The Essentials of Planning - Italy - page 576

u Consider a stopover on the way to Italy. London is almost always the least
expensive gateway to fly to Italy from the United States, and you may end
up paying less by flying into that city and then hopping a low-cost carrier
from there to one of the major Italian cities. Air Europa (www.aireuropa.
com), Meridiana (www.meridiana.com), EasyJet (www.easyjet.com), and
RyanAir (www.ryanair.com) have super-cheap intra-Europe flights, although
usually to and from less convenient airports--but if you're flexible, you can
get some amazing deals. Note: These airlines usually don't show up on con-
solidator websites, and aren't connected to any travel agencies, so you'll need
to book directly through the websites above.
u Consolidators, also known as bucket shops, are great sources for interna-
tional tickets. Start by looking in Sunday newspaper travel sections; U.S.
travelers should focus on the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Miami
Herald. Beware: Bucket-shop tickets are usually nonrefundable or rigged
with stiff cancellation penalties, often as high as 50% to 75% of the ticket
price, and some put you on charter airlines, which may leave at inconvenient
times and experience delays. STA Travel (p. 587) has been the world's lead
consolidator for students since purchasing Council Travel, but their fares are
competitive for travelers of all ages. ELTExpress ( % 800/TRAV-800; www.
eltexpress.com) has excellent fares to Europe. It also has “local” websites in 12
countries. FlyCheap ( % 800/FLY-CHEAP; www.1800flycheap.com) is owned
by package-holiday megalith MyTravel and has especially good fares to sunny
destinations. Air Tickets Direct ( % 800/778-3447; www.airticketsdirect.
com) is based in Montreal and leverages the currently weak Canadian dollar
for low fares.
u Join frequent-flier clubs. Frequent-flier membership doesn't cost a cent, but
it does entitle you to better seats, faster response to phone inquiries, and
prompter service if your luggage is stolen or your flight is canceled or
delayed, or if you want to change your seat. And you don't have to fly to earn
points; frequent-flier credit cards can earn you thousands of miles for doing
your everyday shopping. With more than 70 mileage awards programs on
the market, consumers have never had more options, but the system has
never been more complicated—what with major airlines folding, new
Travel in the Age of Bankruptcy
Airlines go bankrupt, so protect yourself by buying your tickets with a credit card,
as the Fair Credit Billing Act guarantees that you can get your money back from the
credit card company if a travel supplier goes under (and if you request the refund
within 60 days of the bankruptcy). Travel insurance can also help, but make sure it
covers against “carrier default” for your specific travel provider. And be aware that
if a U.S. airline goes bust mid-trip, a 2005 U.S. federal law requires other carriers
to take you to your destination (albeit on a space-available basis) for a fee of no
more than $25, provided you rebook within 60 days of the cancellation.