CT and A'dam

[julers]

Hello all, I'm back again, ready to begin purchasing tickets. I do, however, need your help!

The boyfriend will be arriving in London (Gatwick) on Thursday the 17th at 6:20am. We need to leave for CT via Pisa that day. I would like to take the Ryanair flight from Stanstead which leaves at 6:45pm. What is the trip going to be like from Gatwick to Stanstead, is it easy to do, and how do I actually do it? 12 hrs should be more than plenty of time to handle finding him, baggage/customs, travel between airports, and check-in, right?

The flight to Pisa arrives at 9:50pm and from there we need to get to CT. (We should be staying with a friend there, so arriving too late should not be an issue. ) I hear the trip is about an hour or so from Pisa. Will we be able to leave directly from the airport, or is it going to be a complete pain trying to make our way to the city and then get a different train to the CT. All I should have to do is go to a kiosk and get the soonest ticket to one of the cities in the CT, right? Will there be any sort of change of trains, or will it be a direct route?

On Sunday the 20th, we need to leave for Amsterdam. I'm not sure what the best way of going about this is. There is a direct route from Pisa to Amsterdam via Transavia for 135euros and it does not leave until 5pm. Are there other ways of doing this that are better? Perhaps departing from a different city, like Florence? Suggestions welcome.

We'll be heading back to London on the 24th, and we'll just take one of the Easyjet flights back.

If you've got any help on any of the CT/Pisa/A'dam issues, please share!

Thanks!

[herrbert]

On the transfer to Amsterdam, check Meridiana. They fly form Florence, so that will need some extra time to travel. They have some good rates (80-85 euros) if you are able to catch the early morning flight. (that would mean staying in Florence the night before you leave, as I don't think there is another way to make that flight). There is also an afternoon flight, but that is more expensive, and when adding the taxes, it turned out to 125 euros, but maybe for your day you are lucky. All in all I guess that Transavia is the best bet, if you want to fly Pisa - Amsterdam.

On the move from Gatwick to Stansted, 12 hours will be plenty of time. You could make a short trip to London, if the weather is nice, it's good the sit on the South bank, and enjoy everything that is happening. Maybe a good meal would do nicely as well.

Remember that from London, you need to go to Liverpool Station to get the Stansted Express. that will need about 45 minutes to reach Stansted, and because i believe you would be flying with RyanAir, allow yourself some extra time for check-in. Expect a cue, as they always seem to be under-staffed at Stansted.

[julers]

Ok I just checked the two flights, one from Transavia and one from Meridiana, with their taxes and fees added on. Surprisingly, the taxes for the Transavia flight (which was originally more expensive than the Meridiana flight) are less than the Meridiana flight and hence cheaper overall. I'm looking at a 20 euro difference in taxes, surprising. Also, considering the fact that Pisa is closer than Florence, the commute will be shorter and less expensive. I'm going ahead and booking the Transavia flight. Thanks very much.

Also, thanks for the helpful info about London, that's exactly what I wanted to hear!