mkrmom

I will be traveling to Rome in Feb. 2011 on Airberlin and want to know how long it will take to go through immigration, customs, & get my luggage. Want to schedule a pick-up with a shuttle van service. Am not a member of the EU.
Thanks!

StCirq

I don't think anyone can tell you this. Maybe your plane will be on time, maybe it will be late, maybe it will be early. Depends on what day and what time you arrive. Maybe a bazillion other planes will be landing at the same time - maybe not. Maybe the luggage folks will be on strike. Maybe the luggage carousel will be broken. Maybe this, maybe that. On an average day, I'd count on a half-hour to 45 minutes, but who knows? I don't take shuttles, but I think a decent shuttle company would ask for your flight information and be monitoring it anyway. BTW, curious what being a member of the EU would have to do with this?

jamikins

I am guessing they are referring to passport control - usually EU line-ups move quicker because they dont tend to question much...?

I would count on up to an hour. Whenever we have used shuttle services they ask for the flight number and are prepared to wait. They will be familiar with the airport patterns.

We arrived at the main airport (are you arriving there or Ciampino?) and went through passport control quicker than expected and most of our party was not EU citizens. Then we waited over 60 mins for our luggage to arrive. Our shuttle waited.

bobthenavigator

They know---they do it everyday.

mkrmom

Thanks for your help. It is good to know the shuttle will wait. I was told that there would be a different line for non-UE members, which is why I thought that made a difference.

StCirq

Yes, there will be a separate line for non-EU travelers. And it will probably go faster. I didn't make the connection when I read your post.

SAB

Sometimes the non-EU goes faster, sometimes the EU line goes faster. I travel on a UK passport, my sister on a US, I'd say 50 percent of the time she gets through passport control in Europe faster than me.