Ryan Air from Rome to Palermo

Treat it as any domestic flight. Ninety minutes is probably sufficient. Or allow two hours and have a coffee prior to boarding.

If you are checking luggage, add time to get it after landing. Immigration check time at FCO is another possible bottleneck. If checking bags at Ryan Air, they must be checked in at least 40 minutes before flight departure. RA also says you must be at gate 30 minutes before departure. I’d feel comfortable with 2-2 1/2 hours between flights.

If you are traveling Rome to Palerno, there is no immigration check. Sicily is part of the Schengen zone agreement so it is just a domestic. If you are arriving in FCO on an international flight before going to Palermo, then that adds another lay of complication and time. On arriving at FCO we have gone through immigration is about an hour to over three hours. Just the luck of draw as to number of planes arriving and the number of officers on duty.

Many thanks, we will be flying domestic then having spent 4 nights in Rome prior to Palermo. It will be our first Ryan Air experience and never having been in the FCO airport, uncertain how complex navigating the airport might be. I think we will plan on 2-1/2+ hours and have that coffee before boarding.

Just follow Ryan Air guidelines to the letter. They love collecting extra fees.

Made the same trip back in September, also our first time flying Ryanair. Expected the worse based on what some travelers had posted, but the our experience was great. Stayed at the airport Hilton the night before our morning flight so all we had was a short walk to the terminal. Arrived about 20 minutes before the checkin counters opened so there was minimal waiting time. Checkin with bags was easy, just make sure to have printed boarding passes and also on the Ryanair app. Paid extra when we made our reservations for bag check and big front seats. That gave us priority boarding, but some non-priority passengers still pushed their way toward the front of the boarding queue. Tip: position yourself to be at the front of the queue 30 minutes before they announce boarding and hold your ground!

Great tips Frank and Tx.

Not sure what tickets you are looking at. but my advice is always do not try to be cheap, those are the people that end up complaining. We have flown Ryanair a number of times, never a problem, efficient flights, did the same flight as you last September.

As for tickets, I spring for what they now call "Plus". it allows you to bring on your day bag, a reserved seat, a checked 20 kilo bag, and airport check-in. The bare bones fare will only cause an international traveler headaches; it is good for someone traveling light for a weekend, but little else. There is also a Flex-Plus that offers some ability to change tickets (if delays might be a concern), but I have not looked into it in detail. Bottom line, consider the "plus" option.

The terminal in Rome Ryanair uses is a bit bare bones, but there are a couple places to get coffee and something to eat.

In the weeks leading up to our RyanAir flight we received multiple emails from RyanAir detailing their “procedures” which clarified a lot. Read them!!
We paid extra for options they offered such as early boarding. It was all fine. We flew RyanAir from Krakow to Rome, the only non stop offered, and it worked well. The seats don’t go back but it was OK. They would never be our first choice but
when they offer a schedule that works for you at lower prices than major carriers , they are a good enough option.

In the weeks leading up to our RyanAir flight we received multiple emails from RyanAir detailing their “procedures” which clarified a lot. Read them!!
We paid extra for options they offered such as early boarding. It was all fine. We flew RyanAir from Krakow to Rome, the only non stop offered, and it worked well. I believe it is their longest flight. We landed at Rome Ciampino , nearer to downtown Rome than FCO. The seats don’t go back but it was OK. They would never be our first choice but when they offer a schedule that works for you at lower prices than major carriers, they are a good enough option. Rome to Palermo is a short trip so no worries. I would go to FCO within the time recommended for all domestic flights.
Palermo is an easy airport to deal with when you land.

Thankyou Paul and Suki, I’m feeling more at ease about this now.