Layover Times-Traveling to Italy

Two hours in Amsterdam should not be a problem.

Angie,

Two hours should be perfectly adequate, unless of course your flight from the U.S. is delayed. If you're on a code share ticket, I believe the airline has to provide an alternate flight if you miss your connection.

AMS is a single terminal airport so lots of walking may be involved, depending on where the gate is for your next flight. You'll most likely have to go through security again, so that will take some time.

Happy travels!

The airport in Amsterdam is one of my favorites in Europe, so if a longer layover reassures you - go for it.

It is potentially tight should anything be delayed. We had a similar layover in Amsterdam a couple of years ago and missed our flight because of a number of small mishaps. The first mistake was sitting in the far back corner of the airplane. Nearly the last one off the plane some 20 minutes or more after the doors were opened. Landed nearly on time but the plane was about 25 minutes late getting to the gate. Once off make a mad dash through immigrations, which was not bad but had to go through security again because we were taking a domestic flight. The security line was very long but there was a line just for short connections but again it was burning time. It is a big airport so it was a hike to the next gate. Got to the gate with what we thought was 15 mins or so to spare. BUT the airplane was loading on the tarmac and the passengers were being bused from the gate to the airplane. The last bus had departed.

First advice is to get a seat as close to the door as possible. Certainly on the left side of the plane and as far forward as you can get. Then run and look for the short connection line at security and use it. We waited about ten minutes before we saw it. There was an officer there checking ticket to make sure your connection was short.

One of the layover times is about 1 hour and 30 minutes-is that long enough? Just want to be sure we have enough time, but dont want to spend hours in the airport for layovers...

Personally think an hour and a half is too short. You have no room for error. I would not schedule anything less than three. As previously stated, two hours would be adequate IF everything clicks.

I have Transferred in Amsterdam the last two years. I would see that as a tight transfer time, unless everything goes perfectly. Both of my experiences were far less than perfect, and resulted in missed flights. I would suggest coming prepared with the knowledge of flight alternatives, in case you miss your connection. The people at the rerouting desks in Amsterdam were helpful.

Also, it was my impression that it could be a pleasant airport to spend some time in… Although I saw little of it sprinting through it. If I have to do it again… And I plan to try to avoid it… I will intentionally scheduled a long layover. I'll just consider that layover part of my touring experience.

Transferred in Munich (MUC) gate to gate in 20 min. (Lufthansa flight), including passport control. Amsterdam Schipol is also a very efficient airport.
Over 10 years ago I transferred at Milan Malpensa (for Athens) in 10 min (alitalia flights). Full speed run through the terminal and security (bags didnt' make it, arrived with next flight to ATH).

Don't try the same in Paris CDG or London LHR. 2 hours is already tight in some cases if you go to term G. Frankfurt is a little better but also huge. Need at least one hour in FRA to be safe.

We all have our own individual level of comfort with many things while travelling, including flight connection times. Two hours at AMS would be the least I would want, just because when travelling for pleasure I prefer more time than whatever the airline's Minimum Connection Time is for a given airport (some of which are laughably short.) As Frank's story above shows, a 2-hour connection can be missed at AMS. Yes, the airline will put you on a later flight, but some prefer not to have to concern themselves with that while on vacation. More time between flights will lessen this possibility, though of course there is no way to completely remove the chance of a mis-connect. How much time feels comfortable is a personal preference--vive la difference.

When evaluating your layover wait, it's wise to take into account airline policies for loading passengers. These days you need to be checked into the departure lounge at least a half-hour before departure, maybe more for international destinations. Read the details on the airline website to get a better idea of actual times.
From sad personal experience I can assure you that airlines can and do sell tickets with connections that are too tight to depend on. Twice I have had international-domestic transfers on an airline where my luggage did not get loaded on the second flight. Happens all the time, the airline rep in Marseille said about my CdG race from international to domestic departure gates.
But Amsterdam, happily, is pretty reliable in my experience.

Angie, I've managed but just barely with an hour and 15 minutes layover in Amsterdam and that was with me running. I prefer 2 hours which in the "olden days" was the minimum connection time anywhere in the world.