International flights from Toronto

[DaniB]

So my dad is thinking of joining his aunt & uncle for a stay in Italy. He has not been back there since he arrived in Canada about 18 years of age.

He & I were trying to look up flight info & prices from Air Canada (Toronto) but keep getting a message to phone Air Canada. There doesn't seem to be any prices for any of the airports of Italy.

Is this normal for international flights?? I spent 10 minutes or more on hold and gave up. I don't know if they will be open tomorrow as it's a STat Holiday here.

 

[kaytieeldr]

They're an airline. They'll be open. They're open right now. Call them now. Airlines are a - forgive me, I detest this phrase but it's appropriate - 24/7/365 operation.

eta: I checked Kayak to Rome anD came up with at least a dozen options.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Is this normal for international flights??

No. I don't know what the problem is. I also checked the Air Canada website for flights from Toronto to Rome and found plenty of options. Clear your web browser and try again. Or try another airline for other options.

 

[crashbb]

I'm not having any trouble either.

When are you trying to book? Some of these routes are seasonal. For example, if you try to book Catania, Fontanarossa, Italy (Sicily) for the winter, you get an error message. This airport is the first one that comes up if you just type in "Italy". Going into Rome or Milan will show you (connecting) flights year round.

They are definitely open today. They usually give you an "estimated wait time". They did when I just called them a few hours ago.

 

[DaniB]

Strange. I tried from my parents house and mine that same night. Thanks for the info!

I'm going to try again today, and if it doesn't work I'll phone them again.

Ohh, and I typed in "Italy" and then choose the correct airport from the list. Lamezia Terme, S Eufemia, Italy (SUF)

Well, I tried again and got " Lamezia Terme, S Eufemia: To get a quote for or book a flight to/from this city, please call Air Canada Reservation: In Canada and the U.S.: 1-888-247-2262 (option 4)"

So strange! Ah well, I'm on hold with them now, but no estimated wait time.

 

[crashbb]

There doesn't seem to be any prices for any of the airports of Italy.

Strange. I tried from my parents house and mine that same night. Thanks for the info!

I'm going to try again today, and if it doesn't work I'll phone them again.

Ohh, and I typed in "Italy" and then choose the correct airport from the list. I cannot recall how to spell it,I'll have to see the list again. Starts with an L, 2 words... most southern airport of Italy (without being in Sicily) in Reggio Calabria.

So, did you actually check ALL the aiports of Italy (as per your original post) or just SUF (Lamezia Terme)?

It sounds like the latter. In which case, I do get the same error message. It seems like there is an issue with this route (I get an error when looking at the Star Alliance website as well). You can check Expedia (or something similar) to see which airlines currently fly from Toronto to Lamezia Terme (clealry going to involve connections). I'm guessing that none of the Star Alliance airlines are currently flying into SUF. You might be able to do Air Canada to Europe (maybe Rome?) and then someone else into SUF.

 

[jsilvers]

I'm guessing that none of the Star Alliance airlines are currently flying into SUF.

It appears that the only Star carrier that serves SUF is LOT, and only on a seasonal basis. So it does seem likely that the Air Canada website is choking because there is no itinerary available from Air Canada and its partners (or at least, no sensible itinerary) between Toronto and Lamezia Terme. It likely would make sense to consider other airline options (i.e., Alitalia).

 

[DaniB]

It took half an hour but I did speak to someone at Air Canada. It turns out they only fly to Rome, and then take an Alitalia connection from Rome to Lamezia Terme. And that seemed to be the reason why there was no flight or pricing info online. When I checked Toronto to Rome, it gave the info.

Then I checked out Alitalia (Toronto to Rome to Lamezia Terme) and could see the info there.

Seems to be a signification price difference between the 2 airlines.

Thanks!!

 

[TagsMissy]

always book Al Italia separate, far cheaper

 

[corster]

The Air Canada website will only show you codeshare flights, whereas their Reservations Desk can book you on another airline's flight (even if it's not a codeshare) provided they have a ticket interline agreement with the other airline. Hence why they were asking you to call in.