Researching flights from U.S. to Palermo but having trouble getting into Palermo in time for Rick Steves program start at 3 p.m. Can be fairly flexible as to departure city (eastern 1/2 of U.S.) and assume I'll have to make a connection or two, but which are flexible airlines for flying into Palermo without a lot of blackout days?
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How about arriving the day prior? For any planned tour we arrive at least one day prior. Gives us a chance to start adjusting to the time difference so we enjoy the tour itself more and gives some leeway in case travel is delayed. Last summer we flew into Dublin a day early and because it was a Thursday vs Friday the airfare was cheaper and pretty much covered the hotel cost for that night.
I would also suggest arriving the day prior, I usually hate everybody and everything when I arrive in country that first day....not what I would like to add to rushing to get to the tour start and meeting all my new tour mates.
We had the same problem from the west coast of the US and so we decided to pick the most direct flight to the continent. That happened to be Barcelona. So we stayed there for a week and then flew direct to Palermo.
Planning to arrive the day the tour begins is a really bad idea
Short of a "netjet" type of membership I suspect there is no way to do it
I agree with everyone else that arriving from the US on the same day the tour begins is not a good idea at all, for several different reasons.
I do remember that a few years ago I flew on United/Lufthansa, red- eye from JFK to Munich, with a good connection to a 2-hour flight from Munich to Palermo, on Dolomiti, a regional affiliate of Lufthansa. Arrived Palermo around 11:00 am.
Even coming from New York, with all its flight options to Europe, it can be hard to make a 3 PM arrival into Palermo (the airport is about 35 to 45 minutes from the city center, for one thing). But in addition, if there's one thing EVERYONE who has taken a tour (RS or anyone else) emphasizes, it's that you should plan to arrive at least one day before the tour start.
You could fly into another European city the day before, then take a flight to Palermo that morning. If you're going to do that, Rome is the best choice, simply because it has multiple flights on multiple airlines each day to Palermo, so you'll have the most options if something happens. If you, instead, use a city with 1 or 2 flights a day to Palermo, and the morning flight is canceled, you'll miss the start of your tour.
You need to get there a day early. The earliest a flight from the NE USA gets to Europe is probably around 7 or 8am. Add a couple of hours for even a short layover, then the flight to PMO (which could be from 1hr to 3hrs depending on where the European layover is) and even getting to PMO by 1pm is a challenge. Then the PMO airport isn’t even close to the city, so checking into the hotel, getting ready and being at the tour by 3pm is in my opinion very implausible. And I didn’t even mention the tiredness from the long flight and jet-lag.
I have done the trip 3 times where I flew from JFK or PHL to Rome, then onto Palermo the same day. I did arrive in Palermo by about 3 PM each time, however, the best word to describe me would be exhausted. I was in the mood only for sleep at that point.
On my last trip I wised up and did not schedule a 2nd flight on the same day. It was a much more relaxing trip.
Lufthansa (United partner) also flies there through Munich, if you want to avoid Rome.
You could fly direct to Rome (or any other city with flights to Palermo), then connect to Palermo the next day. There are lots of flight Rome to Palermo starting early in the morning.
Or just go to Palermo a day ahead.
I just checked the route I took - Toronto to Palermo via Rome. That gets you in around 3PM. I’d bet there would be similar flights from NY. That’s the shortest I found. So getting there the day of on a flight from the US for a 330 start might just not be possible. I’d just go to Palermo the day before on a 1 connection flight.
I strongly agree that expecting to get in same day and jump on the tour is not the way to go. I just finished this tour and some of our group were delayed because of flight cancellations. Plus the jetlag factor.
Also, you might pay attention to the sites the tour does not cover. They tell what they are in the tour info you receive. Plan your time accordingly and also pay attention to days and times that sites are open/closed.
One day early is ok, I would do two in a heartbeat again, and stay an extra day in Catania too to get the most out of your short time there. The tour is to be not missed. Have fun.
Don't try to get there the same day as you never know what hassles may come up once you land. A couple of years ago, I landed in Palermo, got my bag, and got in line for the bus-just as another couple did who were trying to get to the tour at 3-but, whoops! Bus filled, door closed, and they had to wait (with me and others) of the next bus, which meant that they missed the tour that started of Palermo on the RS tour.
Arrive somewhere the day before and fly in in the morning so you won't regret what you miss and also put the others who did plan wondering who is missing and when they will join the tour-plus your guide doesn't need the hassle of wondering when you will arrive.
When I took the Sicily and Southern Italy tour that started in Palermo, several people missed the first evening and part of the second day because of a strike at FCO. It's one more reason to plan to arrive the day before the tour begins. Also, there are several great sights in Palermo not covered by the tour that you can visit either that prior day or the morning of the first day of the tour.
