Air travel to Rome

Just got back from a trip to France and flew US Airways because the price was very good. After booking the flight, I too read all the negative comments on the web (i.e., voted worse airline, etc.), however, our flight/crew was just fine and on-time. I had no complaints and all went well.

My concern with U.S. Airways would be the connection in Philadelphia. A fair number of arriving flights have a poor on-time record. If you schedule a tight connection, there is the potential that you or your luggage might might be delayed getting to Rome. As long as you are adaptable, you should be okay. Because of past experiences, I am in the category of "never fly U.S. Airways again", but I understand how tempting those low prices can be.

First, you need to define what is "really that bad" for yourself. Standards vary -- for some people a good take off and landing is all that is necessary. I am one of those who have vowed near to fly US Air again or connect thru Phi for any reason. One of the reasons that their flights are cheaper is that is the only way to attract customers. I am sure there are people who have had decent flights on US Air provided that their standards are not too high. But if price is your over riding consideration, go with them just be sure to bring you need with you including water.

Last December I got a great deal on a US Airways flight from Denver to London Heathrow (via Philly as well)..

I never knew much about US Airways before I booked that trip, but then people started telling me their horror stories, which prompted me to look up reviews..

I am pleased to say that everywthing went smooth as can be. All flights were on time. connections were fine.

I checked 2 bags both ways and with 4 total flights, nothing was misplaced or lost. The hostesses were polite and helpful on the flights, the food was adequate and I was very satisfied.

Philly airport is huge though, so making the connection after customs seemed tight, but I still made it with 40 minutes to spare. That isnt even a US Airways itssue, it was a customs issue. I think alot of flights came in at once. So as long as you have at least 2 hours for a connection, you should be fine.

I also checked ahead of time to make sure that since all my flights were US Air, that if I miss a connection if their flight gets me in late, I would be able to get on their next flight out and I was assured that would be the case (who knows but I was as nervous as you after hearing stories so I wanted to cover my bases!)..

My son and i flew US Airways to the UK and back last month. i had no experience with them and i didn't check the feedback first. be aware that if you have to make ANY changes to your cheap international flight itinerary that they charge you a $250 fee. Also, if the fares are cheaper when you rebook you don't get the difference back as a refund or credit--they keep it. that's my main beef with them following this trip. i rescheduled my trip to add a few more days and found a cheaper fare in the process. i didn't get the difference AND paid the extra $250. When my son had passport problems the day before flying out and i had to change his flight to the following day, i had the pay the current rate & the $250.

Coming home our flight from heathrow to philly was an hour late which left us just 30 minutes to make our connections to the west coast (separate flights on US Airways but leaving at the same time). i think we set a record for deplaning, going through immigration, customs, security, and then hiking from terminal A to terminal C. we did it in 15 minutes (thank god for carry-on). i count this as a miracle so don't expect to repeat this. there was no line for any of these checkpoints and we moved as fast as our bodies would allow otherwise we'd have missed our flights.

no real complaints while in the air, just making changes with non-refundable fares and the on-time issue in philly. my cheap flights cost me an additional $1,350 plus the $500 i lost in the fare differential. something to keep in mind when doing price comparisons.

I've flown US Airways between Philadelphia and Rome more times than I can count, and the worst I can say is that some of the meals are nothing to write home about. I don't have to worry about connections, but would suggest you take the advice of others and book some cushion into your Cincinnati to Philadelphia leg. Flights from Rome tend to arrive close to schedule, but you'll need to allow time for baggage claim, customs and walk to gate in Philadelphia.

Thank you all very much for your insight

We take the Philly to Rome flight on US Air every year. Go in with low expectations and eight hours later walk off the plane in Italy!

Again. Thanks to you all for putting my mind at rest. I will buy food at the airport and water and then we should be fine. Thanks again everyone