I am arriving at MXP on Sunday, October 11 at 6:45am from JFK. I am a wheelchair passenger. The airline has arranged for a wheelchair to meet me at the gate and take me through immigration and EES before dropping me off at the Malpensa express train.
The big unknowns are will my flight arrive on time or will it be delayed at JFK for example, how long I will need to wait for the wheelchair at the gate, the time it will take me to go through EES, whether the fingerprint scanner will work or will I have to go to the manual EES line, and then how long it will take to get to the Malpensa express platform. I will not be checking any luggage.
I want to take the Frecciarossa trains from Milano Centrale to Bolzano and sit in business/1st class. I will need to transfer at Verona. There is an 8:45 AM train and a 12:45 PM train. My plan is to buy tickets for the 12:45 PM itinerary. I think everything would have to work perfectly for me to catch the 8:45 AM train. There is an EC train leaving at 10:05 AM with a transfer to a regional train at Verona.
I want confirm what I learned online. If I pay for the base/flexible fare for the 12:45 PM train, I will still have to buy a new ticket for the 10:05 AM EC train if I wanted to switch to that train. Is this the case?
I am leaning toward buying the full fare base ticket for the 12:45 PM train in case my flight arrives early, the EES/immigration process runs smoothly, and I don’t have to wait long for the Malpensa express train to Milan Central, and thus have time to catch that 8:45 AM. Also, if I am delayed and risk missing the 12:45 PM train, there is a 2:15 PM train that I could take to Bolzano again changing trains at Verona.
So would you buy the full base fare for that flexibility? I am leaning on that as it is only €26 more. Also, if a 10:05 AM EC train were possible, would I need to buy a new ticket?
Not sure if this matters, but I need the extra room of a first class seat. So I will be buying a first class seats on the 12:45 PM itinerary.
I will be emailing Sala Blu (wheelchair service) to let them know of my itinerary and also alerting them that I don’t know which Malpensa express train I will take as it will depend on my arrival time and the time needed to go through EES and immigration. I will need Sala Blu’s help in boarding the train, transfering at Verona, and then deboarding at Bolzano.
What do you think? Will I have to buy a new EC train ticket if I choose that 10:05 AM train? Assuming my flight arrives on time, what can I expect at MXP with EES and the problems I am reading about regarding fingerprint scanning machines? I don’t know if these problems are at MXP itself. I want to reduce the amount of stress as possible with regard to catching trains, which is why the 12:45 PM train is something I’m willing to do. Taking a train that departs 6 hours after I arrive at MXP isn’t exactly ideal but I want the insurance if there are delays. Thank you for any insights!