(CNN) — There’s every week to go earlier than the world’s latest airline launches, and it’s promising to carry some dolce vita again to the skies.
From October 15, ITA — Italia Trasporto Aereo — would be the new state-owned provider for Italy, following the closure of bankrupt Alitalia on October 14.
It’s been some time within the making. Alitalia has been floundering for years, and extra 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 corporations, which means ITA can begin afresh.
Data is scarce, however right here’s what we all know to this point.
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 had been in Italy.
Nonetheless, from its web site, ITA will begin slowly. Routes on sale for rapid 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 shall 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 could be desirous to deal with long-haul enterprise. That’ll come as a reduction to some who had 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’ll 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 shall be new-generation plane, that are much less damaging for the setting.
It plans to begin with 52, and improve to 105 by 2025.
Nonetheless, that’s a means off. In its DoT submitting, ITA wrote that earlier than it takes to the skies on October 15, it’ll have acquired “sure property (corresponding to plane) from Alitalia.” So count on issues to look pretty comparable initially.
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 accumulate the Alitalia model.” There’s no clue on when that could be.
Will it proceed the Alitalia loyalty program?
ITA will take over a lot of Alitalia’s outdated routes.
Fabrizio Gandolfo/SOPA Photos/LightRocket/Getty Photos
No — the EU didn’t permit this. Nonetheless, 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 client wants of flexibility and accessibility to flights.” There’s no signal but of which alliance it’ll signal with, if any.
Who will design the uniforms?
That’s the query everybody desires to know, however ITA is conserving schtum — a spokesperson declined to share particulars with CNN. Nonetheless, maintain out hope that they’ll be respectable — 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 value $498. That’s 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 prepared 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 largest problem for ITA.
What’s the Covid-19 protocol?
ITA introduced that every one its workers have to be vaccinated nicely earlier than Italy made vaccination obligatory for employees throughout the nation. Temperatures shall be taken earlier than the flight, and passengers should put on masks. No garments will be saved within the overhead lockers, and other people shall be boarded in small teams.
The business-class lounges are at the moment closed, however these entitled to entry shall be given a coupon to make use of at airport meals retailers.
ITA claims that due to HEPA filters, the air onboard is as sterile as an working room, and is renewed each three minutes.
Will it survive?
That’s what everybody’s hoping to know, and the short-haul competitors shall be its largest problem. However with a brand new fleet, new power, new management and no money owed, this definitely has a greater likelihood than Alitalia did. With simply 16 Italian locations and 22 additional afield to begin with, it’s taking issues one step at a time.
High picture credit score: Filippo Monteforte/Getty Photos
