ITA: All you could learn about Italy’s new airline

(CNN) — There is a week to go earlier than the world’s latest airline launches, and it is promising to convey some dolce vita again to the skies.

From October 15, ITA — Italia Trasporto Aereo — would be the new state-owned service for Italy, following the closure of bankrupt Alitalia on October 14.

It has been some time within the making. Alitalia has been floundering for years, and extra just lately there’s been debate as as to whether ITA was a separate sufficient firm to take over whereas shedding Alitalia’s money owed.

However in September, the EU dominated that ITA and Alitalia are separate firms, which means ITA can begin afresh.

Data is scarce, however this is what we all know up to now.

Who owns ITA?

The place will it fly?

It had been assumed that ITA will take over most, if not all, of Alitalia’s slots. Alitalia served 94 locations, 26 of which have been in Italy.

Nevertheless, from its web site, ITA will begin slowly. Routes on sale for fast journey are as follows.

Italy: Brindisi, Bologna, Bari, Catania, Rome, Genoa, Milan Linate, Naples, Palermo, Pescara, Reggio Calabria, Lamezia Terme, Trieste, Turin, Venice, Verona.

Brief- and medium-haul: Algiers, Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Brussels, Cairo, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, London Heathrow, Madrid, Malta, Munich, Good, Paris (Charles de Gaulle and Orly), Tirana, Tel Aviv, Tunis, Zurich.

Lengthy-haul: Tokyo, New York.

There are extra on the playing cards. Buenos Aires, Miami, Boston and São Paulo might be added from March 2022, together with Luxembourg, Stuttgart and Florence. Extra European locations are scheduled for summer season 2022, together with Los Angeles.

On October 5, the airline opened gross sales for flights to the US with main fanfare. Alitalia flew all of the routes it has picked, in addition to Rome to Chicago. ITA has requested so as to add flights to Chicago, Francisco, San Francisco and Washington DC sooner or later.

The truth that ITA despatched out a press launch about its US flights implies it is likely to be eager to give attention to long-haul enterprise. That’ll come as a reduction to some who have been involved that Alitalia’s home focus was key to its downfall.

Will it take Alitalia’s airplanes?

Not completely. One of many few choices ITA has introduced is to have a fleet completely comprising Airbus. The airline has introduced it would purchase 28 new plane, and lease 45 extra — on phrases, it says, extra favorable than Alitalia’s.

The primary new jets will enter the fleet in early 2022, and by late 2025, it says that 70% of the fleet might be new-generation plane, that are much less damaging for the surroundings.

It plans to start out with 52, and enhance to 105 by 2025.

Nevertheless, that is a method off. In its DoT submitting, ITA wrote that earlier than it takes to the skies on October 15, it would have acquired “sure property (akin to plane) from Alitalia.” So count on issues to look pretty related firstly.

Is ITA the ultimate title?

Not essentially. In that very same submitting, ITA mentioned it was going to “take part in a public tender to amass the Alitalia model.” There is not any clue on when that is likely to be.

Will it proceed the Alitalia loyalty program?

No — the EU didn’t permit this. Nevertheless, in a press launch, ITA introduced a “new loyalty program” that “can probably be built-in with these of different industrial companions,” and which is “completely centered on the shopper wants of flexibility and accessibility to flights.” There is not any signal but of which alliance it’s going to signal with, if any.

Who will design the uniforms?

That is the query everybody desires to know, however ITA is preserving schtum — a spokesperson declined to share particulars with CNN. Nevertheless, maintain out hope that they will be first rate — that is Italy, in any case. In 2018, regardless of being bankrupt, Alitalia shelled out on a brand new uniform for crew designed by Alberta Ferretti. The ITA brand is definitely very stylish.

What are the fares like?

Aggressive. A return flight from JFK to Rome on dates we picked in November price $498. That is in comparison with $505 on Delta. In the meantime, a visit from Milan to London was pricing at $98 roundtrip, in comparison with $120 on British Airways. For these keen to journey to airports additional out than Heathrow, Ryanair was charging simply $22 round-trip, and easyJet simply $41. That short-haul competitors would be the greatest problem for ITA.

What is the Covid-19 protocol?

ITA introduced that each one its employees have to be vaccinated nicely earlier than Italy made vaccination obligatory for employees throughout the nation. Temperatures might be taken earlier than the flight, and passengers should put on masks. No garments might be saved within the overhead lockers, and folks might be boarded in small teams.

The business-class lounges are at the moment closed, however these entitled to entry might be given a coupon to make use of at airport meals retailers.

ITA claims that because of HEPA filters, the air onboard is as sterile as an working room, and is renewed each three minutes.

Will it survive?

That is what everybody’s hoping to know, and the short-haul competitors might be its greatest problem. However with a brand new fleet, new power, new management and no money owed, this definitely has a greater probability than Alitalia did. With simply 16 Italian locations and 22 additional afield to start out with, it’s taking issues one step at a time.

High picture credit score: Filippo Monteforte/Getty Photographs