Houston to Rome - cheapest way to fly Need advice

While it sometimes seems like there is a savings you really need to weigh it all. One problem with airline flights that are not on the same ticket is if you miss your flight to JFK, the other airline does not have to rebook you. Also, taking a cab from one airport to another in NY can be a pain as well as expensive. Plus the fact of the extra time you will be wasting and possible extra fees for baggage on Southwest. Only you can add it all up and see exactly how much you are saving vs. how much hassel you are adding, and possible extra problems with flight delays, etc. You could also look at flying out of Dallas as that might be an easier possibility than JFK. There are fare watchers, etc. that you can sign up for.

The first two bags fly free on Southwest.

For your Rome-Palermo roundtrip, you can try the alitalia.it site (it's in Italian, but they sometimes post lower fares than the alitalia.com site; I saved over $100 on a one-way ticket from Naples to Palermo last year).

Please read, re-read, and take heed of Terry kathryn's sage warnings. Unless you want to spend time in New York at either end of your trip, there are significant risks and costs to "saving money" by booking separate tickets (even to the same airport, and far more so to separate airports). If you know and accept these risks, fine; but you do need to realize that "there is no free lunch," and that you could end up with problems or hassles you don't want. Particularly if you're planning to change airports in New York on the same day as your international departure, you need to allow a LOT of time and/or money for this. As for the Rome to Palermo side trip, in addition to Zoe's trick of using Alitalia's Italian site for lower prices (details on exactly how to do this from Ron in Rome here), look at http://www.skyscanner.com or http://www.whichbudget.com/ or http://www.opodo.co.uk.. These will find the budget airline options as well as Alitalia.

Call a travel agent. When it comes to flights and cruises I've always found it easiest and cheapest,

I want to thank everyone who replied to my post. The advice for websites to buy tickets from Europe local was especially helpful in saving me monies on my fares from Rome to Palermo and return. I already see a savings there. I have decided not to try to do multiple trips on different tickets from Houston to Rome as the advice I read got me to thinking I don't need any problems or situations that two tickets and transfers in NYC
might cause. Thanks again everyone!

"The advice for websites to buy tickets from Europe local was especially helpful in saving me monies on my fares from Rome to Palermo and return. I already see a savings there." I'm glad we were of help. Just be careful. The rules for baggage limits and fees are different for flights within Europe vs. from the US to Europe (even on the same airline), and budget airlines often have lots of extra charges that don't show up on the initial website search, but will as you start to book your ticket. Furthermore, the airfares within Europe start out cheap (sometimes), but then go up. So, book as soon as you know your dates for sure, and do be sure to look into all the fees before making a final decision. It can be cheaper in the end to start with a "more expensive" airfare that has fewer extra charges. For an example of some of the possible extra charges, look at Fascinating Aida's musical warnings of the perils of Cheap Flights (not safe for work - contains profanity) "There must be extra charges when the flights are 50p" "I have decided not to try to do multiple trips on different tickets from Houston to Rome as the advice I read got me to thinking I don't need any problems or situations that two tickets and transfers in NYC
might cause." I think you made a wise decision.

For even less money than flying Alitalia, fly either easyJet or Blu-Express from Rome (FCO) to Palermo (PMO). Both are budget airlines so pay strict attention to baggage number, size, and wieght limits or you'll end up with some good-sized fees. Also be sure to observe their strict check-in deadlines. If you don't have a boarding pass in hand when the deadline arrives, your ticket will be worthless and you'll have to buy a full fare ticket on a later flight.

Splitting tickets and airports not a good idea. For Rome to Sicily there is also the super cheap Ryan air option. They fly from Rome Ciampino (CIA) to Trapani Birgi (TPS). Trapani is not that far from Palermo and in the area you can visit Erice, Favignana Island, Riserva delle Zingaro, Selinunte. Province ofvTrapani is also the biggest wine grape producer in Italy. Bet few people knew that.

Should I be concerned about booking 6 mos in advance and getting a boarding pass? If I have a RT ticket from Houston to Rome and a RT side ticket on Italia going from Rome to Palermo shouldn't I be able to get my boarding pass at the Airline Counter at the airport before the flight? Are there machines at FCO that will allow you to get a boarding pass in plenty of time before the flight? This does raise another question as to printing my own boarding pass if I have to. I know for example you cannot select your seat or get a boarding pass on Southwest Airlines for example unless your flight is within the 24 hour departure time and I usually print on my home printer before a flight on this airline. Is this really an issue for me?