Me262s

Need to solicit the USAirways/FlyerTalk community for thoughts on travel from Tampa to Florence Italy. Wife has just started new job, now will be flying international. Pax hates to fly-so widebody is probably better bet on the long haul. USAirways Dividend Preferred (Silver). Company flies her in Business/First depending on fare structures. She will be leaving TPA 04Feb07, Destination Florence, leaving FLR 07Feb07 after 1200 local time.

As a Star Alliance member- looking to fly within the Star partners. She likes US, and would like to at least try that option first. Worst case could be UA out of TPA...but that leaves us with TED.

Would like everyone's input as to carriers and suggestions. US ports of entry/departure can be IAD/EWR/and even PHL....

Like to know what people would fly and what routes. Many thanks, for a happy wife means a happy life (for me).

USAflyer

Staralliance.com has a trip planner. Here is what appears to be the best option:

Leg 1 - US Airways 1919 - 17:00 Tampa FL (TPA), US - 18:39 Charlotte NC (CLT), US
1h39m US Airways, No Meals Served, 734
Check flight status
Leg 2 - US Airways 1592 - 19:30 Charlotte NC (CLT), US - 10:05 Frankfurt (FRA), DE
8h35m US Airways, Lunch, Snack, Airbus Industrie A330-300
Check flight status
Leg 3 - Lufthansa 4062 - 12:30 Frankfurt (FRA), DE - 13:55 Florence (FLR), IT
1h25m Lufthansa, Snack, AR8
Check flight status

If you need to arrive earlier, there are a couple other options.

EWC-JMU

I envy your wife "having" to fly to FLR for business. I want that job!

Anyhow, since you want to avoid UA/Ted, your options are pretty much limited to:

1) US to PHL or CLT; then
2) US to FRA and MUC or LH to FRA (if step 1 is through PHL) or US to FRA and LH to MUC (if step 1 is through CLT); then
3) LH to FLR.

I see from the * A flight search feature that LH flies Dash 8s from MUC-FLR but does fly Avro RJ45s from FRA to FLR, so if it was me, I would fly through FRA to avoid a prop plane. I've flown Avro RJ45s on UA and they are actually decent.

So that leaves us with taking either US CLT-FRA or PHL-FRA or LH from PHL-FRA on the transatlantic segment. Having tried both, I like LH's transatlantic C better, so I would do TPA-PHL(US)-FRA(LH)-FLR(LH). I don't know whether LH has the "new" C class on PHL-FRA, but if they do that's all the more reason.

One thing though. If your wife has to leave after 12:00 from FLR, then she would have to have an itinerary including UA. It would be FLR-FRA(LH)-IAD(UA)-TPA(Ted), according to the * A flight search feature.

I hope this helps.

LAX1K to AmWest

Sorry I would disagree and use a different airline. I think Lufthansa or United would be better. I prefer UA Business over US... and UA in Business you still get your 25% bonus miles on United. I do not think TED is that bad, especially on a short hop to Washington... or take Lufthansa from PHL.

Just options.

jbryan77

If your wife has to leave Florence after 12:00, you could consider spending the night in Frankfurt or Munich on the way back in order to stay on US or LH metal. Both cities have very easy transportation to the city center from the airport.

USFFlyer

I would say that flying to FRA or MUC are good ideas, another possibility is to take advantage of the new PHL-ZRH, and then fly SWISS on to FLR. I have flown with Swiss in the past and been very pleased with the service, and if something goes wrong en route, what better place to be stuck overnight than Zurich!

slawecki

This inquiry belongs in Europe, not in USair.

us air is the wrong airline(this is the correct answer for 99% of all questions about what to fly). I have flown them since they were allegany, piedmont, and ozark, before put together.

the minimum trip is 16 hrs. you need a flat bed for a business flight or will arrive dead. I think that for the most part, only transatlantic is wide body out of tpa.

LH C & F, UA F are flat. I don't know what AC, austrian, and swiss have that is flat. take a pill and sleep.

I think the flight between europe and flr is in a small plane only. so maybe you want to get close. cdg & bru & lhr are a long way from flr. muc is closer, zhr and vienna closer yet. one can fly MIA-FRA on LH.

to look at options, try using orbitz.com, and check the *alliance box.

If your wife is not familiar with the situation, her international C/J ticket gives her full club room/lounge. take advantadge of it.

Me262s

Well, after reading, learning, and scoping out all the possible flights, Wife went with Plan "B" and followed the suggestion of her corporate travel POC for Delta. Again, thanks to those FlyerTalk community members for their thoughts.

slawecki

that flight probably has the most time on a wide body. it is probably a 767(18.5 instead of 21" seat width), which most consider quite inferior to 747/777 and big airbus in C. It does also not have flat seats(although I have never been on one).

corporate probably has a delta package deal of some kind.

If you are going with the other star alliance(usually called skyteam) to flr again, consider AZ out of MIA, if they are still in business. flat beds, and very acceptable service on the 777 and the 767 too, if retrofitted.