It just became apparent that my new job will allow time off in Sept. for a vacation. Hubby and I want to go to Italy, but I've checked and round trips from Seattle to Rome/Florence etc. all range from about $1300-$1600 for midweek flights. Is this about what others on this board are finding? I realize we are booking rather late, but circumstances dictated it... Would it make more sense to try to fly to London and then do an Easy Jet or Ryan air to Italy? I'd love to hear from those with recent experience with planning this... Basically, we just want to see Cinque Terre and Florence, or we could see Venice in place of Florence. Would be willing to fly in and out of just about anywhere. thanks in advance!
Posted by
Bellevue, WA, USA
359 posts
I've found some for cheaper searching with http://www.kayak.com , using Sep 4 - 13th, but you're probably looking at a couple of connecting flights. Iberia Airlines had the cheapest with 2 connecting. NWA/KLM had some just over $1200, but the layover in Amsterdam was pretty long.
Those were in and out of Rome. Expect to pay a little bit more if you fly into one destination and out another.
Posted by
Portland, OR, USA
389 posts
Kyle, Portland isn't as big a hub as Seattle, but I've flown to Europe 6 times and found NW to be the cheapest from here every time so I tried their direct site. Found $1165 leaving 9/11 returning 9/27. The days really make the difference but NW's site lets you search days around departure. The price ranged from that to $1307. $1165 is about $100 more than we are paying in July to fly to London, so sounds good to me. It's the same price I got to Rome in 1999.
Posted by
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2779 posts
Have you tried LTU.com for flights from Vancouver to Zurich? AirTransAt.com serves Vancouver to Munich, from where it's also just a short ride to Italy. Both carriers are known for their low fares.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17417 posts
Fares for summer/September travel to Europe from Seattle have been in that range for many months. Try flying into Milan---it is often less than Rome, and is closer to Cinque Terre anyway. Also, try the British Airways website---it will show fares for each day of the week for a month---they can vary dramatically. Also sign up for notification of specials---British seems to offer them every few weeks.
Posted by
San Jose, CA, USA
424 posts
Kyle, I stumbled on a website that helped me book my return trip to italy. This may help you in your search.
It searches all airline websites and also Hotwire, travelocity, etc. You can fine tune your search parameters.
Good luck.
Posted by
OP
Seattle, WA, USA
5 posts
Hey, thanks you guys. I will check out some of those links. I noticed, too, that prices change dramatically from one day or hour to the next! Today, for instance, I see you can get a RT from Seattle to Rome for $960 on American. Sheesh!
I will keep trying, and use your tips. Thanks again!
Posted by
Sunnyside, Washington, USA
1 posts
Fly on any airline from Seattle to London and then fly EasyJet from London to Venice or Florence.
Posted by
Bend, OR
576 posts
Have you tried Priceline? I've have always gotten MUCH lower fares than are ever advertised on any of the other sites. No airlines wants everyone to know how low they'll really go. I just keep trying and trying, day after day, until I get a really low bid accepted. I find the lowest price, then start with a little more than half that rate and slowly work up from there.