Visit Rome on free stop-over with Alitalia!

Alitalia, the Italian flag carrier is now offering a stop-over in the Italian capital, Rome, for up to three days at no charge. You can store your luggage at the airport or book a hotel at a discount. I love stop-overs: They give you a chance to add a new destination to your trip and explore a place you might have skipped over. But there are some limitations to this, so check out if it’s worth flying Alitalia to include Rome in your travels!

Several airlines have stop over programs, like Qatar in Doha, Iceland Air in Reykjavik or Singapore Airlines in Singapore. But few cities are as marvelous as Rome, making this an attractive option if your are planning to fly with Alitalia.

Castel San Angelo, Rome

This offer is valid for flights through December 2018, for stop-overs up to three days. While the web site says, flights have to originate in Kenya, India or South Africa, Frommers has confirmed that flights from all airports are eligible. Your final destination cannot be in Italy, the US, Canada or Mexico. Examples for a stop-over would be a flight from Los Angeles, New York or Miami, with a stop over in Rome, and on to Frankfurt or London.
Making this offer less convenient is the lack of online availablility – you’ll have to call Alitalia’s call center to book this. You’ll be able to store your luggage for a shorter stop-over at Rome’s Airport and you can get a discount at the Sheraton Parco de Medici for a longer stay.

Alitalia has been in the news mostly for their bankruptcy and their failure to find investors or manage to get a restructuring plan approved. But they are fighting on, trying to improve their service and countering the new challenger to the Italian flag carrier throne, Air Italy! After having lost my airberlin business class ticket due to their bankruptcy, I’m a little hesitant to book with another bankrupt airline that might go out of business any day. Alitalia’s service isn’t the best either, though on-time performance has improved recently.

Bottomline: I love stop-overs and Rome is a beautiful city to visit. If Alitalia serves your city and you have a trip to Europe planned, Alitalia’s offer is attractive. But make sure that it’s actually cheaper than a similar itinerary on another airline (Kayak has a multi-city search tool) and that you are willing to take the risk to your trip from bankruptcy. You can find all the details of the offer at Alitalia!

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