Page 38 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

Flights from the UK and Ireland

There are daily direct flights to Sicily (around 3hr) with easyJet (London Gatwick to
Palermo and Catania), Ryanair (Stansted to Palermo and Comiso, Luton and
Manchester to Trapani, Stansted, Luton and Liverpool to Trapani) and British
Airways (Gatwick to Catania), while Thomsonfly has a weekly seasonal service (May
to Oct) from either Gatwick or Manchester to Catania. Prices on all routes can range

from as little as £7.99 plus taxes each way to over £600 return. From Ireland, Ryanair
offers a direct flight from Dublin to Palermo.

The alternative from the UK or Ireland is to fly to one of the many airports on the
Italian mainland, and travel onwards from there. Ryanair alone flies to around twelve
Italian airports, and uses Trapani as its Sicilian hub, easyJet flies from Milan to
Catania, while Alitalia and British Airways have decent connections from Rome,

Milan and others to Palermo, Catania, Trapani, Lampedusa and Pantelleria. There are
also flights to Sicily with the budget and holiday airlines of other countries (like
Germany) with an established tourist connection. In the end, you’ll have to weigh up
the extra travelling time flying via mainland Italy, or elsewhere, with the savings you
might make.

Flights from the US and Canada

There are no direct flights from the US and Canada to Sicily, so you’ll have to fly

first to Rome or Milan (9 hours from east coast US/Canada, 12 hours from Chicago,
15 hours from west coast US/Canada). For the connection to Sicily add on another
hour and a half or so, plus any time spent waiting for the connection itself.

Alitalia flies direct every day between the US or Canada and Italy, and their great
advantage is the ease of making the connecting flight to Sicily with the same airline.
But several other airlines – including Delta and Air Canada – fly to Rome or Milan,
and can arrange an onward connection for you. Or you can fly to Italy with airlines

like British Airways, Air France, Lufthansa and Iberia, which travel via their
respective European hubs.

Generally, the cheapest round-trip fare from the US to Palermo or Catania, via Rome
or Milan, starts at around US$600, rising to US$1500 during the summer. From
Canada, low-season fares start at around Can$800, increasing to around Can$2300 in
high season. The alternative option is to pick up a discounted flight to the UK, and then

fly on to Sicily with one of the European budget airlines. It depends on how soon in
advance you book, and the season, as to whether this will be a realistic way to save
money. The easiest way to research the best available deals are price-comparison
sites such as skyscanner.com, kayak.com or edreams.com.