New York Rome
New York to Rome is an 8-hour flight going east and closer to 10 hours coming home. The jet stream adds 90 minutes on the return, which is worth knowing before you plan a daytime departure.
From JFK, pick between Delta, ITA Airways, and Alaska Airlines. ITA Airways puts their newest aircraft on this route. Rome is home base, and the cabin reflects it. Delta One is the safe choice: lie-flat with direct aisle access on every seat. If the fares are close, ITA is the more interesting flight.
From Newark, United runs daily. If you live in New Jersey or Westchester, the shorter drive to EWR is worth more than having three carriers at JFK.
Every flight lands at Fiumicino, 32 km southwest of the city. The Leonardo Express to Roma Termini takes 32 minutes and runs every 15 minutes. You step off the train in the center of Rome.
Have a specific need? Use the decision guide below to filter by your airline, where you live, lounges, or where you're staying in Rome.
Pick What Matters to You
Best pair by where you're coming from
Best pair by where you're staying in Rome
Which pair your airline flies nonstop
| Airline | JFK–FCO | EWR–FCO |
|---|---|---|
| ITA Airways | ✓ | — |
| Aeromexico | ✓ | — |
| United Airlines | — | ✓ |
| Norse | ✓ | — |
| Delta Air Lines | ✓ | — |
| Alaska Airlines | ✓ | — |
| American Airlines | ✓ | — |
Ranked by on-time performance
Lounge access by airport and terminal
Ranked by flights per week
Getting to the airport
Red-eye vs daytime departures
Premium cabin options
Connecting through New York from a domestic flight
From New York, connecting through a European hub adds three to five hours to an eight-hour nonstop. Four carriers already fly direct from two airports. The connection exists for travelers starting from smaller US cities that lack their own Rome service. From JFK or Newark, a stop in London, Frankfurt, or Paris is extra time for no gain. The one exception: award availability. If nonstop business class is sold out on miles, a European hub sometimes opens seats the direct route does not.
New York & Rome Airport Profiles
Each airport has a personality. Terminal quality, transit access, lounge scene, and crowd levels vary dramatically — sometimes more than the flight itself.
New York Metro
JFK spreads across four active passenger terminals connected by the AirTrain, and walking between them is not an option. Terminal 1 is the old international building. Terminal 4 is the largest, handling most international carriers. Terminal 5 is the former TWA terminal, now JetBlue's home, with the mid-century curves still intact. Terminal 8 belongs to American and British Airways.
The terminal you depart from depends entirely on your airline. Security wait times vary between them. Terminal 4 tends to be the slowest during evening international departures. Terminal 8 has improved since the co-location of its two main carriers. The TWA Hotel sits adjacent to Terminal 5 if you need to sleep before an early departure or after a late arrival.
JFK feels enormous because it is. Budget extra time for the AirTrain if you are connecting between terminals or arriving by subway. The AirTrain loop takes 10 to 15 minutes end to end.
Newark Liberty has three terminals, and Terminal A opened as a full rebuild in 2023. The old Terminal A was demolished and replaced, and the difference is dramatic. Terminal C is United's hub, massive and busy, with most international flights departing from here. Terminal B handles most other carriers.
The AirTrain connects all three terminals and the NJ Transit / Amtrak rail station. Unlike JFK, the terminals are closer together and the AirTrain loop is faster. Security at Terminal C can back up during afternoon and evening international departures.
The airport sits in New Jersey, around 10 miles from Manhattan. That proximity is deceptive because the drive crosses the Hudson via the Newark Bay or Lincoln Tunnel, and both can be brutal during peak hours. NJ Transit from Penn Station is the more reliable option.
Rome Metro
Fiumicino sits on the coast twenty miles southwest of central Rome. Terminal 3 handles most long-haul international flights, including all nonstops from New York. The airport has four terminals spread across a wide footprint, and the walking distances between them are long enough to factor into your timing if you are connecting between flights.
The Leonardo Express train platform is inside the airport, connected to Terminal 3 by a covered walkway. You clear customs, follow signs for the train, and you are on a platform within ten minutes. The 32-minute ride to Roma Termini is the default exit. Early morning arrivals are congested: every US East Coast red-eye lands in the same window, and immigration queues can run 20 to 40 minutes before you reach the train.
Food and shopping inside the international arrivals area are limited. Once past customs, the landside opens up. If you are departing, Terminal 3 airside has enough restaurants and shops to fill a long wait, though nothing you would cross town for.
Ciampino is the smaller of Rome's two airports, nine miles southeast of the city center. No transatlantic service operates here. The airport handles European low-cost carriers and charter flights, with a single terminal building that feels more like a regional bus depot than an international airport.
The terminal is compact enough that you can walk from the entrance to the gate in five minutes. There are no jet bridges: you walk across the tarmac to board. Security is fast because the passenger volume is low compared to Fiumicino. If you are arriving on a European budget flight and connecting to a transatlantic departure, you need to get yourself to Fiumicino separately, which is a trip across the city.
Which Airlines Fly Which Pairs
Not all planes are the same size. The aircraft type below each checkmark tells you whether you are getting a widebody (777, 787, A350) with wider seats and a quieter ride, or a narrowbody (737, A321) with a single aisle. On flights over five hours, the difference is significant.
787-9
330, A330neo
A330-300
767-400, 777-300ER
787-8
787
787-9