I am a US citizen arriving at FCO from the US on an AA flight, early on a Sunday morning next month. I am connecting to an Air Malta flight to Valletta for which I have a separate ticket. I am traveling with only carry-on bags. I have about 2 hours between my ETA and departure on the next flight. At FCO, what will be my process for entry into the EU and connecting onto the Air Malta/MLA flight? Will I clear EU immigration and Customs in Terminal 3 or Terminal 1? Will it be necessary to exit security at any point? Will it be helpful to get a Q-Pass? What can I expect regarding lines and processing time? Am I missing anything? Thank you very much.
Posted by
San Diego, California
5649 posts
I would suggest a back- up Plan B in the event your incoming flight is late and you miss your Air Malta flight. Best of luck!
Posted by
OP
3 posts
I appreciate your comment. Unfortunately, recently my original ITA flight connection departure was revised to leave Rome less than an hour after my AA ETA. As a result, I changed to Air Malta, giving me about 75 minutes more for the connection than the ITA flight. Next outbound is nonstop is 11 PM. Surprising, not a lot of nonstops from FCO for a flight time of just over an hour. The other options have 1 or 2 connections. I was advised by ITA that 45 minutes WAS a legal connection, but that would be for travelers with ONE ticket through to MLA from the US. Too late to revise my ticket-too costly. I'm hoping to understand the process of navigating FCO and entry into the EU. I'm imagining that if 45 minutes is considered "legal" with a through ticket, then perhaps having 2 hours even with going through clearances will be doable. Understanding the process and the Q-Pass could make the difference.
Posted by
Connecticut
695 posts
I don’t know how the transit process will work. However, to make it so much easier be sure to checkin online and obtain your boarding pass for the Air Malta flight. They also have an app. As long as you don’t have to exit/enter the security process things should go smoothly.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
I very much appreciate your simple, logical suggestion! I will look into that. Also, still would appreciate understanding the Q-Pass process which seems to be offered at both major airports in Rome. I'll investigate it further and consider signing up for it as well. Between the 2, I should be in good shape.