We are flying to Rome from Toronto on Thursday - currently flight is at 6:50 p.m.. We plan to check-in on line and hope one of us is not pre-selected for additional screening (it happens a lot and you can't check-in) - and there is noting suspicious about either of us. Can you check-in line?
Even if we are successful in checking in on-line Wed. night we still plan to be at Pearson at least 3 hours before the flight - we will be checking luggage. Toronto does not have a train to the airport and all it would take would be one accident (and then there is the highway construction) - and rush hour. I have seen the horrors of traffic to the airport when on a return flight.
I think you might be in the rush hour predicament for the morning flight as well, depending on how far a trip it is to the airport. In our case, there is only one direct flight a day to Rome and it is pretty full. I do not want either of us to be sent via Montreal because Montreal to Rome has been Rouged.
Some people like to cut it really close - but there are conditions beyond your control. So if you can get there early - then that will be one less worry.
For your return trip, remember to allow extra time for the T5 terminal - plus checking in at the Rome airport can be pretty mind boggling on its own.