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The problem with Air France is you have to change planes in DeGualle (usually). And if you go through DeGualle your chances of missing your next connection, just because the airport layout is so inempt, is about 25% and your chances of losing your luggae is about 50%.
Avoid DeGualle airport at all hazards.
This is exactly what happened to my kid.
I've flown *to* CDG a million times, but never connected there.
And I think I will avoid having to ever do that.
I'd go with Lufthansa personally. They have better service that AA.
One of the deciding factors when considering airlines like British, is the luggage allowance. North American carriers and Lufthansa will allow you two bags. British only allows one, with very steep penalties for exceeding the limit. Very worthwhile checking into. They'll likely have better connections too. Frankfurt is their hub, and it's only about three hours to Leonardo daVinci. Do whatever you can to avoid Heathrow. It is a total nightmare for queues when clearing customs.
Don't forget to arrange transport to Civitavecchia as well. It is about 40 miles from Rome. Train service runs nicely, or when the x and I sailed, it's about a hundred euro cab ride.
Don't forget to arrange transport to Civitavecchia as well. It is about 40 miles from Rome. Train service runs nicely, or when the x and I sailed, it's about a hundred euro cab ride.
Good point. Yes, the train would be great. If you have the time, you can take the train to Civitavecchia directly from the airport for 15 euros.
Check Welcome to SeatGuru! Your Guide to Airplane Seats and In-flight Amenities and you will see that the seat pitch and width on major Airlines to Europe are not that different. I doubt that one Airline or another is really all that different. I just choose the one with lowest cost or the shortest connections/flight.
My wife and I are sitting here looking at airlines for our flight to Italy in August. We're going on a 12 night cruise out of Rome and plan to spend a week in Venice after our Island-hopping adventure. We've both flown Lufthansa in the past (her more recently) and I've flown Swiss Air. Lufthansa has the cheapest fares but she says that the seats are small, even on the new planes, and she'd rather fly Air France or American - only problem is those are the two most expensive for coach. I want to go cheap, she wants to go comfortable.
We need a mediator. Is anyone a regular traveler between the states and Europe? What was your favorite airline for the cost?
Thanks a lot, Merry Christmas!
I'd go with just about any foreign airline over an American one. Eeeh, somebody mentioned Air France ... good memories... long gone. Still fondly remember my one and only transatlantic flight with them in the good ol' days - good food, all the top-shelf liquor you want, and smoking in peace... I know, I know it's not popular, but couldn't resist sharing it. It felt like a party plane going to Vegas, not like the root-canal experience we're having now.
A few years ago British had messed up my flight (well, not entirely their fault - because of weather their pilots got stranded in a neighboring country and exceeded their allowed hours... blah, blah) and paid handsomely for their mistake. Got to fly the Europe-US leg in business class - sweet! It's nice to be able to stretch. And I'm not tall by any means. Don't know how tall people make it at all!
The only airline I will not use is Lufthansa, the worst I have ever experienced. The seats were so crammed it was awful. I spent over 9 hours virtually in tears because my knees hurt so badly, the service was appalling beyond belief ( think Soviet era Aeroflot except without the charm !! ) , the food was so bad we didn't even eat it ( and I am not a picky eater in any way).
I can't remember anything so bad ever. We also had to connect in Frankfurt, a monster of an airport and on the way back had to wait 9 hours for our connection...
Otherwise like Cil I always choose price over comfort ( Lufthansa defeated my parsimonious tendencies though). I think on the whole Air France and Alitalia are pretty good.
The best airlines IMO are the most expensive such as United Emirates, Kuwait Airlines.Katar ,Malaysia and Thai Airlines ( which was fantastic).
For cheap and perfectly decent flights from Canada and some cities in the US I would recommend Zoom (Zoom Airlines – Low Fare Leader Across the Atlantic).
We have used them a few times, decent seat pitch, comfortable seats and excellent service.
Possibly not great for a trip to Italy from the US though !
Just also a reminder about code sharing - when you book your reservation on Air France, it may actually be Delta. When you book on KLM, it may actually be Continental, and so forth.
Also - about comfort on places - it varies based on type of aircraft even within the same airline, and also sometimes on weater an aircraft has been refitting or not for those going through changes, which is actually quite common. You need to do research accordingly and discount anectodes. Sometimes it's just the luck of the draw.
I'd go with Lufthansa personally. They have better service that AA.
One of the deciding factors when considering airlines like British, is the luggage allowance. North American carriers and Lufthansa will allow you two bags. British only allows one, with very steep penalties for exceeding the limit. Very worthwhile checking into. They'll likely have better connections too. Frankfurt is their hub, and it's only about three hours to Leonardo daVinci. Do whatever you can to avoid Heathrow. It is a total nightmare for queues when clearing customs.
Don't forget to arrange transport to Civitavecchia as well. It is about 40 miles from Rome. Train service runs nicely, or when the x and I sailed, it's about a hundred euro cab ride.
Hey Mikey:
I use British all the time. My family moved from California to Italy and we always get two 32Kg bags each person. Believe me, we hauled over bicycles and desktop computers. Perhaps the one bag limit was on domestic flights?
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It felt like a party plane going to Vegas, not like the root-canal experience we're having now. 
