Some international flight questions
 

I feel like an idiot asking these questions, since I've flown to Europe a few times before, but never had this situation.

My fiancé and I will be honeymooning in Italy in June/July. We fly from Atlanta to Newark, Newark to Rome, and then Rome to Venice. On our return, we'll fly from Rome to Milan and then to Atlanta.

When advised to be at the airport 3 hours early for an international flight, would that mean on our arrival in Atlanta? Or would we do additional European travel security in Newark, which is what I would assume? We have a 2 hour, 10 minute layover in Newark. Will that be sufficient? Will we have to do anything special that would require a greater than 80 minute layover in Rome before we leave for Venice?

Thanks for the answers to dumb questions!

Your flight to Newark isn't international it's domestic - and the domestic rules apply. Where the international rules apply is in Newark. If it's all the same airline and they check your luggage through to rome you should be fine with that much time in Newark. If it's different airlines - and you need to pick up your luggage and change terminals you should still be Ok as long as your plane is on time. You may want to check with the ariline as to the ontime arrival record of you flight from Atlanta.

In Rome you will have to go through passport control, pick up you luggage, go through customs and then go check in/go through security for the flight to Venice. From what I recall of arriving in Rome (about 4 yeaars ago the last time) it may take longer than 80 minutes from the time you land to the time you go through customs. I would be very uncofortable with only 80 minutes between those flights - check with the airline you're using from rome to venice to see when they require check-in - I believe its usually at least 60 minutes - giving you only a 20 minute window to do passport/customs etc.

NYtraveler is right, Atlanta to Newark is domestic, so get there like an hour before...and 2:10 should be plenty in Newark (my home airport) for getting checked in & thru security and to your gate for your flight to Rome. What airline are you flying from EWR to FCO? Trish

Although Atlanta to Newark is a domestic flight, you will be checking in for the international flight at the same time. Therefore you will need to go through the old-fashioned check in procedure (no curbside or self-check kiosk) to show your passport to the agent. I'd treat this more like an international departure because you won't be able to use the shortcuts available to domestic passengers. After check-in, the procedure through security is the same.

It'd help if you give us more information what airlines you're flying on each of this legs - ATL-EWR, and EWR-FCO, and whether these are on the same ticket.

Oops, I sent my reply before I was finished ---- you have to show your passport to the agent issuing your boarding pass for the international flight. I've always done that at my home airport, not the gateway airport, but I've never used Atlanta or Newark on transatlantic trips, so the practice there may be different. Just to be safe, allow a bit more time than you would for your ordinary domestic flight. Buon viaggio.

See, it depends on which airlines they are flying.

If it's Delta all the way, then they're checking-in at the international check-in counters at ATL. I don't know how busy ATL is early in the afternoon, but I'd give it at least 90 minutes unless they're Skymiles Medallion members. Same procedure if they're taking DL and then connected to a Alitalia (AZ) codeshare.

If they're flying on Continental, then I don't think there's a seperate international counter at ATL. Everybody goes to the same check-in line. The only difference is that they'll look at your passport there, which may add a couple of minutes during check-in. And they may need additional search/check on your luggage. I'd say 60-90 minutes should be okay.

Either of the above ways, they don't need to do anything at EWR, and I believe no security check either, as they'll be on the airside all the time at EWR.

However, if they're flying ATL-EWR and EWR-Italy on seperate tickets, and EWR-FCO is on Alitalia ticket Alitalia plane, then they probably have to check-in again at EWR. That means going out to landside, check-in, and then security again.

Oh, actually, only CO and AZ flies EWR-FCO. DL doesn't fly that route on its own plane.

It's best to call and ask your airline. While nytraveler says that you need to pick up your luggage in Rome and re-check it for the flight to Venice, I don't believe that is necessarily true. When I have had connecting flights in Europe (so far, always on the same airline), my bags have been checked through to the final destination, and the 80 minute layover would be fine under those circumstances.

We're flying Alitalia. All the flights are booked on the same ticket. Actually, it is Delta from Atlanta to Newark, then Alitalia from Newark to Rome, and Air One from Rome to Venice. Returning, it is Alitalia from Rome to Milan, and then Delta from Milan to Atlanta. But they are all booked under one ticket and luggage will be transferred directly.

Thanks everyone!

Just FYI, both Delta and Alitalia use Terminal B at EWR, according to EWR's website. 2 hours 10 minutes mean you'll have a lot of time there.

When I recently flew Continental from PIT to EWR to CDG, I was told that PIT to EWR was considered beginning of international flight and I therefore needed to be at airport at least 2 hrs. ahead of time. It ended up being ample time, of course.

Pleasewe all have the same questions do not feel awkward asking the questions. I'll give my two cents worth here. Security is more about your bags than you. So, the time is taken when your bags are accepted by the first point of contact by the airlines. This is regardles of interanational or domestic. The airlines ask for three hours, the lines take three hours. Once you and your bags are in the sytem then you should be ok. Again, the advice is for the initial entry point to the airline system. Thereafter, the airlines manage the connections based upon their own criteria.

First point of contact with security is crucial ad impacts your time. Thereafter you are in the secure zone and can rely on the Airline's timeframe.

grandmere - There's really no reason for you go to PIT that early. CO has a total of 15 flights a day out of Pittsburgh. 6 Beech (19-seat) to CLE, 4 ERJs/737 to IAH, and 5-6 ERJs to EWR. They really cannot be that busy there with at most 600-700 passengers in the whole day. And your fellow passengers going to EWR won't show up until about 60 minutes before flight, so if you get there 70 minutes before flight, you're already ahead of everybody.

That's why I say it really depends. Some situation, yes, you may need 2-3 hours. Some, you don't. There's no fixed rule.

For example, my family fly IAH-EWR-HKG all the time on CO, and in the winter, the plane leaves IAH at around 6:30am. It will not make sense to go to the airport at 3:30 or even 4:30, as the counters won't even be open, and the security won't people in until about 5:45am. You'll be camping out if you arrive 3 hours early.

Rkkwan, I agree with you completely; it was not necessary to get there that early. I am reporting what CO told me when I called. And it was here in Pgh that I was questioned and my (checked) luggage put through a scanner in front of me before I was allowed to check in to get my boarding pass and before I went through security with my carry on. This was in Mar., not long after a transatlantic CO flight was cancelled (or almost cancelled;I forget end result) en route to TX, I believe. At EWR we just boarded plane, no questions, etc. So, HAD there been a long line, it was at PIT that I'd have needed the 2+ hrs. not EWR.

Suggest you confirm with your airline if you will have to take your luggage through customs in Rome or not until Venice. I have had it happen both ways. But, when transferring planes internationally (in Frankfurt on the way from New York to Venice) we did not have to take luggage through customs since the on-going flight was still international and everyone coming off it had to go through customs. But when the on-going flight was within the same country (New York to Paris and on to Nice) we did have to go through customs in Paris - since most people on the Paris/Nice flight were not flying internatinally the flight did not go through a "customs area".

I would check with your airline on this since if you do need to go through customs 80 minutes in Rome could be a problem.

Just wanted to update everyone on how this turned out. I called both Delta and Alitalia about this issue.

As some of you mentioned, the Atlanta to Newark flight is just standard domestic. We don't have to do any of the international stuff until Newark, which is fine because we have almost a three hour layover there anyway (any good restaurants there?).

Alitalia says that our luggage will be checked through directly to Venice. We will not have to claim it in Rome and do customs there. So the Alitalia service rep assured me that just over an hour would be sufficient for the Rome to Venice connection.

Thank you all for your advice.

Get to the airport in Atlanta EARLY!

You have to stand in line to check in. I stood in line for an hour last May for an international flight and I was in the Elite line. There are seperate lines for international and it was a nightmare! Then you have to thru security. Depending on the time of day that can take a while, especially if you are not an elite flyer.

Even as an elite flyer it took me about 90 minutes.

Before you think I panic easily, I am the world's worst. I got to my local airport 30 minutes before a flight the other day and BARELY made the baggage cutoff. However, I normally fly out of Nashville and the lines move fast here!

I am confused about your feedback from Altilia. They make it sound like you have to pick up your luggage in Newark and recheck. If you are on one ticket you should NOT have to do that, but you will have to check in as an international flyer in Atlanta. (I check in as an international flyer in Nashville even though my first flight is always to someplace else!) Unless you bought two tickets I would plan to check my bags to Venice in Atlanta.

You don't say the day of the week, but that makes a big difference in Atlanta. Friday afternoons are horrid. I understand Monday mornings are actually worse!

CarolA,
Thanks for your comments. I actually fly very often out of both Nashville and Atlanta. You are right - Nashville is a breeze. Have you ever flown out of Huntsville? It is even easier. Atlanta absolutely depends on the day of the week and the time of the day. Weekday mornings are the pits. Late evening is the best there. We are flying out of Atlanta on a Sunday, which shouldn't be horrific. Our flight is just after noon. We will definitely arrive early, even if it is the day after our wedding. We are both anal-retentive people. I even arrive at the Nashville airport two hours early.

International flights from Atlanta do have a different check-in, but since we are flying from Atlanta to Newark, we will just be domestic at that point (not that that helps in Atlanta!).

As for the Alitalia answer, yes, we are checking our bags through in Atlanta, as they are one ticket. Our concern was not about the Newark portion of the trip. The call to Alitalia was prompted by the question of whether or not we would have to claim our baggage and go through customs in Rome before catching our connection to Venice, or if they would be checked straight through to Venice. (We are flying Atlanta to Neward, Newark to Rome, then Rome to Venice).

You should still be using the international check-in line for Delta in Atlanta. That's how all US airlines operate their hub airports, even though your flight to Newark is domestic.