The Italy Airport Trap: What Budget Airlines Don't Tell You
That cheap flight to Milan or Rome might not be as cheap as you think. Here is what budget airline airports in Italy actually cost you.
That £25 flight to Milan you found on Skyscanner is not a flight to Milan.
It's a flight to Bergamo. A city in a different province, 50 kilometres north of Milan, connected to the centre by a bus that costs €6 to €10, takes 50 to 60 minutes in good traffic, and drops you at a metro station you still need to navigate.
By the time you land, clear baggage, take the bus, take the metro, and arrive at your hotel, you've spent up to €30 and two hours. On the way back, add another €10 and another 90 minutes, because you need to be at Bergamo airport 2 hours before departure and the bus runs on a schedule that doesn't care about your stress levels.
That's up to €20 in ground transport alone. Before you've touched a single checked bag fee.
This is how budget airlines work. And Italy is one of the worst countries in Europe for it, because the gap between what the airline calls the city and where the plane actually lands is enormous. The transfer costs are high enough to erase everything you saved.
Here is every airport in Italy where this happens, and what it actually costs you.
Milan Bergamo (BGY)
Marketed as "Milan" on Ryanair, easyJet, and Wizz Air.
Orio al Serio airport sits 50 km from Milan city centre. There is no direct train connection. Your options are the shuttle bus (€6 to €10 each way via Terravision or Flibco, 50 to 60 minutes depending on traffic), a private transfer (€70 to €90), or a taxi (€110 to €120 fixed rate).
Round trip on the shuttle: €12 to €20. Add baggage fees. One 10kg cabin bag that won't fit under the seat costs €6 to €36 each way on Ryanair depending on when you add it and which route you're on. Add it last-minute or at the airport: up to €60 each way.
A couple each needing a cabin bag, booking mid-range, adds €80 to €120 in bag fees on top of €20 in ground transport. You're well past €100 before you've seen a single canal.
The alternative: Fly into Milan Malpensa (MXP). The Malpensa Express train costs €15 and takes 51 minutes to Milano Centrale. Direct. No traffic. No shuttle schedule. No €120 taxi panic when you miss the last bus.
Do the full calculation before you book. The €29 Bergamo flight plus bags plus ground transport often costs more than a direct Malpensa flight. And it costs you an extra 2 hours of your trip each way.
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Rome Ciampino (CIA)
Marketed as "Rome" on Ryanair.
Ciampino is 15 km from the centre. There is no direct metro. The shuttle bus to Termini costs €6 to €7 and takes 40 to 60 minutes depending on traffic. Then you still need the metro or a taxi to your hotel.
The official fixed taxi fare from Ciampino to central Rome (inside the Aurelian Walls) is €40. Outside the terminal, unlicensed drivers will quote you €60 to €80. Accept only white licensed taxis and look for the official taxi stand, not drivers approaching you inside the terminal.
The alternative: Rome Fiumicino (FCO) has the Leonardo Express. €14, 32 minutes, straight to Termini. No traffic. No shuttle uncertainty.
Venice Treviso (TSF)
Marketed as "Venice" on Ryanair.
This is the worst one, because the gap between the marketed city and the actual destination is the most dramatic.
Treviso airport is 30 km from Venice. The direct Terravision and Flibco buses to Tronchetto or Mestre cost €10 each way and take about 40 minutes. The ATVO bus to Piazzale Roma costs €12. Either way: round trip is €20 to €24, and you still haven't crossed the lagoon.
You are not landing near Venice. You are landing near Treviso. Treviso is a beautiful city. But if you booked a "Venice" flight and end up there, you have 40 to 60 minutes of ground transport and €20 or more in bus fees before you see a single canal.
The alternative: Venice Marco Polo (VCE) is the actual Venice airport, 13 km from the city centre. The water bus to San Marco costs €15, but it arrives directly in the lagoon, which is one of the great airport arrivals in the world. The land bus to Piazzale Roma costs €8 and takes 25 minutes.
Flying early? Don't risk the traffic. Stay minutes from the terminal with park & fly packages included.
Pisa
Marketed as "Florence" on every budget airline.
Pisa airport is pushed relentlessly as a Florence gateway. The train from Pisa Centrale to Florence Santa Maria Novella takes 55 to 80 minutes and costs €9 to €15. The station is a 10 minute walk from the airport.
That's workable. But most tourists who land at Pisa don't know this. They see "Tuscany" on the boarding pass and assume Florence is nearby. It's 80 km away. Factor in the full transfer time and you're looking at 90 minutes and €20 to reach your Florence hotel from landing.
Bologna
Bologna Guglielmo Marconi is the one exception to all of this. It has a direct People Mover train to Bologna Centrale for €3.50 that takes 7 minutes.
If Ryanair offers you a cheap Bologna flight, take it. The ground connection is genuinely excellent.
The Checked Bag Trap
This is separate from the airport problem, but it compounds it.
Ryanair includes one personal item in the base fare. A small bag that fits under the seat in front of you, maximum 40x30x20 cm. That fits almost nothing. Certainly not a week's worth of clothes for Italy in summer.
The next size up, a 10 kg cabin bag for the overhead locker, requires the Priority add-on. Cost: €6 to €36 each way if added at booking. €20 to €60 if added later. Both ways. Every person.
A family of four, each needing a cabin bag, adds €48 to €288 in luggage fees to a "budget" flight that advertised itself at €25 per person. The range is that wide depending on when you book and the route.
ITA Airways, British Airways, Lufthansa, and Air France all include a checked bag in their standard fare. The headline price looks higher. The total cost, once you add a real bag and real airport connectivity, is often lower.
The Actual Calculation Before You Book
Before you click purchase on any Italian budget flight, add the following:
Bag fees (each way, each person, added at booking)
Ground transport from the airport to your actual destination (each way)
Time cost: budget flights typically depart at 6am or arrive at 11pm, which means a taxi instead of public transport, or an extra hotel night
If that total is within €30 to €40 of a flight into the main airport, take the main airport flight. You will arrive less exhausted, closer to where you're going, with more of your trip intact.
The €29 flight exists to get you through the checkout screen. The real price is assembled piece by piece, after you've already committed.
Now you know how to read it.
Written by
Which Terminal