Transfer in Rome for a flight to Catania (Sicily). 1h 05 min.

Assuming you have a single booking covering both flights ( as implied by your statement that your luggage will be checked through to Catania) then you should have enough time. The airline obviously thinks it can be done.

We'll be flying as a group of people (about 15), so I wonder if someone from the airline would be there to lead us to the connecting flight to Catania in case of delays (this assumption comes from the fact that this is common in Japan)

If your flight is late, it may happen, but I would not make that assumption.

I'd worry more about the first flight being delayed. It looks like there are no non-stop flights from Tokyo to Rome so that increases the chances of falling behind schedule. Also, flying east-west means facing headwinds. Even losing a half hour en route would put the Rome transfer in jeopardy. The minimum you can do is research the timetable for the second leg to see when the next flight to Catania would be available.

I'd worry (perhaps unnecessarily?) about the luggage transfer, too. Are you staying in Catania at the beginning of the trip, or would you be on the move, with lost luggage potentially chasing after you?

Kind of feel silly. I was really happy when I realized that there is a flight that can get us to Catania at 18:15 (flight from Tokyo lands at 15:55 and flight for Catania leaves at 17:00). Get a light meal and go to bed earlier so that our next day could start earlier too. I just wanted to avoid reaching the hotel around midnight (the other later flight gets there at 22:25). It never sank that having a 65min connection is more of a problem than a good thing.

Now I think I should just accept the fact that we’ll be getting to the hotel late and I should go for the second option (flight from Tokyo lands at 19:30 and flight for Catania leaves at 21:10). Even this is worrisome as I see comments that the airport in Rome is not the easiest to navigate and customs/immigration take a long time to get through.

I made a similar connection in 2018, going from an internationally-arriving flight in Terminal 3, to an Alitalia flight to Trapani in terminal 1. Because the flights were booked separately, we gave ourselves four hours to make our connection, and I am very glad that we did. First, there will be immigration; I've experienced the immigration line at FCO to take 10" and to take 30" (and others have experienced longer times in line. (And of course disembarking from a large intercontinental aircraft takes some time, too!) Next, the walking distance between the two terminals is significant; I walked at a good pace, and it was still over 20 minutes of brisk walking. You will also need to go through another full security check on your way to Terminal 1 (not included in that 20" of walking). IF your flight from Tokyo is on time, and IF immigration moves quickly in FCO, and IF everyone in your group of 15 people walks quickly and no-one needs to stop for the restroom, and IF the security line going towards Terminal 1 is short, you will make your connection. However, that is a LOT of "ifs." You're indicating that there is another flight to Catania 35" later than your preferred flight. Is the worst that can happen, taking that later flight, that you will be arriving 35" later in the evening? Finally: I've never seen "someone from the airline" leading a group through FCO, but you would likely need to inquire of your airline if this might be possible. That "someone" however could not make people walk faster, or immigration or security lines get shorter.

I stopped by a travel agent in Tokyo just to see what they say about having 1h40min for a transfer in Rome. They said for their packages, the shortest amount of time should 45min and with 1 hour or 1h 40 min I should be ok. I gave up on the idea of going with a 65min layover. Now, working out the logistics of having to do it withitn 1h40min. Hopefully, because we'll have one ticket that takes us all the way to Catania and since the airline is expected to usher us in case of delays, we should be ok. (Also, noticed that Alitalia has another flight at 22.00h from Rome to Catania, so our 21.10h is not the last on that day). Keeping my fingers crossed that things will be ok.

It is quite possible that if the delay is minimal - or even if there is no delay - the airline will hold the flight to Catania and prioritize your getting through the airport and onto the plane. This has happened to me twice, though both times the connecting flight was the last one of the day on that airline to the final destination. Once I flew with a group via Istanbul to Dublin (so minimal security check, no passport control), none of the luggage made it. We spent an extra hour or more at the airport in Dublin filling out and filing lost luggage reports individually. The tour guides and the coordinator (3 people) spent a lot of time on the phone (including multiple calls to the travel agents in Tel Aviv) getting the luggage delivered to our hotel by the second night since we were nowhere near Dublin by then. The other time was flying from Salzburg via Vienna to Tel Aviv. Fortunately for me, there were another 4 passengers with the same connection, so Lufthansa held the flight and a staff person expedited us through the airport, passport control, and security checks. Maybe because it took so long, but my luggage arrived with me in Tel Aviv.

I would point out that in both cases, the same airline operated both flights.

Hi Chani!

We had a similar experience in Moscow. Our flight from Madrid was delayed by an hour. Since ur was the same airline, they met out group of 7 plus some other people catching the same Flight. We rushed on to the plane which they delayed slightly for us. Arriving to Tokyo of course without our luggage. So it arrived on the flight the following day and was delivered to everyone’s homes. It was pretty cool not to have heavy suitcases to deal with.

My worry about Rome’s airport steamed from the fact that I’ve never been to Italy before and everyone keeps saying how confusing and slow the immigration is. So, I worried that we might miss the connection. I’ve requested the flight that give is 1h 40 min layover. In hindsight, maybe I should have gone with the earlier flight since it appears that Alitalia has at least 4 more flight after that one. So even if we we’re late, they probably would be able to get us to Catania the same day.

Anna, you and your group will love Italy. (shhh, don't tell anyone but it's better than Portugal :-)

What's your itinerary? Are you going to the mainland as well?