Originally Posted by
Joanna2360
Mainly, though, the issue is not just traffic (once I waited in traffic on the way to FCO because of an accident on the divided highway, and the wait was almost an hour).
Originally Posted by
upgradeluvr
The (Westin) Excelsior is close to Termini station, which is the point of origin for the Leonardo Express nonstop train service to Fiumicino Airport. AM traffic in Rome is dreadful, as I personally experienced on Wednesday morning (Dec 17, 2014). I advise the OP to consider train service in lieu of a taxi, which costs €50 and will certainly take longer to reach FCO. A one-way ticket on the Leonardo Express is €14...and it's 30 minutes to FCO airport.
The Westin Excelsior is not really near the Termini, it's a 20 minute walk. Taking a cab to Termini, then a train to the airport, is not going to save time if you leave early enough for a morning flight. I mentioned what time I'd be in the car for an 8:50 departure. It would be way before the traffic starts. A cab from central Rome in the early morning hours is rarely more than 35 minutes to the airport door to door, 40 minutes tops, and you have the streets and highway to yourself.
There's no way you can take a cab from the Westin to Termini, wait for the Leonardo Express to take you to the airport, and beat me leaving from the Westin in a cab straight for the airport at the time I would leave for an 8:50 flight. Since it's a 5-10 minute cab ride to Termini, and the Leonardo Express leaves every 30 minutes, it could be 40 minutes before you even depart, then it's a 30 minute train ride. I'd have already arrived in a private car and be in the lounge. I wouldn't take a car during rush hour, but rush hour on the Leonardo Express is no picnic either. It's crowded, and unless your standing there when the doors open you won't get a seat and may be standing all the way. Why not just leave early and enjoy the lounge?
As far as crashes on the highway and getting stuck in a jam, a paralyzing crash in the early morning hours is less common than having the train system go on strike. The Leonardo Express guarantees that they run even in the event of a strike. How does it run in the event of a strike? They put you on their bus.
The LE is great, I use it all the time, but if I'm leaving my hotel at 6AM I'd have a car waiting and have it take me straight to the airport in 30-35 minutes, not downtown to wait for a train.