I'm leaving on a Jetplane (or Two).

March 9, 2009 5:22 PM

Can you help me figure out flights to Milan, Italy in two weeks?

Right now, I can fly [Chicago - Frankfurt - Milan] and [Milan - Copenhagen - Chicago] for about $525. I'll be traveling March 25th to April 1st.

Two questions.

1. I have the opportunity for longish layovers in both Frankfurt and Copenhagen. Can I do anything in either place for about 7 hours?

2. Would it be more practical to fly into a different European city and then Easy Jet or Air One into Milan by booking two separate flights rather than one two-leg flight?

posted by santojulieta to travel & transportation around Milan, Italy (5 answers total)

According to the Copenhagen Metro website, the airport's only 14 minutes from the center of town; the Frankfurt airport is 18 minutes away from the Frankfurt main train station.
posted by mdonley at 5:31 PM on March 9, 2009

Also, one ticket means being protected in case of a missed connection and getting to use your generous transatlantic baggage allowance all the way to your final destination. Furthermore, if you're flying on any European Union-flagged airline (including budget carriers like Easyjet and Ryanair!) - even if your journey begins and ends in the States - you are entitled to way more consumer protections than you would be in the US. See here.
posted by mdonley at 5:35 PM on March 9, 2009

1. If you're flying with the same codeshare/alliance airline then you won't have to collect and recheck baggage giving you more time to spend in those cities. Also on the first flight of your return leg you won't have left Schengen, and so exiting the airport may be much much quicker because of no passport controls. You need to check this of course, but that would give you lots more time in Copenhagen.

2. Don't bother unless you're saving lots of money. Missing connections and rechecking bags can be a pain in the arse.
posted by Sova at 5:41 PM on March 9, 2009

1. Go Copenhagen over Frankfurt, definitely.
2. What everyone else said about bags being checked through, Schengen, but most of all about having the airlines obligated to sort you out if you miss a connection or the first leg is cancelled.

You could always go Chicago-Dublin and Ryanair it, but that first leg's going to be about as much as the entire two-stopper. In addition, Ryanair is moving from 'tolerably shitty' to 'intolerably shitty' right now.
posted by holgate at 6:01 PM on March 9, 2009

According to the Copenhagen Metro website, the airport's only 14 minutes from the center of town; the Frankfurt airport is 18 minutes away from the Frankfurt main train station.

Be careful with this, there are two airports in Frankfurt. Frankfurt Hahn is an hour and a half away from the city of Frankfurt.
posted by wile e at 12:32 AM on March 10, 2009