Best departure time FCO to JFK--?

9:30 is on the edge, but doable. Figure you want to be there 3 hours ahead to be safe, so 6:30, takes a half hour on the Leonardo express, so need to catch something by 6:00, service starts at 5:30. The FL1 starts earlier, but takes a bit longer, a better option if you are near Trastevere Station, but also others (except Termini). If you are confident you do not need 3 hours at the airport (I typically have not) then that gives you more flexibility.

When flying back to the US, getting up early makes a long day even longer. I prefer an early afternoon flight.

Do you need to connect onward from JFK once you arrive?

I live in New York (so JFK is always my final destination) and I have a strong preference for Europe-US flights that depart after noon -- my ideal spot is flights departing Europe between 13:00-16:00 and arriving in New York 16:00-19:00 (all local time of course).

Flights in that range allow me to both have a leisurely(-ish) last morning traveling to the airport and get home just in time to unpack briefly, get some food, and go to bed. I don't like flights departing before noon, and especially earlier than 10am since you end up basically having to get up at the crack of dawn (or before) in order to get to the airport in time.

In your case I'd do the 12:45pm -- but I live in NYC. If I had to connect, though, I'd choose the 9:30am as that will have more onward connection possibilities in the US.

Many people flying to North America will accept a 6:00 a.m. flight out. Unfortunately, those flights end up going to another gateway European airport where they'll end up sitting a few hours until midday or slightly later.

It's difficult enough taking a long trip. But having to get up at 3:00 a.m. to make a flight makes for an extremely long day.

I only book flights mid mornings (9:00 a.m. or so) going to the same place as the 6:00 a.m. flights went.

I only book flights mid mornings (9:00 a.m. or so) going to the same place as the 6:00 a.m. flights went.

I tend to as well. Since I will have a connection in the US, my sweet spot is 9:00 to 13:00. I also try to end up my trip near an airport where I can get a direct flight to the US, not an absolute requirement though.

I notice often on here, people see that airfare deal, saving maybe a $100, grab it...then ask how to get to an airport at 3:00 in the morning or if a 50 minute transfer somewhere in Europe is enough time.

You can also easily get a taxi from your hotel in Rome to the airport and there will not be that much traffic early! It's a fixed rate and your hotel can make arrangements. I'd want to leave at 530 though but I'm pretty risk averse.

I don't mind the AM flights as I go to the West Coast so I want to hit all my connections along the way. I won't do the 6A flights to another European hub though. 9-10A is fine with me. I'm still getting home at between 9PM and Midnight.

I think the key is if you are going to have other flights after your international leg.

A 9:30 AM flight would be wonderful for me albeit a late start for my preference. This past June my flight from FCO (Rome) departed around 10:00 AM. It was on a Saturday. The experiences getting to the airport and especially at the airport far exceeded my expectations in terms of efficiency.

Double check your schedule. A 9.30 am flight is a little early for a direct flight to the US. Most leave closer to noon and early afternoon -- like the 12.45 flight.

If JFK is your final destination, I would do the later flight.

If you have an ongoing connection and the later flight works, I would take the later flight.

This allows you to stay your last night IN Rome and not have to get up at 0'dark ugly to get the flight.

“Early” is completely dependent on how you define it. I’ve stayed in Rome proper and taken flights at 9:45 and 10:30 and both had easy 6:30 and 7:00 car rides out before traffic starts. Rome has a different aura about it with daylight and few folks out and about. Worth it for me to stay in Rome vs a generic airport hotel.

FCO also has the new USA/Intl. area that has made security and immigration easier.

@Frank: There are multiple direct morning flights out of FCO state-side; 9:10/LAX, 9:15 SFO, 9:30/ORD, 10:20/IAD, 10:30/EWR, etc.

But up and at it by 6:00 is not “early” for me. You may be completely adverse to that time.

Thank you experts! I listened and booked the 1:30pm flight from FCO to JFK, my final destination!

If you aren’t already aware, FCO offers Clear Reserve which lets you reserve a time slot for clearing security. At FCO it’s called Q-Pass in Seattle it’s called Spot Saver, but regardless of the local name they are associated with CLEAR Reserve. It’s free and moves you to the front of the line for going thru security. If the lines are long it’s a time saver. I use the one in Seattle and just found out about the ones in Europe.