Plane
 

HI there. This is my first time flying international and have no idea what I am doing. Great way to start a trip, right? I am flying from Chicago to Rome with Aer Lingus. I have a layover in Dublin for an hour and 15 minutes. Is that enough time to catch my plane? Will I have to go through customs again? Get my checked bags? Go through security? How does one fly international? I'm also flying alone for the first time which is just swell.

I think you have others things to occupy your mind instead.

What you have listed, you go through enforced procedures where you are not allowed to deviate = mistakes. Besides, once you have booked flights, there is little point in worrying about the layover time. That is a consideration before you book your flight. (unless it has been less than 24 hours since you booked your flight when you are still allowed to redo reservation at no cost.)

Concentrate on what you have control such as travel documents, ways to obtain cash, credit cards, electrical adapters, reservations, phone, amount of luggage, ground logistics, etc.

If you are a U.S. citizen, beware of the Schengen time limit if you are planning to stay there for months.

Generally, once you arrive in Dublin you will go to passport control and then go to your connection gate. If you checked your bags straight through you will not need to retrieve them until you reach Roma. Once in Roma, since you are arriving from an EU nation, you do not need to go through passport control again. Just go find your bags, walk through customs, and then do whatever you planned from this point. This has been our experience many times.

As for 1 hour 15 minutes for a layover, I cannot answer if this will be enough time.

Buon viaggio,

Knowing Dublin Airport, its reasonably tight. But as you are on a single airline and not leaving the Air side of the airport it shouldn't be a problem.

I assume you will be returning on the same route (which, by the way, is a time-waster compared to a multi-destination ticket. But I digress.) On the way back, you probably will go through US immigration pre-clearance in Dublin. Just so you won't be surprised. Follow the signs. You can also take the precaution of looking up the websites for the Dublin and Rome airports to find maps and info to help you make your flights.

"Once in Roma (sic), since you are arriving from an EU nation, you do not need to go through passport control again. "

Incorrect.

"This has been our experience many times."

Also incorrect

You're arriving in Rome (as the capital city of Italy is called in English) from outside the Schengen area. All such arrivals go through immigration in Rome.

The poster claiming otherwise clearly wasn't arriving from Dublin, Or is as incapable of remembering his arrivals accurately as he appears to be of speaking English.

No English or Irish person would insult Italian by referring to Dublin in that language as "Dublin": the Italian is "Dublino". Why rbciao can't write English properly is an intriguing question.

Does he speak Italian equally offensively?