Advice on Layover Time for Flight from US to Italy

Baltimore is only give-or-take 200 miles from Newark (and JFK), so that is a very, very short flight. Even if you're an hour late getting in (that would be a very late flight - possible, but not sure how likely), that still gives you 1 hour 15 min to spare (assuming the flight leaves to Milan on time), and you only need to go to your connecting flight. I personally wouldn't need as big of a cushion as 4 hours 23 min at JFK. I'd take the Newark flight.

The one advantage of the JFK layover is if you like to relax and have a sit down meal before your flight, and generally feel very unstressed. The advantage of Newark is total travel time is minimized.

Newark is chancy you might be delayed Baltimore to Newark. But since I'm assuming you book this ticket through one airline they would be liable for getting you to Milan anyway. Stick with Baltimore-Newark-Milan

MrsEB is right - check carefully to see which terminals your flights will use. Find out who is actually operating your flight, then go to the airport's website to see the terminals involved.

JFK airline list: http://www.panynj.gov/airports/jfk-airlines.html
Newark airline list: http://www.panynj.gov/airports/ewr-airlines.html

If you have to change terminals at either airport, you almost always have to go through security again. Sometimes there is a bus connecting terminals that does not require going through security, but of course you have to get from your arrival gate to the bus, wait for the bus, and get from the bus to your departure gate. If there is no bus - security is required. In both airports there is a free Airtrain connecting the terminals, and if they are close enough you can walk between them.

If you are not changing terminals, on your outbound leg you should not have to go through security again.

I always book flights with the plane change in Europe, so I would take the London option. If by chance your flight is delayed into London and you miss the Milan flight, there will be many more the same day. There are not that many flights on a given day between EWR and Milan.

Please answer these quick questions so we can give you a good answer and not speculation and arguments:

1) Are you flying the same airline either BWI-EWR-MXP or BWI-JFK-MXP?
1a) If not the same airlines, which ones for each. (And are you sure they are the operating airlines? Don't just go by the flight number but look to see if it says "Flight Operated by.....")

2) Is this flight combination all on one ticket or are you buying separate tickets for each segment?

My point is this: any given airline is likely to have only one direct (non-stop) flight to Milan each day. If they miss that flight due to a late-arriving flight from BWI, they will have to take a flight with another stop somewhere else---if there is one. Since most flights to Europe depart in the evening, there may not be another until the next day.

Looking at what I believe are the flights she is considering, I see the JFK layover combo on American Airlines and its partners. The long-haul flight departs JFK at 6:05 pm. If they miss that, they could be put on a codeshare flight operated by BA, with a stop in London. it leaves at 9:25 pm. But not only does this add an additional stop, it greatly extends the travel day.

The EWR layover flights appear to be on United/Lufthansa. The long-haul flight departs EWR at 6:25 pm. If they miss that, there is no other flight operated by this group (Star Alliance) from EWR that night. At least I didn't see one.

If they choose London as the layover airport, they get the long-haul flight over with first---so they aren't going to miss it. And if it is late arriving at LHR and miss the Milan flight they booked, there are lots more from LHR that same day---9:20 am, 10;25 am, noon, 3:15 pm, and 2 more. Assuming this is booked on one ticket---which I hope it is!!!---they will be put on the next flight with space. No additional stop needed.

This is why lots of people here advise taking the long-haul flight first, and connecting in Europe, rather than making a layover at a US airport.

I agree with Sasha. If I cannot fly nonstop, I always try to make my connecting flight in Europe. You will have more options of reaching your destination from a European airport than from a United States airport should your first flight be delayed.

I always try to do nonstop from the States, flying to London, Brussels, or Paris first, all of which are usually intended as part of my destination anyway. That's not possible in this case, unfortunately (tho there's a chance I may add Brussels into the mix to visit some friends). But leaving that aside for the moment...I usually prefer to do the long haul first because otherwise I'm totally wiped out the next day and have pretty much used up my first day at my destination. (I let a friend talk me into meeting her in London and then flying on to Glasgow together...the flight from London to Glasgow was delayed, we didn't get there till about 6 pm and there went 1 of the 3 days we had scheduled there.) And going thru security again in London was a real pain. (Good shopping tho!) I'll be booking the flights together as one trip. Sounds like the majority are thinking Newark?

I forgot to add that, yes, I did check the terminals for each of the flights I asked about. All arriving/departing from the same terminal.