Hey there. Flying United Airlines ORD (Chicago) to FCO (Rome). Land in FCO at 7:55am and trying to catch a 9:15am ITA Airways flight to Nice, France. No checked luggage just carry-on.
Do you think that is enough time? I’ve never flown into that airport before so not sure transit time, customs/immigration, etc?
Thank you in advance!
Is this on one ticket or 2 separate ones? Arrival times, how busy Immigration is when you arrive, and how far to your connecting gate are all variables that no one can guarantee.
Welcome to the forum!
I’m guessing separate tickets and that is way too close!
If your flight actually lands at 7:55 you need time to get off the plane, go thru passport control get to your next gate.
Not happening
UAL does in fact sell that as a single ticket, so it should be doable.
Ok then if not they get you on next flight to Nice that has availability
Thank you all for the reply. Would be separate tickets, so no help from anyone if we miss connect. Agreed not sure which gate/terminal we would arrive to or depart from. But never been through that airport so unsure approx time to get through customs, security etc. (thankfully no checked bag) but if 1hr 20 min isn’t enough what do you recommend?
Change to a later flight?
( no customs just passport control, you will go thru customs in Nice-usually nothing to it)
You might make it if really lucky. If you incoming flight was early and that is a possibility coming from Chicago. As for immigration, it is a dice roll. Have been through immigration in 45 mins to an hour and have taken over three hours on a Saturday with two officers on duty. If I have to put money on the table I would bet that you miss the on-going flight. Anything less than three hours is a dice roll. What is Plan B when you miss the flight?
3 hours?! Oh my that’s so much longer than I expected. Is that the general consensus?
Thank you all for all the responses btw!
I would be modestly surprised if you made the connection. You need to deplane (15 minutes or more) and then get to the next gate. Many ITA flights at FCO use planes parked on the tarmac so you take a bus from the gate out to them, meaning you need to be at the gate 30 minutes or so before the scheduled time to get out to your plane. This means you have about 30 minutes to get thru immigration and to the departure gate i(f your incoming flight isn't late). Best of luck!
Is that the general consensus?
We've been pretty lucky getting thru passport quickly. It all depends on how many flights land at that time- and that can be quite a few coming from US. It is all automated now so can be pretty quick- Would still say 1 hour for passport control and that's after you've walked all the way from the plane- it's a big airport.
Getting to your next gate before there 30 min cutoff is really iffy.
I wouldn't book any ongoing flight for less than 3 hours after you land.
I had a similar set up planned for this August. I had scheduled to arrive at FCO on a Delta flight at noon. Then board an ITA flight at 5 PM using separate tickets. This would have been easily doable BUT my ITA flight was eliminated (not canceled but dropped). Available ITA flights to my final destination are now either an early morning or a very late at night departure. I say all this to let you know about the possibility of ITA flights changing or as in my case being dropped. I decided fly into FCO a day earlier, spend the night in the airport town of Fiumicino, then board my ITA flight the next day. For the very attractive price of the separate tickets it will be well worth it.
I have gambled like you are and bought separate tickets many times and have never lost but I have always given myself minimum of 2 hours depending on how cheap the connecting flight is and whether or not I already know my way around an airport. Having been to FCO 4 times, one hour and twenty minutes to make a connection is not something I would risk, given how popular Rome is.
I flew this United flight just last month - Chicago #970 @ 3:45 pm to arrive FCO @ 7:55 am. I was booked through United as one ticket with my ITA flight departing FCO @ 9:30 am (15 more minutes to connect than you will have). Our flight out of Chicago was late and I worried about my checked luggage making it to my final destination. There were assistants to direct people to the correct immigration line at FCO. I was directed to the "line" for US citizens connecting through FCO. There was no line at that hour! No waiting! Despite the 25 minute late departure out of Chicago, we arrived FCO only 5 minutes late. You wil need to walk quite a distance from one FCO terminal to another but if your experience is like mine, you will make your connection. My checked luggage also made it to my final destination.
I had flights on ITA from JFK to FCO and then from FCO to Catania last month, with an hour and 35 minute layover. The first flight landed at 6:40 and there were no lines at all. We breezed right through. We landed at terminal 3 and had to walk to terminal 1 for the Catania flight. Although it is a bit of a walk, we had no problem making the connection. We even had time to grab breakfast before the second flight. You never know what any given day will be like but I think it is doable.
