What he said.
And yes, you need to get off at the intermediate station, and you also can't leave from Cadorna station (1st class only from that station).

I’m really not seeing what your issue is with getting a train to Ferno, getting off, having lunch or/and a gelato and getting on again.

I explained myself, but this all got weird.

I'm just giving you my opinion as a local. Normally the people on this forum ask for opinion, and those of us who know the country provide tips and ideas. Nothing stops you from doing what you want, but in my opinion, it'll be a complete waste of your time and a poor way to save a fiver (which, in London, is not even enough to pay for a ride on the Elizabeth Line).

Mainly that it's the equivalent of getting off the Gatwick train at East Croydon for a nice pub lunch. There are pubs there, they serve lunch, it'll be cheaper than C London, but it's still Croydon.

Instead of starting new thread, I figured I'd ask here. Is EK the only carrier offering F cabins to MXP from the US anymore?

£20 - there are 4 of us. I have to work for more than 2 hours to make that.

I rather like Croydon, the Clocktower itself is lovely and just an 8 minute walk from East Croydon and inside (Braithwaite Hall) it’s one of the most beautiful cultural venues in the country. Unfortunately it was always more or less impossible to get people to go there (I used to be a music promoter in the 1990s)
I know what you’re trying to say, you’re trying to compare it to stopping off at Feltham on the way to Heathrow. I’m saying that I’m interested in seeing Milan’s suburban equivalent to Feltham.

For that it'll surely do.
And the fixed price lunch @ € 17.50 for primo + secondo + contorno + dolce + 1l water + 1/4l wine + coffee is really impressive nowadays for a proper restaurant which seems to get ok reviews. Certainly hard to find in Alto Adige.

Am realising we should probably make a reservation.

Get out of the city and in some smaller towns and the quality/price ratio can be quite astounding. In our town there are a couple of places that do a pranzo di lavoratore (working man's lunch) that are excellent and inexpensive (€13-15). For that, you get 1/4 liter of wine, water, primi (a selections of pasta) and a secondi (selection) and a contorni. The menu changes daily and I'll often get takeout from them as well (and they charge me less as I'm not drinking their wine, etc). My wife thinks one place does one of the best stinco di maile she ever gets. This is one reason, of many, that people visiting Italy should make sure to add at least one trip into the countryside.

Yes, EK offers th only F class on US-MXP direct flights.

I don't know anything about these places, but I get the sentiment and if you want to go, go. I'm the same way. I wouldn't even do it to save 5 bucks, I'd do it because it's something different and on the way. Sure the place might be a dump, but to me its interesting to spend a little bit of time where normal people live, and probably don't think its a dump. I like to walk around whatever the downtown is, stop for something to eat (and yeah, Italy gets really affordable outside of the big cities), and explore the grocery store. I really make it a point to visit the grocery store everywhere I travel - its interesting to me to see how different they are from country to country and town to town. You're not taking the Greyhound to Gary, Indiana (look that one up), the place might just be a little ugly. It's on your way so why not?

If I were LapLap and I were to be hellbent on sampling the hinterland of Milan then I'd probably stop en route in Saronno, it's a bit more of a nice place and actually has something like a pedestrian road to stroll up and down to Ferno is not like Feltham (Quarto Oggiaro's more like it) but it's a bit like Sipson off Heathrow airport. But then again, each to their own.

I’ve now booked our accommodation in Milan (near Porta di Roma station) and am finishing off our itineraries now.

The place for lunch in Ferno and the local gelateria look terrific and absolutely what I look for when I travel.
Am travelling in a group of 4 and for many reasons we may not be able to stick the lunch
Plan B is to get the train from Porta Di Garibaldi to Busto Arsizio Nord (every 30 mins and €4.40 there’s a café in the station) and from there there are about 4 trains an hour to Malpensa, journey costs €4.

Here’s the full itinerary with costs to put the trip into context. Apart from with certain museums (under 16s can enter the wonderful Pinacoteca Di Brera for free) the kids are charged as adults, this is the price for each of us.

Flights from London to VCE- €35
Alilaguna to Arsenale - €15
4 nights Venice - €160 (inc taxes)
Rail journey Venice to Milan - €19 (expected) + €2 Metro fare + €23 (expected)
1 night Milan - €25 (inc taxes) everywhere we want to go is within walking distance
Fare to MXP - €2 + €9 (approx)
MXP to London - €30
Grand Total - €301 (£258)

No flights available from VCE to London for less than €60, so along with what we save with the cheaper accommodation, it made economic sense to add Milan to the trip.
And we all really like travelling by train.

Trieste could've been an option, but I sense you're not in the market for suggestions.

On a side bar, I don't think the Venezia-Milano will set you at 19 euros. The cheapest option, with a regionale and a change in Verona, is 20.50 from Mestre. There will be cheaper fares on italo or the Frecciarossa, but as they use dynamic pricing I think you'll be better off by booking as soon as possible.

There are Freccia Days and Freccia Young tickets for €19.90 and €19 respectively from Santa Lucia to Milano Centrale stations on the Trenitalia site. Journey time 2hour 27mins direct. Perhaps it will cost a few euros more, but that’s where saving money between Milan and Malpensa Airport becomes important.
ETA - I see now that we won’t be elegible for this fare, so yes, €22.90 each. Amending itinerary now.
Will book as soon as the tickets can be purchased.

Am getting a stronger and stronger impression that you don’t like Milan nearly as much as I do!