Fiumicino airport, young traveler alone

Will she be arriving on a flight from the US and having to go through Immigration? Will your flight be from the US as well? You and she would go thru customs if you’ve landed elsewhere in Europe on your way to Rome. You’d need Immigration if it was a non-stop from US and your first entry point to Europe.

Her flight originates in the US. She'll have a brief layover in Germany and then on to Fiumicino. My flight is also from the US, with a brief layover in Paris.

You will go thru immigration in Paris. Your daughter will do the same in Germany. Your respective flights to Rome will both be domestic in the sense that there will be no further formal immigration process. As such you should be able to stay airside when you land. Are you scheduled to arrive into the same terminal?

Ok, that's helpful, thank you. I'm not sure about the terminal-- we're flying Delta (me) and United (her). How can I find out which terminal we'll arrive at?

Here is how I see it. She is basically arriving on a domestic flight. She will clear Schengen immigration during her "Layover" in Germany. But her luggage will be checked through to Fiumicino, so she has to clear customs there. Usually that is nothing more than picking her luggage off the carousel and walking out the "Nothing to Declare" door.

If she waits at her arrival gate, I would be afraid that her luggage will show up on the luggage carousel, and after sitting unclaimed for an hour, will be collected and locked up somewhere. That could lead to a lot of confusion and trying to hunt down the right people to set it free. And the "right people" might not speak any English.

Best would be to hang out at a cafe at the airport and wait for you to arrive. I haven't been to Fiumicino since forever, but I'm sure somebody here will have a good suggestion.

She's actually only taking a carry-on (though I guess she could end up having to check it if it's a very full flight).

In that case could she just stay at her gate until we texted her that we've arrived and then head out customs? Or will they not want her staying there?

I haven't been to Fiumicino in forever either, but I don't remember any nice spots to wait out in the public area. But it's been 12 years, so it's possible that's changed.

You bought your ticket from Delta and she from United, but since you are connecting in Paris and she in Germany (Munich or Frankfurt?), it is unlikely you will actually arrive on these airlines to Rome. You likely will arrive on Alitalia or Air France (Delta partners) and she on Lufthansa (United partner). All of these use Terminal 1, so if she only has carry-on, maybe she can wait at the gate.

Check the details on the tickets to see who your actual carriers are arriving in Rome.

Good catch. I checked the tickets and she's arriving via Lufthansa and I'll be coming in on Air France.

Lets see if we can make this a little simpler. You will both be arriving as if it was a domestic flight - mostly likely in the same terminal and can easily wait for you at your gate if she has no checked luggage. Option 2 -- If arriving at two different terminals then she can exit through customs - green door. She cannot come to your gate because she will not have a boarding pass to get through security for the next terminal. Don't know what your concerns are about public areas. But they are fine, no threat, filled with lots of people. Our dil once overnighted in the public lounge with no problems. There are restaurants there so just so she can get a soft drink or a snack and wait for you there. If she was 10 I have a concern but not at 16.

Four hour wait? After an overnight flight and a connection? You may want to look into what lounges are available at FCO. They can offer a nicer, quieter place to wait. Most will offer food and drink. Some may have private showers to freshen up. Nothing like brushing you teeth and a hot shower to reinvigorate you. Some have a 3 hour time limit but I doubt anyone comes around to check. I think Terminals 1 to 3 are all connected airside so a lounge in any of them should work.

BTW I would suggest you have a backup plan in place in case your arrival is significantly delayed .

If she doesn't speak Italian it might be a good idea for her to have a card with a sentence on it that can tell any curious airport staff/customs officers/police officers why she's hanging around. Something like:

"Sono arrivata col volo xxxx della United da Berlino - sto aspettando mia madre che arriva col volo xxxx da Parigi. Preferisco aspettare qui, vicino agli arrivi. Grazie."

I can't remember FCO layout well enough to give you better advice on where she might wait - but at least she'll be able to clarify why she's still hanging around hours after her flight arrived... : )

Not what you asked, but does your daughter have access to a credit card (like Visa, MasterCard)? I don’t know your situation, but it may also make sense for her to have some sort of CC and/or strategies that you walk through with her that would enable her to deal with an emergency like your extremely delayed flight, having some sort of issue where she gets lost, or a night at a hotel while waiting for you. Perhaps she’s studying abroad for a semester or visiting a relative, and that strategy is already in place, but all of us have dealt with random travel issues - it doesn’t take much for a missed connection on an international flight to make it a +1 day delay before you can get there. In which case, I’d recommend either one of the hotels that has a shuttle, or the Hilton at the airport that you can walk to (which I have stayed at).

Again, not what you asked, but being that you’re trying to sort out the safest and clearest plan for her to follow once she arrives at FCO, this seems in that general space. ( I also really like the idea of an airport /airline lounge that she could get a day pass to), this also seems like something to think through. I know I didn’t get a CC until I was 18 and leaving to go to college across the country.

The first time I had to wait all alone in a foreign airport for a few hours I was 14, what are you afraid of? She'll be in a camera controlled place where everybody speaks some English, not in a desert.

My question is has your daughter ever traveled internationally.

Flying on Lufthansa, she'll go thru passport and immigration in either Munich or Frankfurt then on to her next gate and on to her final destination where she'll finally meet you.

We have always used this service for our grandaughter. It's called Uncompanied minor service. While it's optional for a 16 year old, it may give you some peace of mind.

https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/travel/special-needs/minors.html

Thank you all so much for your replies! I really appreciate the help.

I'm a little confused right now because I called United and they told me she will not go through passport/immigration in Munich, but once she gets to Italy. This is the opposite of what you all seem to be saying. I called because she has only a 40 minute layover in Germany, which seemed really tight to get through immigration and to her gate. But United said she just will go to the next gate and not through passport check or anything. So I don't know why they would tell me that!

I am thinking about purchasing the unaccompanied minor service for the trip. I didn't realize that was an option once you passed the age where it's required. She has flown international (she was born in Italy) but she was too young to remember. While I'm not particularly concerned, there are so many variables that it would be nice to have someone on hand to make sure she doesn't end up in the wrong spot, and someone to help out particularly if she misses her connection in Munich due to the short layover.

She will have a credit card with her and a little bit of euro cash. I love the idea of a lounge-- so far I haven't been able to figure out if there's one she can access for a fee or if they're all tied to specific airlines she's not flying. I'm going to keep hunting on that.

She's a very calm and drama-free kid, so I'm not worried about her stressing out. I just want to make sure we've walked her through what to expect clearly so that she's prepared for any quick decisions she may have to make.

I will definitely give her some cards in Italian that explain why she's waiting in case she has any issues. She'll also have my husband's phone number so she can contact him with problems. I'll be in the air so I won't be able to check in.

Our grandaughter lived in Italy for 15 years, (3-18) and she traveled all over Europe with her parents. She probably has more frequent fllyer miles than most of us.

Just having someone to keep an eye on her thru connections and holding her in a secure area until we picked her up was worth the extra cost.

Edit: Read this too.

https://www.claimcompass.eu/blog/minimum-connecting-time-compensation/

I think the United employee you talked to is totally uninformed. Where is she starting this journey? Give us the full flight details. 40 minutes is not a lot of time, but Munich is pretty efficient. I've done 60 minutes with time to spare and passing through Schengen passport control. Also, there should be a lot of Lufthansa flights to Rome, so she could get a later flight.

PS. Looking at a random week day in May, Lufthansa has flights at 8:25 am, 10:25 am, 1:25 pm, 4:55 pm, 7:25 pm. All flights take 1 1/2 hours.

Will she have a cellphone that will work when she lands in Munich and in Rome? That's what I would want for myself and for anyone of whatever age to have in such a situation. Besides being able to call people and look things up, an app such as Google Translate may be useful.

Thank you, Sam, that's reassuring.

Yes, she will have a cellphone and will be able to reach my husband if she has any problems.

I will prep her for going through passport/immigration. I'm assuming if I pay for the unaccompanied minor service then she will have someone who will take her to the right spot so she can get through that part as quickly as possible and back to her gate.

United also told me it was fine if she just waited at her arrival gate when she got in.

Ideally I'd like her just to be able to find a lounge or cafe or somewhere comfortable inside the airport by the gate where I'll be arriving so we can go through customs together. United said that was fine. But since they don't seem to know how international travel works I'm hesitant to trust them.

I know there are much more comfortable spots there than if she has to pass through customs, so I'd prefer her to be able to wait there.

She will be flying Spokane to Denver, Denver to Munich, Munich to Rome. Honestly, if they bumped her to a later flight it would mean a shorter wait time for me, so that would be awesome. I just don't want her to have stress trying to get it worked out. She's my oldest, so I probably overthink it way too much. She's super excited about this trip!

With unaccompanied minor, she will have someone assigned to her on each leg of her trip. One to one handoff. In Rome her final destination, she will be held in a secure area, where you will have to go, in order to show ID to pick her up.

You're not getting accurate info, ask to speak to a supervisor in charge of unaccompanied minors.

Also check to see if you can change the connecting time on her Munich flight so her arrival in Rome is closer to your arrival time in Rome.

Gerri, are you sure she is an unaccompanied minor?
For example EasyJet DOES NOT accept unaccompanied minors, but states "* Adult 16+ easyJet classes anyone from this age and above as an adult . . .*".
See here: http://www.easyjet.com/en/help/boarding-and-flying/flying-with-children

My suggestion: DO NOT wait at the gates, this is probably not even allowed.
Get a map of the airport arrivals area, agree some place to meet (e.g. a café), and both have a copy of this map with you with the location marked.

@chris, this is not mandatory, but an option, for kids 16-18. Since she's not traveled internationally I highly recommend it.

Chris,
That would be my preference-- assuming she is allowed to wait at a cafe before heading to customs. That's one of my main questions: when she arrives in Fiumicino from Munich, can she just stop at a cafe and hang out, or does she need to go straight to customs?

I like the idea of paying for the unaccompanied minor service, but when I'm looking at it on United, it says she'll be taken through customs to the welcome area to wait to be picked up. From what I remember, this would not be an ideal spot (in terms of comfort) to wait for 4 hours. In addition, I'm guessing that the attendant doesn't want to hang out for 4 hours there either.

So I'm thinking that doesn't actually make sense. I'd love for her to be able to just find a comfortable spot at a cafe where she can get something to eat and read her kindle while she waits. It's just unclear if she'll be funneled immediately off to customs first.

My experience has been that the most comfortable spots to wait in an airport are all past security to where actual travelers can access, not the places you can get to after you go through customs.

But I haven't been to Fiumicino in a long time.

Couple of things I have found out.
https://www.munich-airport.com/transit-260553
This simply says that if the airline sold you the ticket, then it is a legal connection, thus it is possible.

As best as I can determine from the United website, for early March, UA 9458 (operated by Lufthansa) departs Denver at 4:20 pm and arrives Munich at 10:05 am the following day. The next flight to Rome is at 10:45 am, making it a 40 minute connection, and that is what United shows as the actual connection. So they say 40 minutes is legal and possible, but it does show an exclamation point and the note: "Short connection". The next flight is at 1:20 pm, arriving at 2:50 pm.

PS, today UA 9458 arrived 35 minutes early.
And she will not be "herded off to customs". It is a "domestic" flight. If she has no checked luggage, she can sit there or exit the secure area into the general terminal.

There also may be a common terminology confusion here.
Customs is merely the inspection of goods being brought into the EEC to see if they should pay import tax, or are forbidden. For most tourists, this is nothing as their goods are personal and not being brought in for resale. You just walk out the "Nothing to Declare" door and you are on your way. This happens at your final destination where you pick up your luggage, in this case Rome
Immigration is where they check you passport and if you are allowed to be admitted into the Schengen treaty zone, in this case, Germany. They stamp your passport with a date and location of entry.
So if you ask United where your daughter will go through "customs", they will rightly tell you in Rome. But it is "immigration" that can be time consuming, as you will have to wait for a human being to actually inspect your passport, look you in the eye, and ask you a few questions, like how long are you staying, what is the purpose of your visit, where else you are going. Then they stamp your passport and you head to your next gate.

It looks like she is not going to have a transfer between terminals. Arrival @ T2. Departure to Rome @ T2

Info on Munich transfers.

https://www.munich-airport.com/transit-260553

Read carefully the transfers with carry on.

On arrival in Rome she'd be held in Special Travelers area in T3.

Those accompanying her would be flight attendents or those employees doing a hop between destinations.

@Gerri, I believe all Lufthansa flights use T2 at Munich, although a flight to Rome might go from the remote T2 building, connected by an underground shuttle train.

In Rome, isn't T3 where out-of-Schengen flights arrive?

@ Sam. Today and tomorrow (flight aware) is showing arrival in Milan at T2 and departure at T1. When she arrives Rome, its just a transfer by attendant to T3 special Travelers area.

Edit: @Sam just checked again, no transfer of terminals in Munich, arrival termanal T1 in Rome.

Just worry about a child making these connections due to how many adults we've walked the process.

That would be my preference-- assuming she is allowed to wait at a cafe before heading to customs. That's one of my main questions: when she arrives in Fiumicino from Munich, can she just stop at a cafe and hang out, or does she need to go straight to customs?

I meant in the public area, after customs. I have never seen a café in an airport before customs. You disembark, are directed through corridors to baggage reclaim (as already stated no immigration for your flights), then as soon as you pick up your bags, through the customs exit to the area where everybody waits to meet people.
There is no option to stop earlier (apart from toilets), and you cannot guarantee your route from your plane will be the same as hers, or that you will use the same baggage pick-up area.

You need to meet in the public arrivals area.

Ok, thanks Chris. That's not what I was hoping, but it makes sense. I will hunt down a decent airport map and try to find a good spot for her to wait.

She originally was set to be met by a family friend, but this person had to alter their plans, thus the problem.

@Gerri, When did Milan come into the picture? She is changing planes in Munich on Lufthansa.

Yep Sam ment Munich. Sorry for confusion.
Fixed it.

By way of a quick google search I found Hello Sky lounge and day room. It’s located after you leave customs. Supposedly accessible via walkways from any terminal. I haven’t been to it so I can’t vouch for how nice it is. Checking a random date next week it looks like €20 for lounge access. Seems nice enough that I would give it a try myself.

http://hellosky.travel/en/

BTW, welcome to the forums and have a great trip!

So Gerri, what is in the 'Special travelers' area in Rome? If she was there as an unaccompanied minor is there a decent place for her to wait comfortably?

Thanks, Rocket! That seems like a really great option, especially since I can book and pay in advance, so she'd just need to show up.

If you are staying at a hotel in Rome, you could also consider a car service to meet her and take her to the hotel. She could then wait for you in your hotel in comfort. This way if you have a delay on your flight, she's not at the airport waiting indefinitely or overnight. I find Welcome Pickups to work well, photo of driver, ID, etc. all known before take off.

Since I've never picked up in Rome, I can't tell you, at ORD it was a supervised room with things for the kids to do, or just chill.

Here is Lufthansa info.

https://www.lufthansa.com/us/en/unaccompanied-minors

I know other airlines have a voluntary uncompanied minor program, so I'd call Lufthansa to check.