Layover time U.S. to F.C.O.

[Anyislandwilldo]

Looking to book a flight to FCO (Rome) for our upcoming cruise.  I understand that if we make flight arrangements with connecting flights, we have to go pick up our luggage and go through customs to get to our connecting flight.  I'm looking at all sorts of carriers and see multitudes of different layover times.  Some have 1 1/2 hr layover time.  Do these carries allow so little time to pick up your luggage and go through customs to get to the your connecting flight?  Or is it really that easy?  Help!!  Does this also apply to connecting flights in Canada??  Thanks.

[cruisemom42]

1 minute ago, Anyislandwilldo said:

Looking to book a flight to FCO (Rome) for our upcoming cruise.  I understand that if we make flight arrangements with connecting flights, we have to go pick up our luggage and go through customs to get to our connecting flight.  I'm looking at all sorts of carriers and see multitudes of different layover times.  Some have 1 1/2 hr layover time.  Do these carries allow so little time to pick up your luggage and go through customs to get to the your connecting flight?  Or is it really that easy?  Help!!  Does this also apply to connecting flights in Canada??  Thanks.

 

Might be a better question for the Cruise Air forum here:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/77-cruise-air/

 

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, Anyislandwilldo said:

Looking to book a flight to FCO (Rome) for our upcoming cruise.  I understand that if we make flight arrangements with connecting flights, we have to go pick up our luggage and go through customs to get to our connecting flight.  I'm looking at all sorts of carriers and see multitudes of different layover times.  Some have 1 1/2 hr layover time.  Do these carries allow so little time to pick up your luggage and go through customs to get to the your connecting flight?  Or is it really that easy?  Help!!  Does this also apply to connecting flights in Canada??  Thanks.

OK, yes, Cruise Air would be the better place for this.

 

And, a ton more clarity would be helpful.  For example, going TO Europe, it's unlikely at ANY time you will have to claim your luggage, go through Customs and recheck, unless you are flying two different airlines that don't have any relationship. You WILL go through Passport Check ( Europe's name for Immigration).

 

So, to prevent any further confusion, please be more specific in your options. In any case, Customs is your lowest concern going. You will have to do it coming home.

[edinburgher]

1 hour ago, CruiserBruce said:

I understand that if we make flight arrangements with connecting flights, we have to go pick up our luggage and go through customs to get to our connecting flight. 

Flying TO Europe, your luggage is normally checked all the way through to your destination airport if using one carrier for the entire journey (and this applies to code share airlines too, eg airlines such as Air France, KLM and others in the same alliance where one sector is with one of them and the second or third with a different one) Your luggage will normally have a different(speedy)  tag if the connection is fairly short.  This means it is often amongst the last to be loaded at departure airport and should be amongst first off at the connecting airport ready for transfer to the next flight.  Simpler yes, but slightly stressful too in case one arrives at destination and one does not.  As many of our flights involve connections we usually cross pack, each having half clothing  in each suitcase just in case.

 

It is simpler than the US way of claiming, rechecking in etc.

 

 

Edited March 17 by edinburgher

[euro cruiser]

In decades of flying to Europe the only time I had to collect and re-check luggage en-route was when I flew through Switzerland on two different tickets.  That was just a dumb purchase on my part, anytime you buy through tickets, even with a connection, your luggage will be checked through to your final destination.

 

Coming back to the States you must claim your luggage at the first stop in the US, if you're going on from there you have to recheck.

[CruiserBruce]

@edinburgher, you quoted the wrong person.

[CruiserBruce]

2 minutes ago, euro cruiser said:

In decades of flying to Europe the only time I had to collect and re-check luggage en-route was when I flew through Switzerland on two different tickets.  That was just a dumb purchase on my part, anytime you buy through tickets, even with a connection, your luggage will be checked through to your final destination. Which is what I described above.

 

Coming back to the States you must claim your luggage at the first stop in the US, if you're going on from there you have to recheck.

Coming back you won't have to do Immigration and Customs at your first US touch if you go through a pre-clearance airport in Europe (like Dublin) or Canada (like Toronto).

 

Again, the OP needs to be much clearer in their options.

[edinburgher]

4 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

 you quoted the wrong person.

I thought I quoted the OP, Anyislandwill do,( lines 1,2 and 3 of post #1) Whom did I mistakenly quote?

Edited March 17 by edinburgher

[CruiserBruce]

Just now, edinburgher said:

I thought I quoted the OP, Anyislandwill do,( lines 1,2 and 3 of post #1) Whom did I mistakenly quote?

Me. In post #4. I have been to Europe dozens of times...I am fully aware of how Passport checks, Customs and connections work in Europe.

[edinburgher]

3 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Me. In post #4.

In that case, my apologies as it seems important to you.  An "oops" moment probably as tired and heading to .zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Edited March 17 by edinburgher

[CCWineLover]

We just recently flew from SFO to FCO with a connection in LIS.   (TAP Airlines).

In Lisbon, we did NOT have to claim our luggage at baggage claim.

We did have to go through a short customs line before getting on the connecting flight to Rome.  We allowed 3 hours and likely 2hours would have been OK, but we felt better in case the US-Europe flight had gotten delayed.

[CruiserBruce]

19 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

We just recently flew from SFO to FCO with a connection in LIS.   (TAP Airlines).

In Lisbon, we did NOT have to claim our luggage at baggage claim.

We did have to go through a short customs line before getting on the connecting flight to Rome.  We allowed 3 hours and likely 2hours would have been OK, but we felt better in case the US-Europe flight had gotten delayed.

No, it was an Immigration or Security line, not Customs. 

[euro cruiser]

Yes, when flying to Europe from the US you will go through passport control at the first place you land, but that's it.  No luggage involved.  For that matter, there really isn't a "customs" check even when you get to your final destination and collect your luggage.  In Italy you just walk out through the line that says "nothing to declare".  That's all there is to it.

[CCWineLover]

12 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

No, it was an Immigration or Security line, not Customs. 

You absolutely right.  I used the wrong "word".  It was officially called "Passport Control".  They ask you where you came from, where you are going, when you are leaving and examine your documents, picture and name.   I stand corrected.  Customs is not the right "word".   Sometimes it is quite a long line and sometimes not so much.  Depends on how many planes have just landed so it is hard to predict.  I've had it take 90 minutes to get through to a connecting flights and I've had it a couple minutes.  That is why you need to allow time for your connecting flight.

[alserrod]

17 hours ago, Anyislandwilldo said:

Looking to book a flight to FCO (Rome) for our upcoming cruise.  I understand that if we make flight arrangements with connecting flights, we have to go pick up our luggage and go through customs to get to our connecting flight.  I'm looking at all sorts of carriers and see multitudes of different layover times.  Some have 1 1/2 hr layover time.  Do these carries allow so little time to pick up your luggage and go through customs to get to the your connecting flight?  Or is it really that easy?  Help!!  Does this also apply to connecting flights in Canada??  Thanks.

 

In addition, remember Italy belongs the the Schengen treaty. For that reason, if you come from any other Schengen country (all EU except Ireland plus some other countries) you will NOT have any kind of passport control. It will run as a domestic flight.

 

Passport is checked when entering into Schengen area, not when entering into Italy.