Our Review of Rome Airport (FCO)

Our Review of Rome Airport (FCO)

At Plan Your Trips, we have analyzed hundreds of airports around the world, gaining a clear understanding of what users expect when visiting an airport. With this know-how, we have created this guide, placing passengers at the forefront of everything, aiming to simplify and enhance the airport experience.

In this Guide, our goal is to present information in a manner that is both quick and reliable. Recognizing that passengers often have limited time and may be in a hurry, we strive to ensure that they do not waste time unnecessarily.

Another key focus of our guide is to highlight the strengths of the airport and also the weaknesses, and in some cases, offer recommendations to travelers. In alignment with this approach, we provide users with aggregated information on delays and on-time performance, analyzing both airlines and individual flights.

Pros and Cons of Rome Airport (FCO)

PROS

Location: Rome Fiumicino Airport is located 35 kilometers southwest of the city center. Travelers may easily access it because of its strong train, bus, and road connections to the city.

Modern and Clean Facilities: The airport has a lot of modern amenities, such as lots of stores, eateries, and lounges. With features like meeting rooms and VIP services, it accommodates both pleasure and business tourists.

Efficiency: Except during periods of high travel demand, the airport is known for its effective luggage handling and rather quick security check wait times.

Transportation Options: The Leonardo Express train, regional trains, buses, and taxis are just a few of the ways that FCO provides transportation to and from the airport.

Disabled Access: Infrastructures dedicated to passengers with reduced mobility (desks with easy access, priority for security and passport controls, etc.).

 

CONS

Crowding During Peak Times: Even with recent improvements, during the peak travel seasons, the airport may get busy, which can result in lengthier wait times and a potentially unpleasant experience.

Terminal Connectivity: Although few terminals are interconnected, all the terminals are not connected to each other. Passengers need to use shuttle buses for terminal transfers, which can add to transit times.

Immigration Queues: Long lines at immigration have been a major problem; delays have been reported during periods of high travel demand.

Seasonal Overcrowding: During the busiest travel seasons, Fiumicino is severely congested, which causes lines to get longer and the place to become increasingly crowded.

Mini-Guide of the Airport (2' Guide)

There are 4 terminals: Terminal 1, Terminal 2, Terminal 3, and Terminal 5. It consists of four passenger terminals, although nowadays only Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 are operative.

Transport to and from Rome: Rome’s city center is easily accessible from Fiumicino Airport with the Leonardo Express train, local trains, taxis, public transportation, and private transfer services. To get to Termini Station, use the Leonardo Express, which is a reliable and straightforward alternative that takes around 30 minutes.

Check-in Areas:

Terminal 1: The check-in area is located on the first floor, offering a spacious environment with access to boarding gates B1 to B30 and B14-23 to B27-30.

Terminal 3: The check-in area is located on the departure level.

Terminal 5: It has just a single floor with 3 entrances for Arrivals, Departures and Check-in, with check-in desks 501-520, 521-535 and 536-550.

Shopping and Dining: Each terminal houses the main shopping and dining area, with a wide variety of shops, restaurants, and cafes. The area includes duty-free shops, luxury brands, and various dining options to cater to different tastes and preferences.

Family-Friendly: Fiumicino Airport is accommodative for families, offering children’s play areas, baby-changing facilities, and family-friendly restrooms. Both Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 have dedicated spaces for families to ensure a comfortable experience.

Lounges: The airport has a number of lounges, including the Plaza Premium Lounge and others, which are located in Terminals 1 and 3. Before their flights, travelers can relax in these lounges with food, drinks, cozy seats, and a calm atmosphere.

Tips for Travelers: Always check your terminal before arriving at the airport, especially if you need to transfer between terminals. Utilize the Leonardo Express for a quick and efficient transfer to the city center. For families, make use of the dedicated facilities to ensure a smoother journey.

How we calculate On Time Performance

On various pages of our website, you will encounter a metric widely utilized in aviation and other forms of transportation known as OTP (On Time Performance). We believe that providing this metric assists passengers in planning their trips and exploring alternatives before purchasing their flight tickets.

We calculate the On Time Performance for all flights and airlines, when we have enough data to do so. In certain instances, it may not be feasible to accurately compute the On-Time Performance for a specific flight or airline due to inadequate or non-representative data, which could result in misleading conclusions.

Our calculation of On Time Performance and delay information solely relies on arrival times. This approach is chosen over calculating departure delays, as we consider arrival punctuality to be of primary concern to passengers.

The On Time Performance displayed on our website is calculated as follows:

• On Time: Flights that arrive within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time, or earlier. In the absence of data for a specific flight, we assume the flight arrives on time, to avoid penalizing airlines for data unavailability.
• Moderate Delay: Flights that arrive with a delay of 15 to 30 minutes.
• Significant Delay: Flights that arrive with a delay of 30 to 60 minutes.
• Major Delay: Flights that arrive with a delay exceeding 60 minutes.
• Average Delay: The average delay is calculated by considering flights that arrive early as having a delay of 0 minutes. Early arrivals do not contribute to reducing the average delay calculation

Some Stats

Annual Passengers Evolution

Airlines with more flight operations (last 3 months)

Airlines with best on-time performance at Rome Airport (last 3 months)

Routes with more flights from Rome Airport (last month)