For what I can see, I condemn disorganization in Rome Airport (which yes, can be understandable due to the terminal opening but still not acceptable). Although, I feel this review is a bit exaggerated in some ways. You could complain about the crew, the food choice or taste, the onboard comfort and so on... but you can't say Alitalia made Etihad wasted 2 billions (when informed people know how Etihad wasted much more billions in many other places/airlines). Regarding the Alitalia logo, it's not that they "like" it or "would reinstate it". They will probably dismiss these planes that were shown in the video given the fact Ita has ordered newer A320neo and A220 planes. Just for information purposes, Ita presented last week the interiors of their new A350 planes, their new uniforms and catering (made by an Italian 3 Michelin stars chef). In addition, having tried European Business class airlines, this experience does not go much away from what I was offered on Lufthansa or British Airways.
Thanks Jacopo - I always try and make the point that this is a sample of 1 flight (actually 2, as we flew back with ITA and the experience was very similar) so I cannot pass judgement on the entire airline, but the experience I did have was disappointing as I discussed... And it was a little more disappointing than many other European airlines (in terms of food, service and beverages) although the legroom was better! And I researched the Etihad investment in some detail and they reportedly invested $2bn and wrote the whole lot off 3 years later when Alitalia went into administration. Alitalia certainly wasn't Etihad's only bad investment, but I think what I said here was accurate. I'd love ITA/Alitalia to become a powerhouse airline and there are certainly encouraging signs!
@@bodyloverz30 I was at the lounge in Rome (terminal A) last night and it was rubbish! You must ask someone for everything - can I have another slice of tomato, etc. I think they use the COVID to ask being cheap and not letting customers take as much food and drink as they desire - plus the space was just depressing. Which lounge did you use?
When you said the ITA is rubbish, I got the impression that that was the piece of rubbish the crew did not literally bother to pick up as they were getting ready to land. More to the point: that moment must have summed up everything that is wrong with the carrier.
Thanks Michael. European trains usually are pretty good - have a trip coming up in Spain next month... Never done one in Italy but I probably should! Thanks
Currently looking to book a pointy end flight to Rome. ITA is about £150 less than BA the dates I am going. Now I see why! Next job, find a Brussels review too, as that's also significantly less than BA, and from a more local airport too!
I did look at Brussels a few months back as they fly to some interesting places... But most of those routes seem to be monopolies so they can charge what they like on those!
@@MattsPlanet Brussels and Swiss Manchester - Rome are almost half the price of BA ITA, even if you count the extra £70 to get to Heathrow over Manchester are also about half the Price of BA. Only fly business for the blocked seat (I have sensory issues and the blocked seat really helps) so struggling to see any disadvantage of taking one of the cheaper options. Even with BA status taken into account
Skyteam mention it on the Flying Blue site so they are fully aware. What is not on is the fact that the ITA website allows you to enter a KL Fling Blue number but they have no intention to give you anything. Sneaky! @@MattsPlanet
Thanks but I think Swiss, Lufty, Aegean and even BA are far better than ITA. All had spirits and more than one main course! Few are back to pre pandemic standards, or the standards of the last century but they're better than ITA!
@@MattsPlanet I got water only on Lufthansa 331 2 days ago, due to shortage of catering staff. Reached Frankfurt late, it was hell at the airport with people panicking and running pushing everyone due to mass delays and short connections. Boarded a plane sweating and made it by few minutes, but my luggage is lost. Shall I add more? :-)
What do you mean by “issues” at fiumicino airport? Having to walk 1km to get to another flight is a very common thing, even more if you are entering Schengen zone (In every 🇪🇺 airport eu and extra-eu flights are located in different terminals), and fiumicino is not a massive airport as well (in Madrid or even Heathrow it requires from 20 to 40 minutes to change terminal). 1 hour of layover for entering shengen area is maybe too short, but they even helped you getting to the other gate (i don’t think this happens elsewhere, it’s not a due thing and e.g. again in Madrid or london no one came for me, and that’s fair). Talking about the assistance, in every airport you need to ask for assistance before arriving, or you can arrange that on site but you have to pay (i think the lady just asked them to give you a free ride and that would have been a nice action, but i understand them cause that’s their job and it’s in their right to get paid). Nice video anyway! 😄
Cheers Francesco... It was 1.4km and many airports have trains or moving walkways to cover the bulk of the distance... Fiumicino makes you walk every single step... I've been through the airports you mention plus perhaps 300 others and I've never encountered an expectation like the one we found in Rome.... And that part of the terminal only opened that day - we were looking at perhaps half that distance if we'd arrived the day before... We did get assistance on the return (which we did pre-arrange) and I don't know whether it costed ITA anything but it didn't cost us... Video will be along in a week or two. Thanks for watching!
He said they had just opened the new terminal and sent an agent to collect them. 25 minutes is not a lot of time to cover that distance and they were the first to deplane. I was just at the new FCO terminal last night and it is rubbish - no moving sidewalks and extremely long distances.
Trieste, not one of the most common destinations. But, very important flight nevertheless. How would an airline operate on a flight to a secondary city rather than a large one such as Venice, Milan, or Rome. Good job Matt
Hello there, I am a commuter between Rome (and sometimes Milan) and London. The best value airlines to travel to Rome are WizzAir from Gatwick and Vueling still from Gatwick. ITA is generally speaking just the same as BA but cheaper, generally speaking. On the business class note, I guess it is aligned with all other European business classes (i.e., not worth the money). Finally, Ryanair is worth if the ticket is about 10£, otherwise going all the way to Stansted is just not worth the pain. Cheers
Thanks Alfo. I would save the money if I did that again even if it meant Stansted! As a one off it's ok but commuting? Probably not terrible if you work by Liverpool st... And their business class is designed to be competitive with others but when they don't offer spirits or meat they fall short!!! Grazzi!
Question for you. Was it specifically an FFP2 mask only? ITA's website states "...following the publication of the ordinance of the Ministry of Health of 28 april 2022, until 15 June 2022 it is mandatory to wear FFP2/KN95/N95 face masks on board all flights." We have a flight coming up and planned to use KN95 (easier to get in the US). Thanks.
We were told it needed to be an FFP2 mask, and that it had to have FFP2 visibly printed on it too... But a quick google suggests that the same mask is called an FFP2 in Europe, an N95 in the US and a KN95 in China. So I'd speculate that they were the same thing, regulated with different names in different markets. Which would make sense given what the website says....
Thanks Richard. To be fair to the squatters, the row numbering was a bit odd. But then again you'd hope people could tell the difference between A and F...
Oh bless you for the coat-hook review. BTW, I've been on a BA flight that TOGA'd, at Heathrow, because the cabin crew hadn't finished securing the cabin.
An important detail for some of my viewers!!!! As I say in the video, leaving wrappers in the cabin is not the worst safety breach imaginable, but the procedures require it to be cleared for a reason!
Thanks for the review on Alitalia! I was booked to fly them back in March 2020 for a conference out of LuCY before the pandemic hit. Fortunately, I was able to get a refund when they stopped operating flights but before they went tits up. As for the flight itself, there was nothing that struck me as particularly appalling especially considering this is European business class which charitably can be called Premium Economy by North American standards. They did provide a pre-departure beverage, something Qantas to this day does not provide in business class on their domestic flights (and I should know I've taken half a dozen such flights with them!) Whilst there weren't any choices on beverage and meal they both seemed pretty well sorted in the sense that it accommodated both vegetarian and meatarians (the latter through what appears to be a hearty meal). I suppose if I was to use a frame of reference for European business class flying it would be British Airways, which I flew from Zürich to LuCY and Dublin to Manchester. From what I recall yes there was a meal selection and yes the meals were also good too. What would peeve me flying Alitalia now would be the whole alliance situation. Say what you will about Swiss or BA, but you know what you're getting in terms of benefits flying them. You'll earn tier points to status that is globally recognized, miles that can be redeemed on a number of airline partners, and a standard of service in terms of lounge, priority services and baggage handling.
Very interesting, I think I will have to make sure I avoid ITA/ Alitalia. Your problem with Rome airport pales by comparison with mine, which was the scariest flight experience of my life. We had a last minute go around but the explanation given by our BA pilot was quite chilling. As he made his approach there was a fuel tanker on the runway! I have always since felt that Rome airport was somewhere to be avoided at almost any cost.
ITA Business Class is currently half the price of BA. An extra bag, express check-in, lounge at LHR, a lil leg room.. some alcohol and one hot meal... not bad.
Alitalia owed me approx £200 when they went bust. The whole experience with them was frustratingly poor and it doesn’t look like anything’s improved. I definitely won’t be using them in the future.
Looked more like an economy flight rather than business. I'd be pissed paying 600 quid for that. However you live and learn , and I've learnt from your video to avoid lol
Flew to Rome with ITA two weeks ago in economy. Found it an acceptable experience helped by my highest tier status thanks to the status match you mention. Had to go via Milan as they had decided to remove the morning direct flight to Rome which wasted half the day but given I only paid £85 it was pretty reasonable. Clearly one to avoid in business though which I don't find surprising given the cost and lack of service. I do remember walking a long way at both Milan when transiting and FCO just leaving with few if any travellators and thinking the airports were not the best designed for efficiency.
However hard you try polishing a proverbial it remains essentially the same. The best part of the old Alitalia was its logo, and some comprehensive long haul routes, never really its service (unless you were a politician or the Pope). As for ground handling service you hit the nail on the head, forms, forms and more forms. Plus ca change sadly.
Thanks Mauritzio - no chance of me becoming the Pope anytime soon.... As I said to a previous commenter, if you're going short haul, hand baggage only, in economy and ITA was the cheapest option, I'd consider them but for a premium experience? Nope!
Well that was not a great experience Matt especially the carry on getting help for your mum, take you won't fly again with them although you got your wine, you always seem to have a glass in your hand 😄 😀 cheers quite right when flying. When we fly to Antigua via GAL-LGW-ANU we wore the FFP2 masks in the airports and boarding the flights as we were business we took them off in the plane but that was our own choice, some more people also wore masks, and at Antigua airport all the staff wore them.
As Ricky Gervais said at the Golden Globes, I like a drink as much as the next guy. Provided that next guy is... Without entering into a lengthy mask debate, I find it challenging for an airline to mandate a specific type of mask be worn if that type of mask is not common and is not widely required outside of that airline's home territory...
Hi Matt,thank for the advice about Avios to nectar, as I said my wife and I can not fly any more just to old,I always turned Tesco points into Avios but it appears that the only air line on Tesco sight is Virgin Atlantic any ideas what to do. Thanks for your help. Peter.
Never too old... It looks like you can move points between Virgin and Tescos now avios have moved to Sainsburys. Doesn't look like its quite as flexible as nectar and avios but might be valuable to you if you shop with Tesco.
I know in the States it’ll list in the allergy information if products share manufacturing equipment with common allergens in the event of cross contamination. Perhaps this was the case here?
Almost certainly - similar rules apply in Europe. Difficult to imagine the plant that does fish based stuff one day then rosemary based stuff the next! Perhaps its not that hard to imagine actually...
I think that honestly it’s a pretty unfair review! ITA airways is much better than the old Alitalia and such a smaller company then what it used to be. On shoe haul flight most airlines don’t have the possibility to choose a meal. As my personal experience it’s definitely better than BA. Fiumicino airport is one of the top airport in Europe in terms of timing to go through. At least they don’t cancel flights or impose a passenger cap like Heathrow. Heathrow airport is just a mess, queues of hours to pass security checks, lost laggages, missing flights due to inability to pass the security checks.
Thanks Daniele - from the name I guess you're Italian and well done for defending your national carrier. ITA may very well be better than Alitalia... But I've flown quite a few times within Europe in business class and I've never previously not had a choice of food. Neither have I had no drinks offered beyond wines and never have I had the crew leave trash throughout the cabin... You may also be right about Heathrow although Fiumicino had a similar percentage of flights delayed in July 2022 as Heathrow (33% vs 35%).
@@MattsPlanet Heathrow and Fiumicino had a similar rate of delayed flight la but the number of cancelled flights on Heathrow is higher. Heathrow has also imposed a passenger cap forcing airlines to cut the number of flights instead Fiumicino had not. I am not defending the Italian carrier only because it’s the national airways as I used be very harsh with the old company. I just don’t like people doing reviews only to criticise. If you choose to flight with an Italian airline it’s obvious that you will never find gin on the flight or fish and chips for food but you will find Italian products. Then if you like being British abroad just flight with BA and only visit British colonies. When I go to a British restaurant in London I’m not expecting to eat lasagne and melanzane alla parmigiana and not moaning about that
I always feel I need to reiterate that this was a sample of 1 flight on 1 day, but the return experience (video coming!!!) was the same so I think that's probably not a bad decision for you to take!
@@MattsPlanet But what makes an airline to be good or bad its not only what we see in the cabins but things like: how to deal with complains, crews, safety and so on. Airlines in Europe are mostly mediocre in Asian standards, good in the us standards.
You are so in love with your mother that on a 5 hour journey with a stopover in a major european airport, you didn't even think of asking special assistance first-hand for your loving elderly. From what I could objectively see from your video, ITA offers a standard business class european service (not worth it, like in every other european carrier) even though they provided tasty food (what's the point on complaing on not having a second choice when the first one can please all types of passengers, and also considering it's a 2 hour flight), an overall caring transfer experience (ITA is not required to assist transfer passengers with dedicated staff if not specifically requested firsthand - but they did so anyway) and a caring cabin crew - even though not consistent and super attentive. There's room to improve but I dont see the reason to complain like you did, and you better not oversimplify the Alitalia Odissea given that thousands of families have been impacted by bad policy makers in the country. And the 2billion investment of Etihad (it wasn't even 2b) you are talking about is something that you just know nothing about. From a somewhat experienced travel reviewer I expect objective reports that don't let sterile anger - obviously coming from the assistance/transfer situation that you were responsible for in the first place - ruin your report's quality and thrustworthiness
I've had a few diehard Italian viewers take offense at the suggestion that ITA isn't up to the standards of other Euro carriers. Having flown in Euro Club now on BA, Air France, Lufthansa, Austrian, Aegean, Swiss and ITA, ITA was the worst of a fairly average bunch. And as for the transfer, that section of Rome airport had opened that very day, which took passengers and ITA by surprise. Had its opening been advertised, then assistance for the transfer would have been requested. For Rome's airport to open an entire new wing without advertisement was unexpected. And if I have facts about Etihad's investment wrong, please feel free to correct me...
@@MattsPlanet ITA isnt a perfect carrier, has a lot to improve but i felt like your review wasn't fair. I've flown Alitalia/ITA literally more than a 100 times and experience other carriers as well, and I try to analize them through honest reviews to be up to date about the differences between the Italian carrier and the others. It's widely accepted that Ita has to improve but you shoudl admit that this specific review was highly affected by your transfer experience, that, again, was poor just by your fault. I would never let my elder mother fly that kind of itenerary without special assistance, and the fact that Rome inaugurated a brand new gate area that day isn't the cause of your stress while transiting, you would have walked nearly the same anyway, and the other european airports are more or less the same. About the cabin crew, I've met a ton of caring, nice and polite attendants, but you can also encounter crews that are not really into it, sometimes (but never rude) and you also need to consider the constant crisis they have to cope with, imagin working in a company with so many troubles as them. Still, the Etihad investment is something so big that it simply cannot be summed up by your sloganistic judgment on the video. To learn more you should read countless of sources and, even better, should have lived that period. Just dont pretend to know everything
I was going to book in September to go to Rome, as it seemed the best value over the currently poor offerings from BA, however I looked a little further and the costs increased dramatically, last week of school holiday. I reverted back to an avios booking. I’ll eat in the lounge before boarding. Great video Matt. Enjoy your cruise with mum. 😁😁😁😁
Thanks Oliver. Can't recommend business class on ITA but if they were the cheapest up the back they may still be worth considering... Thanks for watching!
I'm flying to Rome in August and was going to give ITA a go to review them myself having flown Alitalia years ago. Do they still offer limoncello after the meal service?
You’re absolutely right, shameful service! And the way they refused to give your mum a lift on one of the electric buggies during your transfer is totally unacceptable. Great review as always Matt! I had applied for a status match to BA silver, but they never got back to me. However, from what I have just seen, I obviously won’t be missing out onmuch!
Buenos dias! The airport was in control of the buggies so I'm grumpy with ITA and Fiumicino airport! The status match is still handy for Skyteam... Aerolineas, anyone?
I’m very sorry for the disappointment you’re going to find in my following words but I found this video wrong in so many aspects. I’m a frequent flyer and lover of air industry since forever and I have always traveled with so many global companies, including Italians Alitalia and ITA Airways. Watching the beginning of this video I was curious to see these main critical problems you had with the new Italian airline but I was really disappointed and I think your expectations are way out of line, I’m sorry if I’m too direct, I don’t want to sound rude. But continuously calling a decent airway like ITA a rubbish company just because you didn’t have spirits on a 2,5 h flight and, oh my god, they didn’t give you a complimentary mask, what a shame. Come on, grow up and actually behave like a good passenger who informs himself before travelling. Again, so sorry for my tone but I really didn’t like your tone in the video and I found it absolutely not right to trash talk a company for problems you made as a not informed passenger. Until June, in every Italian flights you had to wear a mask and it was written everywhere. I figure they cannot provide you one because imagine what happens if for example they finish their stock in the airport and a passenger pretend to have it as others got them. I think that could also be a legal matter. Then, the other HUGE problem was the food but then you said it was delicious. So what was wrong with it? I really don’t get it. No meat? But it’s a 2,5 hours flight with one of the cheapest business class rates in the industry! And still you admitted it was great food, so who cares you didn’t have microwaved pre-cooked meat? (That, frankly, it could be way worst than the pasta you got). The other problem was the absence of spirits? But they had wines (red and white) and Prosecco! And when I travel with them they usually have also limoncello and grappa so they only don’t have general spirits like vodka and gin, come on, is that really a problem?! You said also staff was pleasant and the one guy who is shown in the second flight seems very caring, so why, again, insult them saying they are lazy workers because they didn’t notice the plastic wrapper next your seat?! It’s a bit unfair to say the least. Also, talking about the airport (which is not owned by ITA): they have to be noticed 72 h in advance, there is a rule and this has to be respected. I’m so sorry for your mother but I really think that if not one, not two but three people like you said refused to take your mother with a wheelchair it tells me only that they are strict to that policy and maybe they are right to be strict on that, maybe there is an insurance issue if god forbid someone is endangered during the service, who knows. But I would not talk trash about them just because they have followed policies, I would actually admit that I hadn’t care about asking assistance for my accompanying passenger when booking. And cherry on top, so many things said about ITA Airways are wrong. As a lover of air industry, I can tell you that reading on news websites you can find the true story of ITA and that they actually bought the Alitalia name and they could have used it if they wanted, EU absolutely did not forbid to do that but Italian government wanted to make a new company with a new name to start a new story. ITA Airways is going to be in the following years the most green airline in the whole Europe due to their new planes that are coming and that are going to replace old Alitalia like this one you used (that’s why it was not painted from the outside and why on the inside it is Alitalia, in a few months this plane is not going to be used anymore). With a complete new flight of the latest generations planes from airbus they are going to have one of the best assets in the industry, the total opposite of a rubbish company as you called them. Please google their investment and industrial plan and inform yourself. Thank you for this video, it was still interesting but for the reasons I wrote before, I mmmh opinion is that it had also unjustified negative comments based on your lack of organization, expectations too high for the product you were flying and focused on topics not so relevant. I’m sorry again for my tone, I really hope you’ll understand my comment is made with the best intentions but I really was triggered by the rubbish talk…
Thanks Marco. Longest comment I've ever received and thanks also for being so polite - many people wouldn't have been!!!! It comes down to expectations - if you buy a business class ticket on a full service airline you expect a choice of meal, a decent drinks selection and you expect the crew to clear rubbish from the cabin. I do not vary those expectations because the airline is new, or because its still using old planes, or because its Italian. If Italians chose to accept an inferior service to support their national airline then that's fantastic - they'll find it easier to get seats as international travellers with international expectations will be avoiding that airline. I do hope ITA succeeds and its ambitions are fantastic - time will tell!
It seems you take this personally as it is ITA which is a crap airline, And yes they should have give you the mask - even the crappy American carriers gave people free masks - oh, even Trenitalia was giving us masks during the pandemic, so it is not an unreasonable expectation. I have now flown several times with ITA and compared to the service and style of KLM and AF it is rubbish.
Guys, when you travel somewhere, it's a good thing to check the current regulations, especially during covid19. So instead of shaming the company, for me it's just your fault. I'm sure that on the company website it was pretty well indicated.
I did know there'd be a mask requirement, and that it would be an unusual type of mask. But I also expected the airline to support its premium passengers (who'd paid a significant amount to be a premium passenger) by providing one. Particularly as its a very unusual type of mask that is hard to buy in the UK as we removed all restrictions some months ago. If that is shaming, then so be it! As is pointing out the poor drinks offering, the poor food offering, the poor maintenance of the plane and the poor performance of the crew.
@@MattsPlanet I’m not speaking about the company service which is as you described, but a suggestion for your next flight. When you travel to another country it’s always a good thing to check out all the requirements to travel. Uk made it hard for us to travel as well from Italy to Uk, so I checked all the requirements to travel at the time on the UK government website.
@@jacko83 I agree with you completely that researching travel requirements is essential these days. And I'll repeat that I did! I just expected ITA to be more accommodating to their premium passengers, as just about every airline I have travelled on over the last 2 years has been! Thanks for commenting!
Not true! I a few months ago I flew AF JFK to FLR and when I transferred in Paris only at the gate did they say you needed the mask. The only info that was given was regarding our greenpass etc. Please only Italy had such an exception.
Really shocking to see what is happening as result of the you know what. The econimic impact globally just leads to mediocre service across a broad spectrum to become uttely useless from what I have seen. Happy you could find a wheelchair to support your Mum👍. Appears one has to ber carefully consider where to travel to🤔🤔
Cheers Peet. I think a lot of cost saving is being attributed to the "You Know What" when it no longer needs to be... Having only one meal, that is served to you on one tray without unnecessary contact points seems like a cost saving measure to me!
You may be interested Matt and to my point on the you know what. Comair, the South African airline operating local British Airways flights have stopped flying for the 2nd time in a few month's due to liquidity constrints. Also impacted on Kulula the low cost arm of Comair. They are still under "business rescue", unloke SAA who is operating "normally" again👍
@@peetbothma6982 I saw that reported here... In the UK, travel is bouncing back so quickly the airlines and airports can't cope with the volumes - are things not recovering so strongly in SA?
Not really, business travel is not happening and the inflow of our regular international travellers from the UK and Europe is way down. SAA used to have 14 flights a day in each direction between Johannesburg and Cape Town, some even on the A340-600 & A330. Now 3 flights each way on a A319 and those are at 60% capacity at best. Hopefully it will pick up during the Northern winter👍
Thanks for sharing. I once did a Heathrow to Milan to Rome to Brindisi flight on Alitalia and by the end of it I looked like a Tortellini snack. What are your thoughts on whether Business Class is now an outdated brand label within Europe. Surely on most carriers now it’s actually (Euro) Premium Economy.
Cheers S B. Euro business class is pretty grim. Still hard to separate what is happening because of the you-know-what, what is happening as airlines save money and blame it on the you-know-what, and what is happening because airlines don't understand what business customers want.... Trying to be objective, a business experience is differentiated by ground handling (lounges, priority etc), seat, and food & beverage. Its only really the seat which is not delivering against expectations - assuming of course the food and beverage nonsense we see at the moment is temporary... But even with "normal" f&b its hard to justify paying up to business.
Having "enjoyed" Alitalia frequently in the 2010s I can confirm that your experience LHR/FCO is pretty indicative of the general cabin crew attitude. Uncleared detritus/glassware during landings, clearly unfit passengers and bags under seats in exit rows, an unsecured baby in a lap for landing, a repositioning, uniformed member of staff chatting loudly throughout the safety briefing are all things I've witnessed.
I am Italian, last time I flew AZ was from ORD to MXP, luckily I had no expectations, lousy as ever , I have no doubt ITA is the same just with a very ugly livery. Shameful, but true, loser carrier, never made any money never will ,thanks to terrible management and employees who do not give a rat's behind. But if you really want to tortured yourself fly Iberia, another loser carrier. Cheers:)
Thanks! I thought the blue livery is ok, but I like the colour blue!!! It's a shame that an important country like Italy can't create an important airline...
@@MattsPlanet Sadly Italy does not seem to be able to get it together. I go see my mother every other year or so, but I feel like a foreigner, and I am always glad to come back to YVR !! Glad I ran into your videos:)
It is really said, loved the Alitalia of the 70's and 80's but nostalgia and national pride can't cover up bad management and service! ITA is just so sad - I was on a flight last night and I thought I'd prefer RyanAir to this!
I would like to inform you my dear friend that just yesterday I flew with your national airline British Airways where the air conditioning did not work inside the plane so a couple of elderly people felt bad Then to cheer our souls to give us a nice lunch they offered us a tiny packet of chips and a 250ml bottle of water which wouldn't be enough for a newborn baby ... goodbye
What does that have to do with this? As though he is responsible for BA? WHat do you care about ITA? Alitalia was rubbish at the end and so is this one. The management and government have wasted our money for decades on these crap airlines!
For what I can see, I condemn disorganization in Rome Airport (which yes, can be understandable due to the terminal opening but still not acceptable). Although, I feel this review is a bit exaggerated in some ways. You could complain about the crew, the food choice or taste, the onboard comfort and so on... but you can't say Alitalia made Etihad wasted 2 billions (when informed people know how Etihad wasted much more billions in many other places/airlines). Regarding the Alitalia logo, it's not that they "like" it or "would reinstate it". They will probably dismiss these planes that were shown in the video given the fact Ita has ordered newer A320neo and A220 planes. Just for information purposes, Ita presented last week the interiors of their new A350 planes, their new uniforms and catering (made by an Italian 3 Michelin stars chef). In addition, having tried European Business class airlines, this experience does not go much away from what I was offered on Lufthansa or British Airways.
Thanks Jacopo - I always try and make the point that this is a sample of 1 flight (actually 2, as we flew back with ITA and the experience was very similar) so I cannot pass judgement on the entire airline, but the experience I did have was disappointing as I discussed... And it was a little more disappointing than many other European airlines (in terms of food, service and beverages) although the legroom was better! And I researched the Etihad investment in some detail and they reportedly invested $2bn and wrote the whole lot off 3 years later when Alitalia went into administration. Alitalia certainly wasn't Etihad's only bad investment, but I think what I said here was accurate. I'd love ITA/Alitalia to become a powerhouse airline and there are certainly encouraging signs!
I always flew with Ita airways and Alitalia I never had an issue with them and their cabin crew and ground staff are friendly with everyone 😉
That's good to hear. Everyone was friendly!
@@MattsPlanet I think their Rome lounge looks great from the videos.
@@bodyloverz30 I was at the lounge in Rome (terminal A) last night and it was rubbish! You must ask someone for everything - can I have another slice of tomato, etc. I think they use the COVID to ask being cheap and not letting customers take as much food and drink as they desire - plus the space was just depressing. Which lounge did you use?
When you said the ITA is rubbish, I got the impression that that was the piece of rubbish the crew did not literally bother to pick up as they were getting ready to land. More to the point: that moment must have summed up everything that is wrong with the carrier.
This was a few years back now and I've seen some more positive reviews since.... I think morale was exceptionally low back then!
Hang on, this is just temporary. The ITA style service can be seen in 2 years..
If they still exist in 2 years I'll be interested to see how the offering develops!
Very amusing and engrossing. Thanks for the info.
Thanks! Not every Italian that's watched this agreed!
I have always found Rome to be a nightmare for transit. Inter-Italy, my preference is Frecciarossa trains now. Pure joy for travel within Italy.
Thanks Michael. European trains usually are pretty good - have a trip coming up in Spain next month... Never done one in Italy but I probably should! Thanks
Alitalia had its issues, but it had style. This cobbled-together ITA pretender is awful.
Not a lot of style on show during this flight! Thanks for watching!
You are right, that 'Business Class' service was NOT good.
Quite a few Italians weren't happy with me, but you are right - it wasn't good!
Currently looking to book a pointy end flight to Rome. ITA is about £150 less than BA the dates I am going. Now I see why!
Next job, find a Brussels review too, as that's also significantly less than BA, and from a more local airport too!
I did look at Brussels a few months back as they fly to some interesting places... But most of those routes seem to be monopolies so they can charge what they like on those!
@@MattsPlanet Brussels and Swiss Manchester - Rome are almost half the price of BA
ITA, even if you count the extra £70 to get to Heathrow over Manchester are also about half the Price of BA. Only fly business for the blocked seat (I have sensory issues and the blocked seat really helps) so struggling to see any disadvantage of taking one of the cheaper options. Even with BA status taken into account
Excellent 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🍾🍾🍾🍾🥂🥂🥂🥂🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
Looks like you really enjoyed that one!
What a shame, Alitalia used to be a world class airline...years ago that is...
Hopefully they will be again! Just not right now....
What's more, they don't honour Flying Blue membership unless the flight is operated as an AF or KL codeshare. What a joke!
That's really poor - and I think against the SkyTeam rules too....
Skyteam mention it on the Flying Blue site so they are fully aware. What is not on is the fact that the ITA website allows you to enter a KL Fling Blue number but they have no intention to give you anything. Sneaky! @@MattsPlanet
To be honest most major airlines became pretty bad in the recent years, I would say goodluck in finding better experiences nowadays...
Thanks but I think Swiss, Lufty, Aegean and even BA are far better than ITA. All had spirits and more than one main course! Few are back to pre pandemic standards, or the standards of the last century but they're better than ITA!
@@MattsPlanet I got water only on Lufthansa 331 2 days ago, due to shortage of catering staff. Reached Frankfurt late, it was hell at the airport with people panicking and running pushing everyone due to mass delays and short connections. Boarded a plane sweating and made it by few minutes, but my luggage is lost. Shall I add more? :-)
Crikey, makes BA Club Europe look good!
They certainly do!!!
What do you mean by “issues” at fiumicino airport? Having to walk 1km to get to another flight is a very common thing, even more if you are entering Schengen zone (In every 🇪🇺 airport eu and extra-eu flights are located in different terminals), and fiumicino is not a massive airport as well (in Madrid or even Heathrow it requires from 20 to 40 minutes to change terminal). 1 hour of layover for entering shengen area is maybe too short, but they even helped you getting to the other gate (i don’t think this happens elsewhere, it’s not a due thing and e.g. again in Madrid or london no one came for me, and that’s fair). Talking about the assistance, in every airport you need to ask for assistance before arriving, or you can arrange that on site but you have to pay (i think the lady just asked them to give you a free ride and that would have been a nice action, but i understand them cause that’s their job and it’s in their right to get paid). Nice video anyway! 😄
Cheers Francesco... It was 1.4km and many airports have trains or moving walkways to cover the bulk of the distance... Fiumicino makes you walk every single step... I've been through the airports you mention plus perhaps 300 others and I've never encountered an expectation like the one we found in Rome.... And that part of the terminal only opened that day - we were looking at perhaps half that distance if we'd arrived the day before... We did get assistance on the return (which we did pre-arrange) and I don't know whether it costed ITA anything but it didn't cost us... Video will be along in a week or two. Thanks for watching!
He said they had just opened the new terminal and sent an agent to collect them. 25 minutes is not a lot of time to cover that distance and they were the first to deplane. I was just at the new FCO terminal last night and it is rubbish - no moving sidewalks and extremely long distances.
Trieste, not one of the most common destinations. But, very important flight nevertheless. How would an airline operate on a flight to a secondary city rather than a large one such as Venice, Milan, or Rome. Good job Matt
Thanks - Trieste was actually a really nice place - only had a few hours there but I could have happily spent a few days...
Thank you for this. My experience was awful from word go. Never again 😒
If they were the cheapest option in economy then they would be a realistic option, but for a premium experience? Nope!
Hello there, I am a commuter between Rome (and sometimes Milan) and London. The best value airlines to travel to Rome are WizzAir from Gatwick and Vueling still from Gatwick. ITA is generally speaking just the same as BA but cheaper, generally speaking. On the business class note, I guess it is aligned with all other European business classes (i.e., not worth the money).
Finally, Ryanair is worth if the ticket is about 10£, otherwise going all the way to Stansted is just not worth the pain.
Cheers
Thanks Alfo. I would save the money if I did that again even if it meant Stansted! As a one off it's ok but commuting? Probably not terrible if you work by Liverpool st... And their business class is designed to be competitive with others but when they don't offer spirits or meat they fall short!!! Grazzi!
Question for you. Was it specifically an FFP2 mask only? ITA's website states "...following the publication of the ordinance of the Ministry of Health of 28 april 2022, until 15 June 2022 it is mandatory to wear FFP2/KN95/N95 face masks on board all flights." We have a flight coming up and planned to use KN95 (easier to get in the US). Thanks.
We were told it needed to be an FFP2 mask, and that it had to have FFP2 visibly printed on it too... But a quick google suggests that the same mask is called an FFP2 in Europe, an N95 in the US and a KN95 in China. So I'd speculate that they were the same thing, regulated with different names in different markets. Which would make sense given what the website says....
@@MattsPlanet Thank you.
Very shabby, seat squatters too!! Well done on an informative vlog, Matt.... think you "borrowed," the wheel chair!!
Thanks Richard. To be fair to the squatters, the row numbering was a bit odd. But then again you'd hope people could tell the difference between A and F...
Oh bless you for the coat-hook review. BTW, I've been on a BA flight that TOGA'd, at Heathrow, because the cabin crew hadn't finished securing the cabin.
An important detail for some of my viewers!!!! As I say in the video, leaving wrappers in the cabin is not the worst safety breach imaginable, but the procedures require it to be cleared for a reason!
Thanks for the review on Alitalia! I was booked to fly them back in March 2020 for a conference out of LuCY before the pandemic hit. Fortunately, I was able to get a refund when they stopped operating flights but before they went tits up. As for the flight itself, there was nothing that struck me as particularly appalling especially considering this is European business class which charitably can be called Premium Economy by North American standards. They did provide a pre-departure beverage, something Qantas to this day does not provide in business class on their domestic flights (and I should know I've taken half a dozen such flights with them!) Whilst there weren't any choices on beverage and meal they both seemed pretty well sorted in the sense that it accommodated both vegetarian and meatarians (the latter through what appears to be a hearty meal). I suppose if I was to use a frame of reference for European business class flying it would be British Airways, which I flew from Zürich to LuCY and Dublin to Manchester. From what I recall yes there was a meal selection and yes the meals were also good too. What would peeve me flying Alitalia now would be the whole alliance situation. Say what you will about Swiss or BA, but you know what you're getting in terms of benefits flying them. You'll earn tier points to status that is globally recognized, miles that can be redeemed on a number of airline partners, and a standard of service in terms of lounge, priority services and baggage handling.
Cheers mate. Glad to have flown with them. Glad I don't have to fly with them again!
Very interesting, I think I will have to make sure I avoid ITA/ Alitalia. Your problem with Rome airport pales by comparison with mine, which was the scariest flight experience of my life. We had a last minute go around but the explanation given by our BA pilot was quite chilling. As he made his approach there was a fuel tanker on the runway! I have always since felt that Rome airport was somewhere to be avoided at almost any cost.
Cheers Les. Interesting the pilot chose to share the real reason rather than blaming it on dodgy wind or something less terrifying!
@@MattsPlanet I can only assume that despite the fact that the pilot sounded very calm he was in fact incandescent with rage,
@@lesbrown2724 That's day 1, hour 1 of the training isn't it? Never, never let the passengers know how scared you are!!!
Always love the reviews man :)
Thanks!
ITA Business Class is currently half the price of BA. An extra bag, express check-in, lounge at LHR, a lil leg room.. some alcohol and one hot meal... not bad.
Comparing ITA to BA is a valid point but BA is pretty terrible too!!!
Alitalia owed me approx £200 when they went bust. The whole experience with them was frustratingly poor and it doesn’t look like anything’s improved. I definitely won’t be using them in the future.
Ouch... I try to keep an open mind but there's lots of stories like this which really aren't great...
Masking tape on your seat. In business class!! Poor!
At least it was white tape so it was less obvious!
Looked more like an economy flight rather than business. I'd be pissed paying 600 quid for that.
However you live and learn , and I've learnt from your video to avoid lol
I won't fly them again but I'll get a little bit of the cost back from making videos about the experience!!!
Flew to Rome with ITA two weeks ago in economy. Found it an acceptable experience helped by my highest tier status thanks to the status match you mention. Had to go via Milan as they had decided to remove the morning direct flight to Rome which wasted half the day but given I only paid £85 it was pretty reasonable. Clearly one to avoid in business though which I don't find surprising given the cost and lack of service.
I do remember walking a long way at both Milan when transiting and FCO just leaving with few if any travellators and thinking the airports were not the best designed for efficiency.
Thanks - never connected in Milan so it would be interesting if it was as challenging as Rome... Thanks for watching!
They did say that once they repaint the plane, they will fix all the problems and broken features too. Who knows…
That makes sense, although they really don't want to repaint them as they want to stay as Alitalia!
However hard you try polishing a proverbial it remains essentially the same. The best part of the old Alitalia was its logo, and some comprehensive long haul routes, never really its service (unless you were a politician or the Pope). As for ground handling service you hit the nail on the head, forms, forms and more forms. Plus ca change sadly.
Thanks Mauritzio - no chance of me becoming the Pope anytime soon.... As I said to a previous commenter, if you're going short haul, hand baggage only, in economy and ITA was the cheapest option, I'd consider them but for a premium experience? Nope!
as Sarah Palin once said (I believe) it's like putting lipstick on a pig?
Well that was not a great experience Matt especially the carry on getting help for your mum, take you won't fly again with them although you got your wine, you always seem to have a glass in your hand 😄 😀 cheers quite right when flying.
When we fly to Antigua via GAL-LGW-ANU we wore the FFP2 masks in the airports and boarding the flights as we were business we took them off in the plane but that was our own choice, some more people also wore masks, and at Antigua airport all the staff wore them.
As Ricky Gervais said at the Golden Globes, I like a drink as much as the next guy. Provided that next guy is...
Without entering into a lengthy mask debate, I find it challenging for an airline to mandate a specific type of mask be worn if that type of mask is not common and is not widely required outside of that airline's home territory...
Hi Matt,thank for the advice about Avios to nectar, as I said my wife and I can not fly any more just to old,I always turned Tesco points into Avios but it appears that the only air line on Tesco sight is Virgin Atlantic any ideas what to do. Thanks for your help. Peter.
Never too old... It looks like you can move points between Virgin and Tescos now avios have moved to Sainsburys. Doesn't look like its quite as flexible as nectar and avios but might be valuable to you if you shop with Tesco.
I know in the States it’ll list in the allergy information if products share manufacturing equipment with common allergens in the event of cross contamination. Perhaps this was the case here?
Almost certainly - similar rules apply in Europe. Difficult to imagine the plant that does fish based stuff one day then rosemary based stuff the next! Perhaps its not that hard to imagine actually...
I think that honestly it’s a pretty unfair review! ITA airways is much better than the old Alitalia and such a smaller company then what it used to be.
On shoe haul flight most airlines don’t have the possibility to choose a meal. As my personal experience it’s definitely better than BA.
Fiumicino airport is one of the top airport in Europe in terms of timing to go through. At least they don’t cancel flights or impose a passenger cap like Heathrow. Heathrow airport is just a mess, queues of hours to pass security checks, lost laggages, missing flights due to inability to pass the security checks.
Thanks Daniele - from the name I guess you're Italian and well done for defending your national carrier. ITA may very well be better than Alitalia... But I've flown quite a few times within Europe in business class and I've never previously not had a choice of food. Neither have I had no drinks offered beyond wines and never have I had the crew leave trash throughout the cabin...
You may also be right about Heathrow although Fiumicino had a similar percentage of flights delayed in July 2022 as Heathrow (33% vs 35%).
@@MattsPlanet Heathrow and Fiumicino had a similar rate of delayed flight la but the number of cancelled flights on Heathrow is higher. Heathrow has also imposed a passenger cap forcing airlines to cut the number of flights instead Fiumicino had not.
I am not defending the Italian carrier only because it’s the national airways as I used be very harsh with the old company. I just don’t like people doing reviews only to criticise. If you choose to flight with an Italian airline it’s obvious that you will never find gin on the flight or fish and chips for food but you will find Italian products.
Then if you like being British abroad just flight with BA and only visit British colonies. When I go to a British restaurant in London I’m not expecting to eat lasagne and melanzane alla parmigiana and not moaning about that
I hope the persons wheelchair you took isn’t still waiting there looking for it ;)
It was an airport asset just lying around - there were 3 in a corner and I "borrowed" one!
Top content and honest review, well done! Just subscribed :)
Thanks! Welcome to Team Ttam!
I will definitely avoid this airport and airline.
I always feel I need to reiterate that this was a sample of 1 flight on 1 day, but the return experience (video coming!!!) was the same so I think that's probably not a bad decision for you to take!
FCO as an airport is okay. Not up to par with e.g. MAD, but certainly fully doable and landside transportation options are good to/from FCO.
I'm sure its a decent airport Schengen to Schengen, or non-Schengen to non-Schengen. But what we had to do was brutal!
@@MattsPlanet, yes, I fully agree about your experience at FCO.
I have never considered Alitalia business class to be bad at all. Perhaps as good as the British Airways one; at least in short haul.
All European airlines are similar these days, but BA does at least have spirits in business and they offer a choice of main course...
@@MattsPlanet But what makes an airline to be good or bad its not only what we see in the cabins but things like: how to deal with complains, crews, safety and so on. Airlines in Europe are mostly mediocre in Asian standards, good in the us standards.
You are so in love with your mother that on a 5 hour journey with a stopover in a major european airport, you didn't even think of asking special assistance first-hand for your loving elderly. From what I could objectively see from your video, ITA offers a standard business class european service (not worth it, like in every other european carrier) even though they provided tasty food (what's the point on complaing on not having a second choice when the first one can please all types of passengers, and also considering it's a 2 hour flight), an overall caring transfer experience (ITA is not required to assist transfer passengers with dedicated staff if not specifically requested firsthand - but they did so anyway) and a caring cabin crew - even though not consistent and super attentive. There's room to improve but I dont see the reason to complain like you did, and you better not oversimplify the Alitalia Odissea given that thousands of families have been impacted by bad policy makers in the country. And the 2billion investment of Etihad (it wasn't even 2b) you are talking about is something that you just know nothing about. From a somewhat experienced travel reviewer I expect objective reports that don't let sterile anger - obviously coming from the assistance/transfer situation that you were responsible for in the first place - ruin your report's quality and thrustworthiness
I've had a few diehard Italian viewers take offense at the suggestion that ITA isn't up to the standards of other Euro carriers. Having flown in Euro Club now on BA, Air France, Lufthansa, Austrian, Aegean, Swiss and ITA, ITA was the worst of a fairly average bunch. And as for the transfer, that section of Rome airport had opened that very day, which took passengers and ITA by surprise. Had its opening been advertised, then assistance for the transfer would have been requested. For Rome's airport to open an entire new wing without advertisement was unexpected. And if I have facts about Etihad's investment wrong, please feel free to correct me...
@@MattsPlanet ITA isnt a perfect carrier, has a lot to improve but i felt like your review wasn't fair. I've flown Alitalia/ITA literally more than a 100 times and experience other carriers as well, and I try to analize them through honest reviews to be up to date about the differences between the Italian carrier and the others. It's widely accepted that Ita has to improve but you shoudl admit that this specific review was highly affected by your transfer experience, that, again, was poor just by your fault. I would never let my elder mother fly that kind of itenerary without special assistance, and the fact that Rome inaugurated a brand new gate area that day isn't the cause of your stress while transiting, you would have walked nearly the same anyway, and the other european airports are more or less the same. About the cabin crew, I've met a ton of caring, nice and polite attendants, but you can also encounter crews that are not really into it, sometimes (but never rude) and you also need to consider the constant crisis they have to cope with, imagin working in a company with so many troubles as them. Still, the Etihad investment is something so big that it simply cannot be summed up by your sloganistic judgment on the video. To learn more you should read countless of sources and, even better, should have lived that period. Just dont pretend to know everything
I was going to book in September to go to Rome, as it seemed the best value over the currently poor offerings from BA, however I looked a little further and the costs increased dramatically, last week of school holiday. I reverted back to an avios booking. I’ll eat in the lounge before boarding. Great video Matt. Enjoy your cruise with mum. 😁😁😁😁
Thanks Oliver. Can't recommend business class on ITA but if they were the cheapest up the back they may still be worth considering... Thanks for watching!
I'm flying to Rome in August and was going to give ITA a go to review them myself having flown Alitalia years ago. Do they still offer limoncello after the meal service?
They certainly didn't on the 2 flights we took that had a meal service.
@@MattsPlanet that's disappointing. From memory it was the best part of the meal service.
@@travelwithcarl_au yes they definitely do have limoncello.
yes, both Alitalia and ITA leave you with a sour taste in your mouth!
You’re absolutely right, shameful service! And the way they refused to give your mum a lift on one of the electric buggies during your transfer is totally unacceptable. Great review as always Matt! I had applied for a status match to BA silver, but they never got back to me. However, from what I have just seen, I obviously won’t be missing out onmuch!
Buenos dias! The airport was in control of the buggies so I'm grumpy with ITA and Fiumicino airport! The status match is still handy for Skyteam... Aerolineas, anyone?
Having recently acquired thier Volare Executive status this review was helpful
It'll get you where you might want to go!
@@MattsPlanet Apart from 2 weeks back when Plaza at Heathrow wouldn't recognize my status for lounge entry .(
Ravioli is pasta ;)
And it was very tasty!
I’m very sorry for the disappointment you’re going to find in my following words but I found this video wrong in so many aspects. I’m a frequent flyer and lover of air industry since forever and I have always traveled with so many global companies, including Italians Alitalia and ITA Airways. Watching the beginning of this video I was curious to see these main critical problems you had with the new Italian airline but I was really disappointed and I think your expectations are way out of line, I’m sorry if I’m too direct, I don’t want to sound rude. But continuously calling a decent airway like ITA a rubbish company just because you didn’t have spirits on a 2,5 h flight and, oh my god, they didn’t give you a complimentary mask, what a shame. Come on, grow up and actually behave like a good passenger who informs himself before travelling. Again, so sorry for my tone but I really didn’t like your tone in the video and I found it absolutely not right to trash talk a company for problems you made as a not informed passenger. Until June, in every Italian flights you had to wear a mask and it was written everywhere. I figure they cannot provide you one because imagine what happens if for example they finish their stock in the airport and a passenger pretend to have it as others got them. I think that could also be a legal matter. Then, the other HUGE problem was the food but then you said it was delicious. So what was wrong with it? I really don’t get it. No meat? But it’s a 2,5 hours flight with one of the cheapest business class rates in the industry! And still you admitted it was great food, so who cares you didn’t have microwaved pre-cooked meat? (That, frankly, it could be way worst than the pasta you got). The other problem was the absence of spirits? But they had wines (red and white) and Prosecco! And when I travel with them they usually have also limoncello and grappa so they only don’t have general spirits like vodka and gin, come on, is that really a problem?! You said also staff was pleasant and the one guy who is shown in the second flight seems very caring, so why, again, insult them saying they are lazy workers because they didn’t notice the plastic wrapper next your seat?! It’s a bit unfair to say the least. Also, talking about the airport (which is not owned by ITA): they have to be noticed 72 h in advance, there is a rule and this has to be respected. I’m so sorry for your mother but I really think that if not one, not two but three people like you said refused to take your mother with a wheelchair it tells me only that they are strict to that policy and maybe they are right to be strict on that, maybe there is an insurance issue if god forbid someone is endangered during the service, who knows. But I would not talk trash about them just because they have followed policies, I would actually admit that I hadn’t care about asking assistance for my accompanying passenger when booking. And cherry on top, so many things said about ITA Airways are wrong. As a lover of air industry, I can tell you that reading on news websites you can find the true story of ITA and that they actually bought the Alitalia name and they could have used it if they wanted, EU absolutely did not forbid to do that but Italian government wanted to make a new company with a new name to start a new story. ITA Airways is going to be in the following years the most green airline in the whole Europe due to their new planes that are coming and that are going to replace old Alitalia like this one you used (that’s why it was not painted from the outside and why on the inside it is Alitalia, in a few months this plane is not going to be used anymore). With a complete new flight of the latest generations planes from airbus they are going to have one of the best assets in the industry, the total opposite of a rubbish company as you called them. Please google their investment and industrial plan and inform yourself. Thank you for this video, it was still interesting but for the reasons I wrote before, I mmmh opinion is that it had also unjustified negative comments based on your lack of organization, expectations too high for the product you were flying and focused on topics not so relevant. I’m sorry again for my tone, I really hope you’ll understand my comment is made with the best intentions but I really was triggered by the rubbish talk…
Thanks Marco. Longest comment I've ever received and thanks also for being so polite - many people wouldn't have been!!!! It comes down to expectations - if you buy a business class ticket on a full service airline you expect a choice of meal, a decent drinks selection and you expect the crew to clear rubbish from the cabin. I do not vary those expectations because the airline is new, or because its still using old planes, or because its Italian. If Italians chose to accept an inferior service to support their national airline then that's fantastic - they'll find it easier to get seats as international travellers with international expectations will be avoiding that airline. I do hope ITA succeeds and its ambitions are fantastic - time will tell!
It seems you take this personally as it is ITA which is a crap airline, And yes they should have give you the mask - even the crappy American carriers gave people free masks - oh, even Trenitalia was giving us masks during the pandemic, so it is not an unreasonable expectation. I have now flown several times with ITA and compared to the service and style of KLM and AF it is rubbish.
Guys, when you travel somewhere, it's a good thing to check the current regulations, especially during covid19. So instead of shaming the company, for me it's just your fault. I'm sure that on the company website it was pretty well indicated.
I did know there'd be a mask requirement, and that it would be an unusual type of mask. But I also expected the airline to support its premium passengers (who'd paid a significant amount to be a premium passenger) by providing one. Particularly as its a very unusual type of mask that is hard to buy in the UK as we removed all restrictions some months ago.
If that is shaming, then so be it! As is pointing out the poor drinks offering, the poor food offering, the poor maintenance of the plane and the poor performance of the crew.
@@MattsPlanet I’m not speaking about the company service which is as you described, but a suggestion for your next flight. When you travel to another country it’s always a good thing to check out all the requirements to travel. Uk made it hard for us to travel as well from Italy to Uk, so I checked all the requirements to travel at the time on the UK government website.
@@jacko83 I agree with you completely that researching travel requirements is essential these days. And I'll repeat that I did! I just expected ITA to be more accommodating to their premium passengers, as just about every airline I have travelled on over the last 2 years has been! Thanks for commenting!
Not true! I a few months ago I flew AF JFK to FLR and when I transferred in Paris only at the gate did they say you needed the mask. The only info that was given was regarding our greenpass etc. Please only Italy had such an exception.
@@mediterraneanworld the regulations in the meantime changed. So it was true at that time.
Really shocking to see what is happening as result of the you know what. The econimic impact globally just leads to mediocre service across a broad spectrum to become uttely useless from what I have seen. Happy you could find a wheelchair to support your Mum👍. Appears one has to ber carefully consider where to travel to🤔🤔
Cheers Peet. I think a lot of cost saving is being attributed to the "You Know What" when it no longer needs to be... Having only one meal, that is served to you on one tray without unnecessary contact points seems like a cost saving measure to me!
You may be interested Matt and to my point on the you know what. Comair, the South African airline operating local British Airways flights have stopped flying for the 2nd time in a few month's due to liquidity constrints. Also impacted on Kulula the low cost arm of Comair. They are still under "business rescue", unloke SAA who is operating "normally" again👍
@@peetbothma6982 I saw that reported here... In the UK, travel is bouncing back so quickly the airlines and airports can't cope with the volumes - are things not recovering so strongly in SA?
Not really, business travel is not happening and the inflow of our regular international travellers from the UK and Europe is way down. SAA used to have 14 flights a day in each direction between Johannesburg and Cape Town, some even on the A340-600 & A330. Now 3 flights each way on a A319 and those are at 60% capacity at best. Hopefully it will pick up during the Northern winter👍
Thanks for sharing. I once did a Heathrow to Milan to Rome to Brindisi flight on Alitalia and by the end of it I looked like a Tortellini snack.
What are your thoughts on whether Business Class is now an outdated brand label within Europe. Surely on most carriers now it’s actually (Euro) Premium Economy.
Cheers S B. Euro business class is pretty grim. Still hard to separate what is happening because of the you-know-what, what is happening as airlines save money and blame it on the you-know-what, and what is happening because airlines don't understand what business customers want.... Trying to be objective, a business experience is differentiated by ground handling (lounges, priority etc), seat, and food & beverage. Its only really the seat which is not delivering against expectations - assuming of course the food and beverage nonsense we see at the moment is temporary... But even with "normal" f&b its hard to justify paying up to business.
Tiramisu dessert looks nice
It wasn't the texture of a tiramisu even though it kinda tasted like it... Nice enough though!
Having "enjoyed" Alitalia frequently in the 2010s I can confirm that your experience LHR/FCO is pretty indicative of the general cabin crew attitude. Uncleared detritus/glassware during landings, clearly unfit passengers and bags under seats in exit rows, an unsecured baby in a lap for landing, a repositioning, uniformed member of staff chatting loudly throughout the safety briefing are all things I've witnessed.
It would have been fascinating to be a fly on the Etihad boardroom wall during their period of investment...
I am Italian, last time I flew AZ was from ORD to MXP, luckily I had no expectations, lousy as ever , I have no doubt ITA is the same just with a very ugly livery. Shameful, but true, loser carrier, never made any money never will ,thanks to terrible management and employees who do not give a rat's behind. But if you really want to tortured yourself fly Iberia, another loser carrier. Cheers:)
Thanks! I thought the blue livery is ok, but I like the colour blue!!! It's a shame that an important country like Italy can't create an important airline...
@@MattsPlanet Sadly Italy does not seem to be able to get it together. I go see my mother every other year or so, but I feel like a foreigner, and I am always glad to come back to YVR !! Glad I ran into your videos:)
It is really said, loved the Alitalia of the 70's and 80's but nostalgia and national pride can't cover up bad management and service! ITA is just so sad - I was on a flight last night and I thought I'd prefer RyanAir to this!
@@mediterraneanworld that is a sad statement...but so true! Cheers!
Great review Matt. Good to see the channel growing each video
Thanks! It is rewarding to see the numbers ticking up!
Sure because the middle seat reduces the spread lol
I'm not going to google for scientific papers on this topic!
I would like to inform you my dear friend that just yesterday I flew with your national airline British Airways where the air conditioning did not work inside the plane so a couple of elderly people felt bad Then to cheer our souls to give us a nice lunch they offered us a tiny packet of chips and a 250ml bottle of water which wouldn't be enough for a newborn baby ... goodbye
I've never said that British Airways is perfect! And that's an economy offering where expectations should be different from a business class cabin....
What does that have to do with this? As though he is responsible for BA? WHat do you care about ITA? Alitalia was rubbish at the end and so is this one. The management and government have wasted our money for decades on these crap airlines!
Oh gosh. Mask gate. Having to buy specific ones too lol. Masks don’t stop the spread
I can live with wearing a mask, but having to wear a specific one that isn't commonly in use elsewhere is a chore...
LLike it! incredible .🥸
Thanks