Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (FCO); travel for son

[Gillaspiewoods]

My son (mid 20’s; intelligent) is traveling with a friend in Europe this fall. They are trying to determine where to fly home from and asked about FCO. I haven’t flown in/out of there in several decades. For those of you who have traveled recently, is it generally manageable for the uninitiated? They’ve also asked about CDG in Paris, which isn’t an airport I’m in deep love with. Thanks in advance for your thoughts/experiences.

 

[GailS]

My last experience with FCO was flying in and out in January of 2020. We found it perfectly manageable and better than earlier experiences where luggage collection took forever. We took a private shuttle between our apartment in Rome and FCO so can't comment on other means of getting to/from. I've had lots of experience with connections in CDG since Sabena folded in 2001 and we migrated to Air France / KLM as our favored airline partners. CDG has improved a lot since we started travelling through - often to Italy. It still seems to be hit or miss if you need to go through security screening with a connecting flight into Europe (seems to be related to what gate you arrive at) and passport control lines can be a bit long. Leaving Europe is better with no re-screening when connecting from another European airport. Signage is good so it is not hard to navigate, but it is large and if you have a connecting flight expect a long walk.

 

[JMichael]

Flew out of FCO last October. Dropping the rental car was a breeze as was security. Had a pretty good lunch before security, many more food options airside. You do have to run the merchandise gauntlet to get to the gates but stay focused on why you're there. If checking a bag, it will of coarse depend on the airline. If he'll be in Rome, I understand the Leonardo Express is a great way to get to the airport.

Last time we arrived at CDG was April 2022. No complaints. In the past, we took the RER into Paris, but this time hired a driver. He met us as we left baggage claim. It was great being delivered directly to our apartment in the 6th without any hassles.