Yesterday, a package from ITA Airways arrived at my home that I was not expecting. I was pleasantly surprised with the contents. A Package From ITA Airways Arrived In The Mail Yesterday A few months ago I did a...
New Flight Attendant Uniforms For Italian Flag Carrier (Again?)
While Air France and British Airways have kept flight attendant uniforms relatively stable for nearly two decades, the Italian flag carrier has gone through a trio of changes in just six years. Maybe the uniform was never the problem...
Oops: Both ITA Airways Pilots Fall Asleep On New York – Rome A330 Flight
Mi dispiace! An extended silence from the flight deck onboard an ITA Airways Airbus A330 flight to Rome suggests that both on-duty pilots took a little pisolino onboard. On-Duty ITA Airways Pilots Fall Asleep In Cockpit During New York –...
ITA Airways Launches “Superior Class” On Domestic Flights
Italian flag carrier ITA Airways, the successor to Alitalia, has introduced “Superior Class” on domestic flights, a business class product its predecessor also offered. ITA Airways Superior Class Available On Domestic Flights ITA Airways has launched a domestic business...
I’m Shedding Crocodile Tears For Ex-Alitalia Flight Attendants Staging Protests In Rome
Don’t mistake my crocodile tears for a complete lack of empathy. I understand how hard it is to lose what you have worked so long and hard to build…and yet at the same time, I don’t know what the...
A New Italian Airline Is Born: Alitalia Is Dead. Long Live ITA?
State-owned Alitalia has finally relaunched under a new name that doesn’t have Alitalia in it. The new airline is called ITA (Italia Trasporti Aereo). But don’t worry nostalgic ones, Alitalia won’t be disappearing. Alitalia Is Now ITA Ironically, the...
Italy Faces European Union Scrutiny For Alitalia Loan (Again…)
Italy is under scrutiny again from the European Union over its latest bailout to Alitalia. The Chamber of Deputies, Italy’s lower house, approved a 400 million Euro bailout in late January after the Senate approved the measure in December....
Alitalia Cuts Two Routes, Ditches 777-300ER And A330-200s
Beleaguered Italian carrier Alitalia may have outlasted Air Italy, but it continues to struggle. Now it will cut two longhaul routes and ditch three widebody aircraft. Alitalia has been operating in bankruptcy protection since 2017. Nearly three years later,...
Alitalia Loses 2 Million Euros…Per Day
Troubled Italian flag carrier Alitalia loses about €2,000,000 per day, according to a government minister. The solution? Another cash infusion… Earlier this month, Italy appointed a new administrator, Giuseppe Leogrande, to oversee cost-cutting measures and find a buyer for...
Italy’s Plan For Alitalia Centers On Lufthansa
In trying to save ailing flag carrier Alitalia, Italy has one objective in mind: get Lufthansa onboard. I’ve written often about the struggles at Alitalia. As the struggling carrier continues to lose money, the Italian government is looking for...
Why? Lufthansa Ready To Invest 200 Million Euros In Alitalia
Alitalia is out of cash (again) and Lufthansa stepping up to offer 200 million euros ($223MN). Since when is Lufthansa in the business of losing money? While Lufthansa has officially said, “We are not commenting on this,” numerous reports...
Hey Delta, Where’s The Outrage Over Alitalia’s New U.S. Route?
Alitalia announced new seasonal service between Rome and San Francisco next summer. Did I miss the outrage from Delta? When Air Italy announced new service between Milan and San Francisco, Delta CEO Ed Bastian was outraged, penning a fiery...
Lufthansa Wants Friendship, Not Marriage With Alitalia
While Delta has submitted a lowball offer for Alitalia, Lufthansa just wants a partnership. “Investing is out of the question for us alongside a state-owned entity,” said Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr. That is music to the ears of Lufthansa...
Lufthansa Confirms Interest in Alitalia Investment
Lufthansa’s position has not changed: it wants to invest in Alitalia. Last week I wrote about the latest plan in Italy to re-nationalize Alitalia. Fulfilling a campaign promise, the recently-elected government is essentially saying Alitalia is as part of...
Italian Government Wants to Fight Air Italy By Nationalizing Alitalia (Again)
I’m reading between the lines here, but what do you think it means when the Italian government plans to take control of Alitalia (once again) in order to build a flagship airline of “Italo character”? Alitalia is heavily in debt and...
Bankrupt Alitalia Abandons Beautiful Retro Uniforms for Ugly New Look
Alitalia logic: our airline loses money every year, costs are out of control, but let’s unveil totally new uniforms even though we just changed them a few years ago. Tell me how you really feel… Ok, I’ll try be...
Alitalia, ANA Form Strategic Partnership
Alitalia and ANA are linking up…further proof of the waning power of alliances. Until recently, Alitalia and ANA would have been viewed as strange bedfellows. Alitalia is a member of SkyTeam and ANA a member of Star Alliance. But...
My Thought Process In Building A Multi-City Award Trip
We receive many interesting requests at Award Expert, my award booking service, including some that require a bit of creativity. Let me tell you about a recent trip. The client lived in Philadelphia. His destination: Beijing. He wanted to...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: March 11, 2018
Another week spent entirely on the ground…this is really something out of character. But I’ve cherished the time spent with my wife and son lately: the little one is growing up so fast. I hope to finish up my...
Reminder: Your Alitalia Miles Expire on March 31st (and How to Extend Them)
Just a friendly reminder that if you are still sitting on Alitalia MilleMiglia miles from last year, you have until March 31, 2018 to burn them. In some loyalty programs, your miles expire due to inactivity. In others, your account expires...
