Need flight advice separate trips same time
Feb 19, 2012, 6:15 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 1
Need flight advice separate trips same time
Hi
New to posting here but have read your forums for years so fairly certain I can count on your vast knowledge & experience for help.
I need to decide on flights and have an unusual situation.
My daughter is doing a college credit trip to Italy and I have decided to travel solo while she is on tour. My goal is to see her off, take my flight as close as possible after, and return before her, to be there when she arrives. If I can accomplish this without a drive across Pennsylvania I would be a happier traveler!
My daughter's trip has RT air from PIT but we live 6-7hrs away so I want to fly her rt EWR-PIT. My first question would be; Is 2 hours enough buffer after her return flight from Europe?
Her schedule would tentatively be:
5/15 EWR-PIT 10:3am-12:04pm (Continental) PIT-FCO 3:30pm departure (USAir)
5/30 FCO-PIT 11:50am-6:35pm (USAir) PIT-EWR 8:34-9:59pm (Continental)
My concern is time for customs & getting from arriving international to departing domestic especially as return flight from Europe connects in CLT.
There are no later flights out of PIT that day that I find, to any NYC area or PHI airport!
BTW my daughter has never navigated the airports unaccompanied, but I have taught her the ropes over the years to prepare her for independent travel. I suspect she will be a little nervous but capable.
My only alternative, if that is cutting it too close, is driving us to PIT and then I would fly RT from there, around her scheduled time, as well.
As for my flights, if I choose a nonstop, flying into CDG, and out of FCO (whether using PIT of EWR), I have at least 6hrs to burn between her departure/arrival and mine. If I do a connecting flight, I would leave about 4 hours earlier but have a layover of about 2 hrs elsewhere. I also would arrive a few hours earlier. The difference in cost is negligible to me as its only about $100-$150 and my primary focus is seeing my daughter off & back safely so I don't expect it to be easy.
What would you do? Is non-stop always preferable despite delays?
I have only had one trip across the pond so not sure how the airport drudgery and flight times would play on jet lag. (I wake at 3-4am everyday so that trip's overnight flight and time difference did not affect my energy level much).
And my last questions would be about Park & Fly hotels. Can someone recommend a hotel that doesn't charge for parking at least most of the 18days for PIT and for EWR?
Are there any day use or early check in/late check out options? (So I can use the room or at least hotel facilities between daughter's departure/arrival and mine)
Gee, hope that all made sense! Any help is appreciated.
Tina
New to posting here but have read your forums for years so fairly certain I can count on your vast knowledge & experience for help.
I need to decide on flights and have an unusual situation.
My daughter is doing a college credit trip to Italy and I have decided to travel solo while she is on tour. My goal is to see her off, take my flight as close as possible after, and return before her, to be there when she arrives. If I can accomplish this without a drive across Pennsylvania I would be a happier traveler!
My daughter's trip has RT air from PIT but we live 6-7hrs away so I want to fly her rt EWR-PIT. My first question would be; Is 2 hours enough buffer after her return flight from Europe?
Her schedule would tentatively be:
5/15 EWR-PIT 10:3am-12:04pm (Continental) PIT-FCO 3:30pm departure (USAir)
5/30 FCO-PIT 11:50am-6:35pm (USAir) PIT-EWR 8:34-9:59pm (Continental)
My concern is time for customs & getting from arriving international to departing domestic especially as return flight from Europe connects in CLT.
There are no later flights out of PIT that day that I find, to any NYC area or PHI airport!
BTW my daughter has never navigated the airports unaccompanied, but I have taught her the ropes over the years to prepare her for independent travel. I suspect she will be a little nervous but capable.
My only alternative, if that is cutting it too close, is driving us to PIT and then I would fly RT from there, around her scheduled time, as well.
As for my flights, if I choose a nonstop, flying into CDG, and out of FCO (whether using PIT of EWR), I have at least 6hrs to burn between her departure/arrival and mine. If I do a connecting flight, I would leave about 4 hours earlier but have a layover of about 2 hrs elsewhere. I also would arrive a few hours earlier. The difference in cost is negligible to me as its only about $100-$150 and my primary focus is seeing my daughter off & back safely so I don't expect it to be easy.
What would you do? Is non-stop always preferable despite delays?
I have only had one trip across the pond so not sure how the airport drudgery and flight times would play on jet lag. (I wake at 3-4am everyday so that trip's overnight flight and time difference did not affect my energy level much).
And my last questions would be about Park & Fly hotels. Can someone recommend a hotel that doesn't charge for parking at least most of the 18days for PIT and for EWR?
Are there any day use or early check in/late check out options? (So I can use the room or at least hotel facilities between daughter's departure/arrival and mine)
Gee, hope that all made sense! Any help is appreciated.
Tina
