Italian for the airport: check-in, gates and lost bags
Italian airports run on announcements you half understand and signs you have to read fast. These are the phrases for the desk, the gate and the moment your suitcase does not come round, plus the words that look English and are not.
Check-in and baggage
Vorrei fare il check-in per il volo per Palermo.
I'd like to check in for the flight to Palermo.
Ecco il passaporto.
Here's my passport.
Ho una valigia da imbarcare.
I have one suitcase to check in.
Questo è il mio bagaglio a mano.
This is hand luggage.
Quanto costa il bagaglio extra?
How much is the excess baggage?
Potrei avere un posto vicino al corridoio?
Could I have an aisle seat?
Il volo è in orario?
Is the flight on time?
Security, passport control and the gate
Dov'è il controllo di sicurezza?
Where is the security check?
Devo tirare fuori il portatile?
Do I have to take the laptop out?
Dov'è il controllo passaporti?
Where is passport control?
Da quale gate parte il volo?
Which gate does the flight leave from?
Italian boards mostly say gate. Uscita turns up on some signs, but it can also simply mean exit.
Ho una coincidenza per Catania.
I have a connection to Catania.
È iniziato l'imbarco?
Has boarding started?
Non trovo il cartello per il gate.
I can't find the sign for the gate.
When something goes wrong
La mia valigia non è arrivata.
My suitcase didn't arrive.
Dove devo andare per il bagaglio smarrito?
Where do I report lost luggage?
Il volo è cancellato. Quali sono le mie opzioni?
The flight is cancelled. What are my options?
C'è uno sciopero oggi?
Is there a strike today?
Può mettermi sul prossimo volo?
Could you put me on the next flight?
Dove posso richiedere il rimborso IVA?
Where can I claim the VAT refund?
False friend traps
coincidenza looks like coincidence, but means connection, and also coincidence
Ho perso la coincidenza means I missed my connection, and the word covers train and bus connections too. It is not a full false friend: che coincidenza! is exactly what a coincidence is.
cartello looks like cartel, but means sign, and also cartel
Follow the cartelli and you are following the signs. The same word does mean a cartel in the economic or criminal sense, so context decides, and at an airport it is always the signs.
accomodarsi looks like accommodate, but means to sit down, to come through, to make yourself comfortable
Si accomodi is a catch-all polite invitation: take a seat, step this way, make yourself comfortable. It is never an offer of accommodation.
pretendere looks like pretend, but means to demand, to expect
Pretendo una risposta is I demand an answer; non puoi pretendere che is you cannot expect that. To pretend, in the sense of faking, is fingere.
rumore looks like rumour, but means noise
C'è troppo rumore is about the noise in the terminal. A rumour is una voce.
ritirare looks like retire, but means to collect, to pick up
Ritiro bagagli is baggage claim, where you collect your bags. To retire from work is andare in pensione.
FAQ
Common questions
Short answers to what people ask most about this situation.
Do I go through passport control on an Italian domestic flight?
Normally not. Flights within Italy and within the Schengen area have no border passport control, so you go from security straight to the gate, though the airline or the police can still ask for ID. Flights leaving the Schengen area send you through the controllo passaporti.
Do I need to check in online before I get to the airport?
With the low-cost carriers, yes. Ryanair in particular charges a substantial fee to check in at the airport, and the same applies to some Wizz Air fares. Check in online and either print the boarding pass or download it to the app before you leave.
What happens if there's a strike?
Scioperi are announced in advance and published by the transport ministry, and airlines usually rebook affected passengers automatically. Guaranteed time bands, called fasce di garanzia, mean some flights operate anyway. Check your airline's app the evening before you fly.
How do I get from the airport into the city?
The main airports have a direct train: the Leonardo Express from Fiumicino to Roma Termini, and the Malpensa Express to Milano Cadorna or Centrale. Both are faster and more predictable than a taxi, and tickets are bought at the machines in arrivals or in the app.