I generally view flying as a necessary evil and feel lucky if I arrive relatively on time and my bags arrive with me. So I was pretty much in shock over how well my flights on 3 different airlines went on my recent trip to Italy.

I flew AA on FF miles to Heathrow and with the aide of some Ambien(and eating before boarding so I wouldn't be disturbed by meal service)I was able to sleep for at least 3 hours. A sleep mask, an aisle seat and earplugs to drown out a crying baby helped too. I think AA has pretty good leg room (for economy) and we arrived on time without waiting very long for our bags.

The next leg of our travel took us to Stansfed airport by a comfortable and timely bus, easily found at Heathrow. Despite our very long wait there for our scheduled flight on Ryanair, airport employees were kind and helpful and offered us a coupon for free beverages as a way of compensating us for not being able to check our bags before the alloted 2 hours before take off time.

We both thought that our bags would not make the strict Ryanair weight limit (and knew that going in) but somehow only my friend's bag was over. She did have to pay a 45 pound surcharge (way more than the ticket cost) but the staff really tried to give her other options and were very nice about it. The interesting thing to me abour Ryanair is that no one seems to give a fig about your carry on luggage. It's not weighed, and mine actually didn't fit into the "trial" cage it was supposed to because of it's wheels but no-one questioned me about it and it fit into the overhead compartment just fine.
Once on board I thought the staff were very pleasant-it seemed like an almost "party" atmosphere on board as many passengers were on vacation. We even arrived ahead of schedule with our heavy bags arriving in a timely fashion.

We flew AirOne from Brindisi to Rome and now had wine, ceramics and olive oil in our luggage. I didn't recall anything on their website about weight limits but we were prepared once again to have to pay a surcharge. This time both our bags were overweight and the check-in woman was SO upset for us. If we had been connecting on the same day to our transatlantic flight, weight would not have been an issue. Since we were spending the night in Rome it was. She tried to make the case for us with her supervisor and when that didn't work, she lumped our weight together and downsized it a bit I think. It was well worth the 18 Euros each to bring home our goodies. Again we arrived pretty much on time and received our bags relatively quickly. AND the nice gentleman from Romashuttle was waiting for us to whisk us into the centro.

We flew home from Rome on the 10 am flight to JFK on AA. It was the easiest check-in I have ever had at FCO. Very fast. Not sure if it was because it was a Friday or early in the morning but it was a breeze. But the best part of this flight was that the 2 seats next to me were empty and I got to lay down for as much of the flight as I wanted!! My traveling mate also had an empty seat beside her (we had booked aisle seats across from each other). Because the flight was not full, the flight attendants were not as hassled and were quite nice. Perhaps there is something to flying on a Friday morning. I will say that I much prefer the flight home from London rather than Rome though that exra 3 hours is a killer! Don't know how those on the West Coast do it!

Again we arrived on time, baggage came through quickly and the infamous NY customs was a breeze!! OK so we had to wait 2 hours for our flight to Boston but I talked my way into the Admiral Club lounge on my husband's card.

So, long story short sometimes miracles do happen in air travel. Not sure why I deserved it this trip but I'll take it!

Colleen, it's reassuring to finally hear a positive airline experience. We are leaving the end of the month and flying AA from LAX to Milan via Heathrow and later in the trip Air One from Genoa to Naples. We will also more than likely be over weight on the Air One flight but their surcharge is relatively reasonable. Also, glad to hear that your luggage arrived with you at Heathrow. I hope our trip goes as smoothly.

Carole

Colleen ~

Glad you had such positive experiences - what a difference that makes. My girlfriend and I will be leaving for Croatia via London next month, and we'll be flying Wizzair from Luton, London. Hoping for a seamless luggage transfer like yours!

Colleen, that's great, I'm glad you had such a positive experience.

If you don't mind my asking, did you use a travel agent to book your airline tickets? Or did you do it yourself?

I'm struggling a bit with my September trip, because right now ticket prices are so high with the major carriers, such as Air Canada, that I'm thinking of trying to put something together with a mix of low-cost and major carriers.

For example, it's half the price to fly either Air Canada or Lufthansa to Milan, as it is to fly to Rome (from Toronto.) Yet because I'm heading to Umbria, Milan is really out of the way, Rome would be far more convenient. But if I got to Milan, then had a separate regional flight to Perugia on Air One, for example, it could save me time and money.

Cheers,
Sandra

I too hope your connections and baggage goes well Terry and Carole.
Sandra, I used an AA agent to book the Boston to London, Rome to JFK-Boston for that FFmile part of my trip. I booked AirOne and Ryanair on line and it was very easy. AirOne even notified me of a slight time change by email well in advance of my flight. I wouldn't hesitate to book that wat as long as you have a good amount of time to make the connection as your own your own if you miss the flight.

Thanks, Colleen -- I've become such a control freak that I'm beginning to really like the idea of booking my own flights. And you make an excellent point, about making sure to leave plenty of time between connections. There are few things worse than being stuck on plane that's left late, knowing that you're not going to make a connection. And with separate tickets, I imagine it becomes doubly important.

I'm playing around with the ITA software and it comes up with some interesting combinations and helpful little comments, pointing out overnight flights, tight connections, change of airports or terminals -- that kind of thing. Perfect for a control freak!

Cheers,
Sandra

It's great that you had such a pleasant experience! Maybe it's because my timing is off, but 1/3 of the time, I have a frustrating experience with airlines. I once had to wait six hours for luggage.

I have occasionally booked tickets on consecutive flight with Ryanair when it was unsure if I would make the first flight - at a few pounds per ticket peace of mind is cheap.

Colleen, it sounds like the travel gods were smiling on your trip from beginning to end! So glad it all went so well. And it is great to have that extra space on the long flights, if you are lucky enough to end up next to an empty seat.

We always try to book the aisle seats across from each other too, which often leaves the middle seat vacant if the flight isn't full. I also try to log in to the airline web site the night before and check the seat assignments to see if any better seats are available at the last minute.

- Roz

quote:

I also try to log in to the airline web site the night before and check the seat assignments to see if any better seats are available at the last minute

Roz, what a good idea - I would have never thought of that. But I will try it with our upcoming trip this June - who knows?

quote:

I also try to log in to the airline web site the night before and check the seat assignments to see if any better seats are available at the last minute.

My mother does this exactly 24-hours before departure (seriously, she sets an alarm to remind herself). It's how she and Dad get the aisle, exit row seats across from each other.

Flying with British Air from Vancouver was a breeze! We lucked out with bulkhead seats too. The bonus of only taking a small carry on suitcase means you never have to worry about losing your luggage or waiting for them at the carousel. A little challenging to fit everything inside but we have always done it this way.

Sandy

quote:

Again we arrived on time, baggage came through quickly and the infamous NY customs was a breeze!!

You do indeed lead a charmed life!

Hi Colleen
As I think has been suggested you live a charmed life!
Just as a note of caution re: Ryanair carry on you were lucky, they can be awkward when they choose too. An example from one of our guests last year who chose to centralise all their luggage in one big case. So in total (for 3 people) way below limit but with the 15Kg limit for any bag they got really stung! (I think it would have been far cheaper to buy a couple of cases at the airport).
Also carry on regulations, we fly a lot with them and I'd say 80% of time they weigh/check carry ons and you can also get caught with this at "security".
I am a positive advocate for low cost airlines but you do need to follow their rules (as I think you suggest even paying some excess your overall flight cost with Ryanair was pretty low).
Just as an aside Ryanair often arrive "early" they quote the greatest punctionality for all European operators. Sometimes I wonder if they quote longer times to always be on time (cynical me?).
Some further ST guidelines here about Guide european low cost flights

Anyhow well done and sounds like a good trip.
Kind regards

Well I guess I was lucky! I will duly note that I cannot be so casual with my carry on luggage on Ryanair. It may be time to get a slimmer bag that will pass the cage requirements for future trips.
Believe me, I have had my share of horror stories on past flights. But I'm an optimist when it comes to travel and thought I would share a good experience for a change. A little ray of sunshine in the travel world.

Colleen,

It's the good karma coming back to you after our 2 hour delay in Charlotte and for you having to push my fat a$$ around the Savannah and Charlotte airports in a wheelchair!


Ciao, meow

Pokey

Mindy, I can't think of anyone else I'd rather spend a 2 hour airport delay with. OK maybe George Clooney but I bet he wouldn't make me laugh as much!

We flew Air Canada for the first time from Seattle to Toronto then Paris. It was on a Boeing 767 and had no tv screens on the back of the seat which was a bummer as where were were seated the movie screen was like a football field away. We also had to pay $50 for our one checked bag that was too heavy. That was annoying as I could have ligtened it up by putting more in our carry on that I decided to check anyway. Live and learn.

The leg room wasn't bad we actually had pretty good seats as we were the last in the row and had no one behind us which is nice.

The flight attendants were nice and I have to say the food wasn't bad either. I was actually very surprised that the drinks were free. I mean the alcholic ones, I thought those days were gone. My husband had two bloody marys and there was no charge.

On the way back were were on a Airbus 330, too tiny! Again no entertainment screens and no leg room, very uncomfortable. The only bonus was they came around with ice cream a couple of hours after dinner!! Never in all my years of flying has anyone done that and it made everyone so happy!! Also we had more things in our checked luggage due to some shopping and there was no charge for being too heavy..

Overall not bad but my husband is completely done with connecting flights. Its going to be non-stop from now on, which is what we usually do but this did save us some money but not really. We had a 5 hour layover in Toronto and another 5 hours in Vancouver. When you count on eating and having drinks while waiting that savings just flew out the window.

It is always nice to hear positive stories. I'm glad you are home safe and sound~ now I can call up those travel gods for ME.

Now I plan to check the seating chart just before flight time. Maybe I can avoid that dreaded yacker, or the awful hacker... I'd love to sit by myself and be a slacker.

I'm not worried about being over weight on the way over. The trip home will be another story. OH~ my luggage may tip the scales too.