Packing for Carry on Delta-Alitalia flight

Hm, our first flight is a delta flight, our second flight appears to be an alitalia (flight 609)...so I'm guessing we'll be subject to alitalia's carry on regs. on our way to rome from jfk. about the carry on being limited to one on alitalia, that puts a serious wrench in the works...I could have sworn that numerous people have said one carry on (21x14x9) 11lb limit PLUS one personal item (purse, briefcase)...oh man, if I can only take 1 item total I am SCREWED.

:(

actually, now I have myself wondering, my itinerary has the flight to Rome listed as one flight, while the flight home is listed as two seperate:

Sat, May 15, 2010
Departs 1:15pm, Arrives 7:20am
Delta Air Lines 6334
Alitalia 609
Norfolk, VA to Rome, Italy
Add to calendar

Sun, May 30, 2010
Departs 9:50am, Arrives 1:15pm
Alitalia 608
Rome, Italy to New York, NY
Add to calendar

Sun, May 30, 2010
Departs 3:25pm, Arrives 5:10pm
Delta Air Lines 6406
New York, NY to Norfolk, VA
Add to calendar

anybody have any idea if that means the flight TO Rome is a Delta codeshare?

I guess I am just beating a dead horse here but I can foresee panic attacks in regards to lost luggage and I don't want that experience on my first trip to Europe. Wish I had looked into Alitalia info first as the only way to change my flight through Orbitz is to pay out the @ss or lose all my money completely by cancelling.

This is one of the toughest questions to give an answer to because while there is a technically right answer, that doesn't mean it will actually happen that way.

Is the Alitalia flight a Delta codeshare meaning is it ticketed as a Delta flight or an Alitalia flight (not who is actually operating the flight, but the flight number). If it's a Delta flight number, then technically, you SHOULD be allowed to follow Delta's rules.

However, once you get to the gate, it's up to the gate agent.

And if you read the Alitalia baggage page closely, it says you can carry on "one" item..not one item and "another." (Delta allows two.)

As far as trying to make the 11 lbs....good luck. If you do, you can probably teach us a thing or two.

I checked and the Alitalia flight is not a codeshare.

But more importantly, your flight is next May and you're worrying about it now?

In the next 10 months, chances are: the flight times will change, the flight numbers will change, the type of plane might change, the carry-on restrictions might change, and more and more.

My suggestion is to stop worrying about how you're going to pack 9 1/2 months from now. If you keep worrying about this from now until then, you'll make yourself sick.

In the future, there is no need to buy air tickets 10 months ahead of time--especially for non-summer, non-holiday travel.

But, that's what learning's all about.

Let me also add that if you are already worried about getting panic attacks because of luggage, you need to prepare yourself better for travel. Things happen. You have to learn how to roll with them. Every traveler will tell you that there is always some hiccup during their trip.

If you haven't already done so, I'd suggest you read either "Europe Through the Back Door" or Rick's Italy book. It will help to get you better prepared and more confident.

I have never been out of the country (for the exception of a honeymoon to Europe) and I am big on planning ahead---I get nervous waiting to buy plane tickets last minute and have gotten some really good deals within the U.S. (California, Oregon, Texas) by buying tickets months in advance...if it is different for overseas or better to wait, obviously I had no idea as the other way had been working for me. I know it is many months from now, but again, I like to plan. Just trying to find some details, but you are correct in that I suppose there is no need to worry this far in advance as things will always change...i guess that reading alitalia reviews just had me a bit freaked out....

I meant honeymoon to Jamaica...I have Europe on the brain! lol...thanks again for the advice, I'll have to look into that book

Another great resource is this website...not just the Traveler's Helpline. Check out the Graffiti Wall, Travel Tips, Best Destinations.

There are now lots of Rick's videos on You Tube.

Everything will be fine. Preparation and planning are good. Worrying is not. Lots of people fly Alitalia every day and their bags get delivered just fine. You read about the bad things because how many people are gong to post: "I flew Alitalia and my bags arrived with me?" We only hear about the "bad" stuff.

There is another option although this may be hard to pull off in Italy in May....Scottevest

Their new foldable windreaker has lots of internal pockets and is very lightweight. Stuff the pockets as much as possible to bring the bag weight down.

And check Alitalia's website to see what their policies are for lost luggage. Ours got lost on a trip to Berlin (we were flying Lufthansa but another airline had our luggage, long story), and when it didn't arrive (or they didn't know it arrived, I have a feeling that Air France had it there the whole time) for a couple of days, the agent at the airport told us to go shopping. Now, to let you know, we did go back to the airport to talk to someone directly because we were getting different answers on the phone.

For Lufthansa, and this may be a standard for other airlines, they pay half for pretty much everything except for underwear, which they pay 100%. It was a bit of a pain and took half a day of our vacation to buy all our stuff, including a suitcase to put it all in, but in the end, we spent close to $1000 and got back a little more than $600. We just had to turn in our receipts when we got back to Atlanta. And our luggage was waiting for us there. :)

Thanks for all the advice, everyone is so nice on here! I am just gonna let any worry go and let it be what it is, plan the best I can in the meantime---nothing is really predictable anyway even with any airline, and I think I should look at that as the fun aspect of the vacation, I know it will be amazing no matter what--hiccups or not because thats part of the experience I suppose :)

Lindsey,

It's unfortunate that you've already bought your tickets, as that limits the choices to some extent.

The carry-on limits established by Alitalia would seem to encourage passengers to check luggage (not an attractive option, given their reputation). Most airlines in this part of the world seem to allow two carry-on items at 10kg/22 lbs. each, but Alitalia seems to be sticking to the European limits, even when operating here. I've never had my carry-on bag weighed (I've had some "raised eyebrows" on a few occasions), however one has to be prepared for that.

A few options you might consider.....

1.) CARRY-ON ONLY: Stay with your original plan to go with one bag only. The challenging part will be keeping it under 5 kg / 11 lbs. If your bag "looks" small & light, they might just wave you through (no guarantees of course). If they do choose to weigh the bag, you might be able to stay under the limits by wearing some of the clothing or keeping some items in pockets? When you're on the plane, reload the items in your Pack.

In addition to the Packs you mentioned, you might also check carry-on sized luggage from Red Oxx or Tom Bihn. However, even using carry-on sized luggage, the key is not to overpack so that you don't exceed either the size or the weight limits!

2.) CHECK LUGGAGE: If you find you have to check luggage, be sure the bag can be locked (TSA-approved type). That might discourage opportunistic theft.

You'll also have to be prepared for the "lost luggage" scenario. I always carry a small "survival pack" in my carry-on with toothbrush & toiletries (3-1-1 bag), underwear & socks (both Tilley for easy washing in a sink) and a few clothing items. With that I can manage fairly well for a week or more if necessary.

Planning a trip is part of the enjoyment, but travel is always a learning experience.

Cheers!

Lindsey,

One more point.

Since the weight of your Pack will be a factor in keeping under the limits set by Alitalia, here's some data on the Bags I mentioned in my last post as well as the RS Classic Back Door Bag:

• RS Classic Bag: 2 lbs.

• Tom Bihn TriStar: 3.4 lbs.

• Red Oxx Air Boss: 3.9 lbs.

You could also check other Bags from each manufacturer, as the weights will vary. For example, couldn't find a weight on the RS Veloce Pack but probably ~2 lbs., the Tom Bihn Western Flyer is 2.53 lbs. and the Red Oxx Gator Carry-On Bag 2.35 lbs.

Good luck with your planning!

Hi Lindsey, I'm flying on Alitalia to Greece on Monday (for a 2 week trip) and I also am scared of checking a bag because I don't want it lost.

So, I decided to use a backpack which weighs 2 lbs and I'm filling it as much as I can! I actually filled it up earlier as a trial run and it weighs 12 lbs. I'm bringing as much clothes as I can and I figure that I'll just do laundry when I need to. I'm going to wear my heaviest clothing items too (shoes, sweatshirt, etc).

I don't think I'll be able to get it any lighter than 12 lbs, but I figure 1 lb over shouldn't be a huge deal and I'll beg with them if necessary. Good luck planning!