flying from Miami to Sicily

someone had a similar issue in a previous thread: ITA multi-city
with an answer in the replies

But yeah, we found it difficult to find reasonable flight connections to Sicily either direction. As I recall, it made a difference shifting days in the search.

@BethFL - Have a look here:

ITA Airways - Multiple Stopovers Search

Ciao.

Thanks so much! It works!

I must say I do not understand why it has to be designed in such a cumbersome manner.

When we travelled to Sicily, we wanted to avoid a grueling multi-stop itinerary, and also wanted to avoid taking a very early flight coming home. We flew from Boston to Rome, stayed a couple of nights, and flew from Rome to Palermo. Going home, we went from Catania to Rome, stayed overnight, and traveled to Boston the next day. The Boston-Rome round trip was on one ticket, and the other flights were separate. This option so much cheaper than the multi-stop plan that it paid for the extra nights in Rome.

I had noticed in reading Sicily trip reports that a number of people went somewhere else first! But I must admit I didn’t put it together that it was difficult to fly to Sicily until I started researching flights.

I have priced tickets to Rome as well but total cost is only about $200 less than going directly to Sicily. We can get to Sicily on a two legged flight (which I realize is fortunate as I was researching for my daughter and all have three connections) so not worth the diversion to me.

One thing I always check when flying European airlines is their baggage rules -- especially for carry-on. It seems like the probability of checked luggage problems increases with multiple stops and plane changes.

So this is a link to ITA's baggage rules: https://www.ita-airways.com/en_us/fly-ita/baggage.html

"The hand baggage you bring on board with you may weigh no more than 8 kg and measure no more than 55 cm in height, 35 cm in width and 25 cm in depth including handles, side pockets and wheels."

8 kg = 17.6 lbs.

55 cm x 35 cm x 25 cm = 21.6 in x 13.7 in x 9.8 in.

European airlines are very strict and it could be a real hassle if your carry-on is too big or too heavy. Hence this warning from ITA:
"Before proceeding to the boarding gate, check the size and weight of your hand baggage with ITA Airways ground personnel or by placing it in one of the baggage measurers near the check-in desk. The hand baggage of passengers who fail to perform this check may not be accepted on board."

ITA SpA also lets you bring an accessory of your choice from the following:

•Handbag
•Work backpack
•Laptop computer

No sizes are specified except there is this note: "The groundcrew will provide an “Under the seat” label for all small luggage (no larger than 36 cm in height, 45 cm in width and 20 cm in depth) for all domestic and international ITA SpA flights for all destinations."

I'm guessing, accent on the guess part, that relates to the potential maximum size of the accessory, 14.2 in x 17.7 in x 7.8 in. Someone please correct me if that's wrong.

Be sure to go to the Checked Baggage section for details on luggage checking requirements and especially for what you're allowed "depending on the travel class and destination" which is detailed in a table.

I've never changed airlines due to their baggage rules, but I've definitely changed what I packed for the trip.

Thanks Lo for the detailed luggage information. The other airline I can easily use to Sicily is Swiss Air (if I fly in and out of Palermo rather than into Catania and out of Palermo) and it has similar restrictions.

We flew to Crete this past May on Swiss Air. We brought hiking poles so we checked our luggage and did not have any problems. But since I have heard so many stories of lost luggage which makes me nervous-including a colleague from the UK who I saw at a conference in Seattle in August whose luggage did not make the first plane. To make matters worse, it had never caught up with him, despite being in the US for a month! He had bought all new clothes!

In the past I have stuck to American carriers so that I could carry on without much difficulty. But that doesn't seem to be an option.

Limited carry-on bag rules (for both dimension and weight) are pretty much the norm now for many (most?) European airlines, so it's something we all need to get used to. Expect more of this in the future.

One potential strategy for hiking poles: if you can get by with a carry-on for everything else but need to check a bag for the poles, segregate things: bring everything you really gotta have in your carry-on, put the hiking poles and anything else you could live without in the checked bag. Triaging your possessions based on need, risks, and rules is a thing I've come to expect.