of. And it's a great place to get over jet lag and acclimate to being in a totally different world. If you can not get a direct flight, try to have the connection in Europe rather than the U.S. If the connection is missed, you will have more options if you are already in Europe.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8337 posts
Flying into Italy from Florida is not well served with non-stop flights.
ITA Airways flies Miami to Rome FCO.
Delta flies from Miami to Milan Malpensa on a seasonal basis which I assume is in the Summer.
Delta flies from Orlando to Amsterdam where you could make a connection. They're beginning to fly Orlando to London Heathrow 10/26/24.
Norse Atlantic flies from Orlando into London Gatwick where you could make a connection.
Virgin Atlantic flies from Orlando to London Heathrow where you could make a connection.
That's all there is into and out of Florida. I prefer to avoid the big gateway airports in the Northeast and stick to flying out of the Southeast.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thanks for the suggestions!
Posted by
Florida, USA
250 posts
We have taken flights on Lufthansa (Discovery Air) out of Tampa with a layover in Frankfurt.
Posted by
Tampa, FL
634 posts
There are other airlines to consider in addition to the ones suggested previously. I live in Tampa and have traveled to both Milan and Rome (separate trips) on American Airlines. Both had one stop.
Tampa to Miami to Milan
Tampa to Charlotte to Rome
You can also get from Tampa to Italy on United as well with one stop.
I agree with using Google Flights to check on flights from all the Florida cities you mentioned.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thank you!
I've been reading comments on an 'Italy' fb page and people were warning about stops in Europe before Italy, either not having enough time due to having to go through security/customs on that end and some said it was fine..others just said have the stop to be stateside so that you don't have to worry about that.
Thoughts?
Posted by
Los Angeles
1202 posts
Since you have the option to depart from Miami, I would suggest the ITA non-stop to Rome - friends took this flight and we met up at FCO at about the same time - I was on the ITA non-stop from Los Angeles.
ITA offers connecting flights from Rome to either Venice or Milano, so you could book your multi-city itinerary. But it's a bit of a trek from Tampa to Miami.
If the Delta non-stop mentioned above is operating from Miami to Milano, you may be able to book the Delta and ITA flights on one ticket, as ITA is a Skyteam member, although perhaps not a fully integrated one.
In regard to what you saw on FB - connection times should always be considered when booking a flight - most people feel more comfortable with a two hour layover as a minimum, although others will tell you that they've made one hour connections. There seems to be a general consensus here on the forum that it's better to make your connection in Europe rather than in the States
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
1381 posts
Checking google flights is a great suggestion for seeing your options. Also, if you have a plane change, the worst airports we have experienced for that are Heathrow and Frankfurt. I have read that CDG is bad also, but haven't personally had to do so.
Posted by
San Diego, California
5649 posts
I have never had a problem at Heathrow, but I also have never had checked luggge. I believe checked luggage transfers can be an issue.
Have a great trip!
Posted by
Florida, USA
250 posts
TPA airlines (Portugal official airlines) flies out of Miami with a layover in Lisbon. TPA will allow a layover of up to six days without extra charges. Nice way to add Portugal to your adventure.
We have traveled with a 3-hour layover in Frankfurt. Never had a problem.
Posted by
Atlanta
5236 posts
If you have a connection in the U.S., and something causes you to miss the connection, then you might not have many (if any) viable alternatives. On the other hand if your connection is in Europe, and is missed, you have many more alternatives for other flights, trains, or even busses.
Posted by
Florida, USA
250 posts
Edit for my post: TAP is the Portugal airlines.