When traveling from DC to Rome, what are the safest cities for connection flights?

Question

single mom traveling with 10 yr old

Answer 1

I've connected through various cities in Europe, and by far my favorite is Amsterdam, followed closely by Copenhagen.  Heathrow--yeah, they speak English, but the layout of this massive airport is not user-friendly, with various queues for additional security screenings, it can take a very long time to connect there.  Amsterdam--everyone speaks English very well, and the airport is very easy to navigate.  However, that said, I'd only go for connections through AMS or CPH if price was the same, or cheaper, vs. the other places mentioned.  If a connection through Munich was cheaper (which it is currently, $577rt), I'd connect there, and wouldn't expect any problems.  Nonstop would be easiest, but there currently are not any nonstop flights between WAS (Dulles or BWI) and Rome.  You also could connect just once through Newark, JFK, Atlanta, or Philadelphia however.

On closer inspection, there looks like there is a nonstop flight from Dulles to Rome on Mondays and Wednesdays currently, operated by Ethiopian Airlines.  Price is $2339rt.  Airlines sometimes have a mid-way stop on routes from their home bases to the USA, and that's what this flight appears to be, DC-Rome-Addis.

Answer 2

Is the interior of an airport when changing planes ever particularly unsafe?  It's not like you'l be out sightseeing on your 2 hour layover.  I say book whatever is cheapest or has the least amount of layover time.  It won't really matter where you change planes.  

Personally, my favorite airport in Europe is Munich.  Very safe.  Very clean.  Very organized.  Virtually everyone speaks English and most of the announcements and signs are done in both German and English.  But, if you fly from Dulles, you should probably be able to connect in NY or at Newark and then fly straight to Rome.  Paris CDG is probably my least favorite, closely following Rome itself.  CDG is quite confusing and with the current construction, can be a nightmare.  

Arriving in Rome, if you are planning on taking a cab, be sure to only take one of the authorized cabs that have the city medallion on the side.  And get a price before you step foot in the cab.  

When you fly back, no matter what your connection city is, be sure to allow 3 hours at the airport in Rome.  I found that the travelers had no concept of a line or waiting their turn. creating chaos.  With only 1 or 2 agents working a flight to check people in, unreliable equipment, huge security lines, it took over 2 hours to get to our gate for an EU flight.  By comparison, in Munich, it took *maybe* 30 minutes.  

Have a safe trip!

Answer 3

from DC to Rome you should be able to get a direct flight with no connections. its about a 71/2 hour flight but its usually a night flight so you should be able to sleep a bit.

Answer 4

I wouldn't call any of the connection cities "unsafe," especially since if you're just making a connection you won't even leave the airport...

However, I'd suggest London, as you'll have the easiest time with the language there.  While Paris, Brussels, Frankfurt, etc. all have people working in the airports that speak English, they can sometimes be hard to find -- in London it's a given.

All of the cities I mentioned have modern, clean, efficient airports -- and all of those cities have lower crime rates than any big US city, so I don't think you have anything to worry about.  I've also been to all of them (including Rome), and loved every one of them :)  Have a fun and safe flight!