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ITA Airways Launches ‘Superior Class’ on All Domestic Flights from January 10

ITA Airways

An ITA Airways Airbus A320 with the new livery at Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport. (Photo: Massimiliano Ciriaci)

According to ITA Airways, the Italian national airline offers three travel classes onboard its aircraft: Business Class on long- and medium-haul flights, Premium Economy on long-haul flights only, and Economy. However, on Dec. 26, the airline launched its new Superior Class, a service that was present in old Italian flag carrier Alitalia but had since been eliminated. Superior Class will be available on some domestic flights, and later — after Jan. 10 — it will be available throughout the airline’s entire domestic network.

ITA Airways Superior Class passengers will be able to check-in at the Skypriority counters, check two pieces of luggage weighing 23 kilograms each for free, use the fast track system to quickly pass through security gates — at Rome Fiumicino, Milan Linate, and Turin airports — and have access to priority boarding at the gate.

In addition, customers will have a reserved cabin and the guarantee of always having a free seat next to them, and a dedicated and differentiated catering service according to the time of day.

An Airline Still Unprepared

The cost of the Superior Class ticket is approximately double that of the Economy Class, but on paper, it offers more advantages. However, the airport lounges a Superior Class ticket promises access to are still inactive, and the waiting rooms in Milan and Rome are closed.

Moreover, although the first aircraft with the new livery is already operational, the interior of the cabin is all still branded “Alitalia”, plastic cups, seats, handkerchiefs, etc.

However, the airline is working to put its best foot forward. Following the Italian government’s requirement for compulsory FFP2 masks onboard, ITA Airways has made available 100,000 courtesy FFP2 masks for all its flights for those who board with surgical and/or unauthorized masks for air travel. This is another sign of the customer-first strategy.

Moreover, in a press release, ITA Airways reminds that “all aircraft in the fleet are sanitized with high sanitizing products every day and that the air on board, is not only renewed every 3 minutes but is 99.7% pure, as in a cleanroom.”

ITA has ended its short stint in 2021 and is forecasting strong results for 2022. In its short period of operation, ITA Airways carried 1.25 million passengers, thus surpassing the million passenger target predicted by the airline’s chairman. According to the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, the carrier brought in an estimated 74 million euros in revenue in the period from Oct. 15 to Dec. 31.

In 2022, the president expects the airline to surpass 13 million travelers and hire at least 1,000 people based on market trends, reaching about 3,000 total employees. Next year, the fleet — currently 52 aircraft — will reach 84 aircraft with new Airbus aircraft.

Vincenzo Claudio Piscopo
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  • Vincenzo Claudio Piscopo

    Vincenzo graduated in 2019 in Mechanical Engineering with an aeronautical curriculum, focusing his thesis on Human Factors in aircraft maintenance. In 2022 he pursued his master's degree in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Palermo, Italy. He combines his journalistic activities with his work as a Reliability Engineer at Zetalab.

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