WindJet: Venice to Palermo

The carrier: WindJet

About

Italian budget airline WindJet flies from ten airports in Italy, three in Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Rostov), and a smattering of other destinations in Romania, Spain, France and Greece. Forlì and Catania are WindJet's primary bases.

A relatively small budget airline, WindJet is a good way to get to and from Italy.

Upside

Forli, the base airport, is good for getting to and from Emilia-Romagna and Sicily.

Downside

Limited route map not good for expansive trip planning. Frequent delays.

Baggage

* Carry-on: One item, up to 7 kg.
* Checked: Up to 20 kg for international flights; 15 kg for national flights. There is a fee of € 7 per piece of checked baggage. Each kilo over is charged at the rate of €8.

* Please visit Windjet’s website for more information on its baggage policy.

Check-in and Ticketing

Check-in at the airport opens 2 hours prior to the flight and closes 40 minutes before departure.  Web check-in is also available. 

Tip

Not recommended if you have connecting flights or are on a tight schedule.

Departure: Venice, Italy - Marco Polo (VCE)

Venice Marco Polo Airport is an airport named after the Venetian traveler Marco Polo.

Location:

Venice Marco Polo Airport is located 12 kilometers north of Venice by land, and 10 kilometer by water. The airport is situated in Tessera, a "frazione" of the commune of Venice.

Transport:

•Rail: Venice-Mestre railway station is connected to the airport by the ATVO Fly Bus.

•Bus: Two bus options are available to get you between the airport and central Venice. The ATVO airport shuttle bus travels to and from the Piazzale Roma, near the Santa Lucia train station. Buses leave from the airport every hour. The trip takes about 20 minutes and costs €3. For more information, visit the ATVO website. The ACTV bus no. 5 is a local public bus. It costs €1 (plus an additional €1 for every piece of luggage) and takes 30 to 45 minutes. Buses depart every half hour. Tickets can be purchased at the newsstand inside the terminal from the bus stop.

•Boat: You can always arrive directly at Piazza San Marco in nautical style via the Cooperative San Marco/Alilaguna. For €12 you can get to town by sea courtesy of a large shuttle boat called the "motoscafo." The hour-long boat journey between the airport and Piazza San Marco makes intermediate stops at Murano and the Lido a dozen times each day. Boats zoom to and fro from 6 a.m. until 12 a.m.

If your hotel is not within a stone's throw of San Marco, make a vaporetto connection here. For more information, visit the website.

•Water taxi: We can't in good Cheapo conscience recommend that you get taken for a ride on one of the prohibitively expensive water taxis. This 20 to 30-minute option from the airport will set you back €90 for between one and six passengers and €105 for seven to 10 passengers. The taxi will go as close to your hotel as it can.

•Taxi: Radiotaxi are available at the airport, as well as shared taxis. A land taxi from the airport to Piazzale Roma will run about €30 plus €.55 per piece of luggage. From there, you can pick up a local vaporetto.

Service:

There is a Tourist Information Office is located in the Arrivals area, and an Airport Information Desk in the Departures ares. There are bars, cafes, and restaurants as well as various retail shops and duty free. Banks, Bureaux de Change, and a post office are all located at the airport, as well as 24 hour ATM's. Additional facilities include a prayer room, first aid service, and a spa.

Arrival: Palermo, Italy - Punta Raisi (PMO)

Palermo International Airport, also known as Falcone-Borsellino Airport and Punta Raisi Airport, is one of the busiest in Italy. The airport was given the name Falcone-Borsellino in memory of the two leading anti-mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino who were murdered by the mafia in 1992.

Location:

Palermo International Airport is located 32 kilometers (19 miles) outside of Palermo, in Sicily.

Transport:

•Rail: There is bus service to the central station running every half hour.
•Bus: The "Prestia e Comande" Bus Service runs to and from Palermo daily. The time to the central station is 55 minutes, and to Politeama about 40 minutes.
•Taxi: Taxis are available from outside the Arrivals area.

Service:

There is an information desk at the airport. Travelers can enjoy food at the bars or restaurant in the airport or pass time shopping in one of the numerous stores. There is a bank located on the terminal ground floor and two cash dispensers (one for foreign exchange) can be found in the arrivals hall. A post office is also located on the first floor.