Originally Posted by
ttervooren
Thank you for the really good information.
With regard to why I want to book a one-way FLR-ONT award flight...I already have the outbound award flights on AA into FCO. I could cancel them for a fee...something like $175. And am ok doing that.
Since we will finish our vacation in Florence, I wanted to fly from there rather than FCO as we are not as spry as we once were and I'm thinking we'll be a wee bit tired after 4.5 weeks of traveling and entertaining family in Italy. We will be celebrating his 80th birthday there.
I'm still not sure why you would want to do this. There is a comfortable high-speed Trenitalia Russo train which runs regularly between downtown Florence and Rome; it's very easy to use and only takes a couple of hours to make the trip. You can connect easily to get to FCO. And by flying out of FCO, you may be able to fly home more directly (e.g. EWR or YYZ) without having to stop again in Europe. I can also really recommend going through Customs and Immigration in YYZ. It is friendlier and more relaxed with shorter lines than many of the major arrival points in the US. Plus, once you pre-clear through US border control (you never formally enter Canada), your flight is considered to be an internal one, potentially eliminating the need to take time to do this at your destination, when all you want to do is get home.
FYI, If you do decide to transit in FRA, be aware that it is one of the biggest airports in the world and that you will probably have to walk the length of at least 2 long concourses and across a shopping mall to get from the *A Schengen flights in B to the non-Schengen zone flights in A/Z.