peersteveokc

(This is written pre-COVID-19 worries in Italy, so I'm just kvetching)

My grandkid's high school junior year art trip to Italy starts on Fri Mar 13 from Oklahoma City, OK USA to Milan MXP,
The group of 16 students/parents has been split into 2 itineraries----and I think my kid got the worst flights!
How would you compare? Are these 2 itineraries "equal" for the kids?

Group A (not my grandkid)
Leave OKC at a reasonable time of 1235pm to ATL.....1 hr layover......ATL-JFK.......3 hr layover......lv JFK at 2145pm.....ar MXP 1040am
Delta/Alitalia

Group B (my grandkid)
Get up at 0330 to get to airport for 0550 flight OKC-MIA....7 hour layover in MIA......lv MIA 1700.....arr MXP 0710....then wait at MXP for Group A to arr 3 1/2 hours later!
American flights

So....it's not just that Group A is only 16 hrs travel time (vs. 19 hrs for Group B + 3hrs wait at MXP)......it's the getting a full night sleep before departure.....and likely more sleep on transatlantic flight since it takes off later.
For my kid (Group B).....no sleep the night before.....land at MXP at about midnight home (OKC) time.....and still wait 3 1/2 hours for Group A to land!

First hotel is in Venice......that's why I'm figuring that her Group B will have to wait for Group A to arrive before getting on bus to Venice.

Yes....I understand that her Group B itinerary may be "safer" with just 1 connection and staying with same airline........and that at age 17, these kids could go without sleep for the full 7 nights of trip (Venice...Florence...Assisi....Sorrento.....Rome)

Hopefully the Group B kids will get the better of flights coming home Rome-OKC......but if they have to stay on American....there's just one itinerary of FCO-PHL-OKC that gets them home without sleeping overnight at DFW gates, and I'm guessing that the lone FCO-PHL flight is pricey.

---May I ask for more advice? While in Florence, her school trip has an optional day trip to Pisa. I want to encourage her to stay in Florence to experience more there.....rather than a bus trip for a selfie a the Leaning Tower.
But her choice is likely more determined by which friends are going to Pisa....but I would like to give some reasons to her for more time in Florence!

So......thanks for listening to my kevetching.....I retired from daily biz travel and frequent FlyerTalk posting about 10 yrs ago.....previous name was "peersteve" from ORD, GRR, ABY, OKC. Thanks to all.

I.CRIS

If I had to choose, for me, which flight to take, I would go for Group A, but for some different reason than the ones you highlight:
- I have no problems in doing a number of layovers
- I like to fly to/from different airports
- I don't want to waste my time waiting for others.

However, if I still were a 17yo boy, I wouldn't give a s**t of these details and prefer to go along with my friends.

This is the same topic as the Pisa trip: of course Firenze is much more interesting than Pisa (which is good, as you state, for a selfie at the Leaning Tower and nothing more), but the problem is that I bet your grandkid has different interests from you.
I'd remain in Firenze, or better I'd propose a trip to Siena or Arezzo.
But I'm 38, not 17! ;-)

BobFF68

+1 same as I.CRIS
I think you are overthinking about such details, he/she being 17 will be so excited by this trip that I'm sure wouldn't care less of such issues. I also agree that Florence is much better than Pisa, but then they will regret being so close to Pisa and no selfie to post on Instagram, not cool.

The_Bouncer

I agree with the other responses.

Whilst there is no doubt that, at the age of 42, I wouldn't touch Group B's flight times with someone else's 10-foot barge pole, at the age of 17 I wouldn't have given a flying one.

Your grandson is probably too excited about the trip with his buddies to be bothered. I wouldn't create friction here, where there probably isn't any.

LondonElite

Would this be something to take up with the school?

Need

Not unless you want to embarrass the kid!
"OMG, I can't believe you did that. I can't go back to school now!"

Personally I would pick Group B, but I woke up at 3am normally LOL.

peersteveokc

Thanks to all for the advice and perspective......maybe I am being the over-protective grandfather for granddaughter's first foray to far-away lands......

but thanks for the agreements that the two itineraries are not "equal" for the two group of kids.....and I hope her Group B get the better of flights coming back home

But more realistically.....we should know by Monday whether the school trip is still "on".......along with the health concerns.....if museums are not open, then doing the trip some other time makes sense.

Still....so many Oklahomans barely make it to Dallas.....I want her to explore places that are soooo different than the central USA....want her to be curious and confident with people and places beyond the USA!
One of the big differences (in USA) from my generation to hers is how marriage is delayed...saw a graph recently:
In my "wild" 1970s when cohabitation was "radical"......average was 3 yrs dating plus under 1 year of cohab before marriage
These days, it's 4 years dating plus 3+ years cohab before marriage
But in Oklahoma median age for marriage is still at 22......while in NY it's age 30.......want her to have enough "single years" to mature into her own self and travel freely.
thanks again to everyone!

The_Bouncer

Sorry - I don't know why I assumed this was a grandson. I hope your granddaughter's goes ahead and that she gets better flights back (westbound TATL is always better).

Need

State Dept just raised travel to Italy warning to level 3. The school would not be able to go against the warning and continue the trip. Flights probably will be affected too.

sydunipete

Good luck with the arrangements. My family in Northern Italy, who are not far from the locked down towns, tell me that schools are closed and large public gatherings are banned. I don't know how that would affect the planned activities.

As for the flights, I think Option A would be less taxing, but the changes are pretty tight so they won't have much time to look around - and if they miss one it gets more complex.

Florence is a large town and there is more to see there, all within walking distance, but Pisa is more than just the tower. There's a tiny chapel not far away containing a thorn from THE crown of thorns. And despite the relative merits of each town, at that age friends are probably more important than the sites so they'll work themselves in to groups and have a good time no matter where they go.

You should stress to her personal security, keeping documents, phones and money close by at all times and maybe having a backup card.

rove312

It looks like the trip won't happen on those flights, according to this topic on the AA FT board: AA198 JFK-MXP Crew refuses to fly, flight canceled. . AA flights to MXP cancelled through April 25.

MSPeconomist

If Plan B was cheaper, I hope the kids on that group would be charged less, with each group paying the actual cost of their respective tickets.

However, with the two small groups, what's the chaperone situation? Are enough adults traveling to cover each group appropriately?