Jaunted

Tags: Alitalia / Eurofly / Airlines / → All Tags

How Fly Is Eurofly?

Remember back in the summer of 2005 when we were stoked for the age of Eurofly? Well now it is time to check in on how things are going for the low-fare kid sister trying to emerge from the shadow of Alitalia.

The former subsidiary of Italy's largest airline broke away from its parent company in 2005 and started offering additional destinations earlier this year, including Pescara and Lamezia Terme.

Round trip flights start at $800, according to a recent profile in National Geographic Traveler of no-frills airlines crossing the Atlantic these days. We did a quick Expedia search and found a round trip ticket from JFK to Rome on Alitalia in mid-July for $798. In fact, a story in USA Today says a sample fare from JFK to Rome on Eurofly costs $1,159 (including taxes and fees) versus $1,283 on a major carrier. By foregoing the extra flight options and legroom, you save enough to cover cab fare to and from the airport.

So is Eurofly the Jan to Alitalia's Marcia? Not according to Gianfranco Zaccai at Business Week, who says Alitalia fails to offer travelers extra comfort and needs to take a tip from Ikea about customer service. We're not seeing a connection between our old dorm-room dresser and a trans-Atlantic flight, but apparently the two are linked.

Related Stories:
· Eurofly Coverage [Jaunted]