Munich to Rome or Florence

[NCteacherlovescruising]

We booked a direct flight from Charlotte to Munich with miles. We need to book a connecting flight (is that the proper term?) to either Florence or Rome. How much time should we allow between flights? 

[JM0115]

1 minute ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

We booked a direct flight from Charlotte to Munich with miles. We need to book a connecting flight (is that the proper term?) to either Florence or Rome. How much time should we allow between flights? 

I’d say 2-3 hrs. Especially if checking bags as you will have to retrieve them in Munich.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

32 minutes ago, JM0115 said:

I’d say 2-3 hrs. Especially if checking bags as you will have to retrieve them in Munich.

Thanks!  We will definitely have checked luggage.  

[Globaliser]

26 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

We booked a direct flight from Charlotte to Munich with miles. We need to book a connecting flight (is that the proper term?) to either Florence or Rome. How much time should we allow between flights? 

 

No, it's not the proper term. This is because the Munich to Florence/Rome ticket will (on the basis of what you say) be a separate ticket. That means that technically, you are ending one journey at Munich and then starting a completely separate journey there that has nothing to do with your first journey. In contrast, if you have a through ticket for Charlotte-Munich-Florence/Rome, you are then truly connecting at Munich.

 

This has practical consequences. Most importantly, if your Charlotte to Munich flight is late and you miss your Munich to Florence/Rome flight, then you've missed it and the airline won't be obliged to do anything for you (in the same way as if you'd simply overslept in Munich and missed that flight). In contrast, if you are connecting at Munich and you misconnect there because your first flight is late, the airline is legally obliged to reaccommodate you on an alternative flight(s) to get you to Florence/Rome.

 

Depending on your attitude to risk and on what the consequences are of missing the second flight, you may therefore want to be more generous with the time between flights. And you will (as JM0115 rightly says) very probably have to clear immigration, collect your bags, clear customs (usually a formality), and then check in for the second flight before the time that check-in closes.

[JM0115]

Just now, NCteacherlovescruising said:

Thanks!  We will definitely have checked luggage.  

If you stick yo one alliance, like Star Alliance (United, Lufthansa) you MAY be able to check the bags all the way through.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

3 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

 

No, it's not the proper term. This is because the Munich to Florence/Rome ticket will (on the basis of what you say) be a separate ticket. That means that technically, you are ending one journey at Munich and then starting a completely separate journey there that has nothing to do with your first journey. In contrast, if you have a through ticket for Charlotte-Munich-Florence/Rome, you are then truly connecting at Munich.

 

Thanks!  We are frequent flyers.

 

3 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

This has practical consequences. Most importantly, if your Charlotte to Munich flight is late and you miss your Munich to Florence/Rome flight, then you've missed it and the airline won't be obliged to do anything for you (in the same way as if you'd simply overslept in Munich and missed that flight). In contrast, if you are connecting at Munich and you misconnect there because your first flight is late, the airline is legally obliged to reaccommodate you on an alternative flight(s) to get you to Florence/Rome.

 

I get this.  We got a much better deal on premium economy with our miles flying to Munich, rather than direct to Rome.  

3 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

Depending on your attitude to risk and on what the consequences are of missing the second flight, you may therefore want to be more generous with the time between flights. And you will (as JM0115 rightly says) very probably have to clear immigration, collect your bags, clear customs (usually a formality), and then check in for the second flight before the time that check-in closes.

What would you consider more generous?  Global Entry only helps us in the US, right?

 

3 minutes ago, JM0115 said:

If you stick yo one alliance, like Star Alliance (United, Lufthansa) you MAY be able to check the bags all the way through.

No, were flying to Munich on AA.  

[CruiserBruce]

15 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

 

Thanks!  We are frequent flyers.

 

 

I get this.  We got a much better deal on premium economy with our miles flying to Munich, rather than direct to Rome.  

What would you consider more generous?  Global Entry only helps us in the US, right?

 

No, were flying to Munich on AA.  

Global Entry will only help you enter the US.

 

The other advice you have received...allowing 2 or 3 hours, is solid. The only thing I can add is MUC one of the best designed and most efficient airports in Euope. However,  as mentioned,  if your inbound flight is delayed or canceled,  you are out a lot.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

26 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Global Entry will only help you enter the US.

 

The other advice you have received...allowing 2 or 3 hours, is solid. The only thing I can add is MUC one of the best designed and most efficient airports in Euope. However,  as mentioned,  if your inbound flight is delayed or canceled,  you are out a lot.

Perhaps we would be better off canceling that flight and booking Charlotte to Rome.  I see a flight we have enough miles for Premium Economy that is CLT-EWR, with a 13h 29m layover, JFK-Rome.  Is there anything close enough to the airports we could do without spending a whole day just hanging out at the airport?  DH isn't interested in that.  lol  There's another option with a 6+ hr layover.

Edited February 24 by NCteacherlovescruising

[waterbug123]

21 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

Perhaps we would be better off canceling that flight and booking Charlotte to Rome.  I see a flight we have enough miles for Premium Economy that is CLT-EWR, with a 13h 29m layover, JFK-Rome.  Is there anything close enough to the airports we could do without spending a whole day just hanging out at the airport?  DH isn't interested in that.  lol  There's another option with a 6+ hr layover.

 

So the Premium economy flight gets into EWR but then departs out of JFK?  I believe you will have to collect your bags at EWR and re-check in at JFK.  So a good chunk of time will be taken up just getting bags, getting transportation, getting out to JFK and checking in again.  If your flight is in the summer, I'd look at maybe booking a time slot at the rooftop pool at the TWA Hotel at JFK.  That was our plan to kill time during a long JFK layover last June. Ultimately our plan fell through because our inbound flight was extremely delayed but it could be an option for you. 

[NCteacherlovescruising]

13 minutes ago, waterbug123 said:

 

So the Premium economy flight gets into EWR but then departs out of JFK?  I believe you will have to collect your bags at EWR and re-check in at JFK.  So a good chunk of time will be taken up just getting bags, getting transportation, getting out to JFK and checking in again.  If your flight is in the summer, I'd look at maybe booking a time slot at the rooftop pool at the TWA Hotel at JFK.  That was our plan to kill time during a long JFK layover last June. Ultimately our plan fell through because our inbound flight was extremely delayed but it could be an option for you. 

Thanks, but we found one that goes Clt-JFK, JFK-Rome with a 6 hour layover.  We just had to keep scrolling down to find it. And i totally spaced it that we have lounge access with my husband’s chase sapphire reserve card.