There are many platforms that collate the various flights that are available and allow you to compare the prices to find the best deal. One of the most comprehensive flight finders is Google Flights. The site has an intuitive interface and only takes a few moments to compare dozens of international flights from the United States to Italy at a glance.
You can search Google Flights by country destinations, cities or individual airports. This allows you to quickly plan your travel routes while finding the best prices on the net. If you live in Europe then finding cheaper airfare to Italy is not all that difficult. But this is not the case if you are say living in the United States or Asia. You should also read the article that I wrote about things you should know before booking a ticket to Italy. It has information about the major airports in Italy for international travel and the best times for travel.
The Best Strategies To Find Cheap Airfares To Italy.
For many trips abroad, the airfares are one of the most expensive parts of the trip. That means if you find a great bargain on your plane tickets you can save a huge amount of money and spend it on your vacation instead!
A family of four, for instance, can easily save upwards of $1000 on their airfares if they manage to find a good deal instead of paying premium rates. Even a solo traveler can save hundreds of dollars though so it’s always worth taking a few extra moments to see if you can find a cheaper flight.
Be Flexible With Your Travel Times And Dates.
One of the most reliable ways to find cheap airfares is to be flexible with your precise travel dates and times. For example, it’s almost always cheaper to travel mid-week than during the weekend.
Similarly, if you avoid the months of June and July you’ll not only avoid the tourist crowds in Italy but you’ll also get a much cheaper airfare. Equally, if you avoid the Christmas and New Year period you can get some great bargains throughout the winter months.
If you’re planning a trip abroad then it’s also worth avoiding the school holidays because that’s when families will be taking their vacations. The most common month for local Italians to take their vacation is during August so it’s also a time to avoid flying if you can.
If your travel dates are flexible the best website to start with is Kayak Explore. By using this site, you will easily be able to narrow down the cheapest month to fly and the best prices. Also, remember that Italy has a very good high speed railway system. So if you are wanting to travel to Venice or Florence, two cities that are expensive to travel to from the United States, you are much better off traveling to Milan and taking the Frecciarossa trains to Venice or Florence.
Be Flexible With Your Destination Airport.
Sometimes you can save hundreds of dollars by flying to a different airport. For instance, even if you’re planning to visit Milan, you don’t have to fly to the city’s main airport, Milan Malpensa. Instead, you can save money by flying to the nearby city of Bergamo instead! NOTE: From most major airports in the United States, flying to Milan is cheaper than flying to any other airport in Italy including Rome. From Milan you can get to most major cities in Italy in under 4 hours by train. If you are flying from the US, you can also look cheap airfares to other European countries, particularly Germany. Then find cheap airfare from Germany to Italy. On a few occasions, I booked a ticket from Newark to Munich and then made another reservation from Munich to Milan through Air Dolomiti.
Flight search platforms, such as Google Flights, make it easy to compare the prices between different destinations. If you find a cheaper option that’s fairly near to your desired destination you should also check how much a train ticket will cost you to get there. If the prices work out cheaper and you can afford to spend an extra day traveling then you can save considerable amounts of money this way.
Fly With A Budget Carrier.
Traditionally, if you wanted to fly from the US to Italy, or Europe in general, you would have to fly with one of the major airlines. However, as the market has opened up to more competition you can now choose to fly with a budget carrier instead and save money on your airfares.
Budget airlines don’t offer you as much comfort en route but the savings on the tickets can be well worth it if you don’t mind a no-frills service. You should be careful though because you might have to pay extra fees for meals and checked-in luggage but as long as you plan carefully you can make it work for you.
Budget airlines mainly travel medium or short haul routes although they do fly from the East coast of the US to Italy. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to check your options before you book a flight on one of the major airlines.
You Don’t Have To Fly Direct.
Direct flights are very convenient, no doubt about that. There was a time when direct flights were only slightly more expensive than those with stops. Not anymore. There is a direct flight from Philadelphia (my home base) to Rome operated by American Airlines. I no longer take this flight because the cost of this flight is almost double that of one that has stops. These days, I take the Amtrak train from Philadelphia to Newark (EWR) and fly from there to Italy. I have also noticed that it is actually cheaper to fly to Milan when compared to any other city in Italy.
Stopping over has a few advantages. Europe has many budget airlines that can take you to airports in Italy that the main carriers do not fly to. When possible I take a flight to Munich and then take Air Dolomiti to Milan Linate airport (LIN). The Linate airport is much more closer to the city than Malpensa (MXP) or Bergamo (BGY).
Sign Up For Newsletters To Find Out About Special Offers.
A good way to learn about the special offers that are currently available is to sign up for airline newsletters. This way you can find out about last minute deals and the best prices that are currently available. Obviously, most of the offers might not suit your precise travel plans but occasionally the stars will align and you’ll be presented with exactly what you need at an unbeatable price!
Generally, though, you’ll have to be prepared to be a little flexible because a lot of the deals have a limited time window within which you can take advantage of them.
If you’re a student you can often find special student discounts with airlines, usually for people under the age of 26. Student discounts often give you a 10-20% discount on the standard airfare. So, if you’re a student then make sure that you always ask if there are discounts available for you to take advantage of! Remember, to qualify you will need to be able to show proof that you are currently studying.
Flying To Italy Is Getting Expensive.
A few years ago you could get a round trip ticket to Italy from the east coast of the United States for about $300. Those days are long gone. You will be lucky if you can find a roundtrip fare for less than $500. Then you have to pay additional for carry on and/or checked in luggage and meals. Most of the major airlines are not airlines, they are banks. As you are sitting in their uncomfortable economy seats, 33000 feet about the ground, they will try and sell you their credit cards. They then will offer rewards points for buying products using their very high interest credit cards!
