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Is 2h25 enough at FCO for a separate-ticket connection to Bari?

Posted by on

Greetings fellow travelers! Hope this finds you well.

My family of three is traveling from SFO to Rome on SWISS on Saturday, November 21. Our flight is scheduled to arrive at FCO at 7:25 PM.

We have a separately booked flight on ITA Airways from FCO to Bari departing at 9:50 PM, giving us 2 hours 25 minutes. Unfortunately, I am not able to link the itineraries.

We will have checked luggage, so as I understand it we would need to:

  1. Clear immigration/passport control at FCO
  2. Collect our checked bags
  3. Go to the departing airline's check-in/bag-drop counter
  4. Re-check our luggage
  5. Clear security
  6. Get to the departure gate

Has anyone recently made a similar international-to-domestic self-transfer at FCO with checked luggage?

I'm particularly interested in actual experiences with evening arrivals. Is 2h25 reasonably practicable if the inbound flight is on time, or would you consider this too risky?

Thanks very much!

Posted by
7085 posts

If it was not so late in the day, I’d be more willing to chance it, but that’s probably the last flight of the day, so if anything goes wrong (like first flight being delayed), you’re stuck with paying for two nights of accommodations and losing a night.
Can you do carryon? That would save you considerable time.

Posted by
1302 posts

Are you sure you don't need to clear Schengen Immigration and Customs (EES) in Rome?

Posted by
11647 posts

They absolutely will need to do so.

They need to buy a different ticket to Bari
They are not going to make this flight.

Posted by
1044 posts

I would think that a ticket from SFO to Rome on Swiss would connect in Zurich, so they would do the Schengen immigration processing there.

Posted by
19593 posts

I looked at your flight and it seems you change planes in Zurich.

That is where you will go through immigration for Schengen. Your bags should be checked through to Rome. When you arrive in Rome, you collect your luggage and exit through customs. (No extra immigration check.) Unless you have something to declare, you probably won't have to stop. You then check in the bag with ITA, clear security, and get to your gate.

If your Swiss flights are on time, you should make it.

Posted by
2 posts

Hi everyone! Thank you very much for the quick responses and the callout on Schengen Immigration and Customs (EES) . I did not even think about that.

The general sentiment sounds like the same day travel is very risky.

Can anyone suggest the minimal time needed to perform all of these activities between flights? It seems more likely that we will need to travel to BRI the following day, but I'd still like to understand how long it typically takes.

Posted by
7085 posts

A catastrophic delay can happen anytime, but if I was going to have to wait in an airport 3-4 hours to feel safe in making a connection, I’d just take the train. Or bette yet, pay extra for a flight to Bari!

Posted by
13894 posts

if the inbound flight is on time

The big IF....

The one thing that is critical and beyond your control.

Doing immigration in Zurich helps give you more time once you get to Rome..

The downside is your flight from SFO AND the flight from Zurich have to be on time. By late November weather can be an issue.

If you have not bought tickets yet, is there a reason not to fly ITA which has a single ticket solution for SFO-BRI? Just the stop in Rome

Another option is to plan to spend the night in Rome, before it is forced upon you.

Good luck

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