Fairly average service on this ITA Airways flight between Paris and Milan Linate, with catering that was a little weak.

I’d been looking forward to flying ITA Airways to see what had been rebuilt from the ashes of the late Alitalia, and this Sicilian getaway was the perfect opportunity, with the added bonus of having a wide range of cabins and aircraft (ex-Alitalia and new ITA) to try out on this trip.

As a reminder, the air routing for this trip.

At the bottom of the page you will find a summary of the articles about this trip to Sicily.

Booking

A few weeks before my trip, I booked a business class ticket to Catania on ITA Airways at the price of 345 euros return, with a stopover in Milan Linate on the outward journey and Rome on the return.

All the other airlines were charging 450 euros or much more.

Check-in and ground course

I check-in online the day before, but I still have to go to the check-in counter as I have a suitcase to check. It’s at the far end of the terminal and I reach it after a long walk.

I then have to backtrack to the security checkpoints, again after another long walk.

There’s a long queue, as boarding passes have to be checked manually before accessing the automated gates.

Losing 10 minutes here and then ending up there is totally idiotic.

If someone could explain to me the usefulness of this manual check, I’d be interested.

I use the priority lane to get to the security checkpoints, which I pass in no time at all. Finally, there are the new scanners, which eliminate the need to take cameras and liquids out of bags, but no body Scan yet.

A quick glance behind me as I leave the area and head down to the boarding gates: without priority queuing, it’s a mess

I then cross the duty free area to reach the Extime lounge, where I’ll have trouble finding the entrance with the elevators hidden behind the Monoprix shop.

Truly a beautiful lounge and a solid performance

The airline indicates boarding one hour before departure, but I was not born yesterday and left the lounge forty minutes before departure, counting on boarding 30 minutes before departure.

The gate is at the far end of the terminal, and you’ll have to hurry to get to it.

The plane has just arrived

Boarding

Disembarkation will be very fast and we’ll be boarding with minimal delay, with priorities being well respected.

On the other hand, we’ll be stuck in the jetway for as long as it takes to prepare the aircraft.

We are finally released and can enter the cabin.

The cabin

While the aircraft sports the new ITA livery, the cabin has not yet been retrofitted and remains the old Alitalia cabin.

The seats are in leather and, in business class, the central seat is blocked and replaced by a table. Much appreciated

If the seat has not been changed, the new logo is present in the aircraft.

There are volume controls that I wonder what they control.

Legroom is decent, but not great.

I find the seat a little hard and it doesn’t give a great impression of support.

No WiFi or power outlets, too bad

The flight

There are 4 rows of seats in business class for 10 passengers on this aircraft

We’ll be waiting a long time for connecting passengers (probably from an Air France flight) before we can close the doors and leave.

Before take-off, we are given bottles of water and, a rare treat, sparkling water was offered.

A few minutes after leaving the ground, the curtain separating business class from economy is closed.

Service begins and trays are brought in one by one. ITA offers hot meals in business class on intra-European flights but, like TAP, only at mealtimes.

The cutlery is still stamped Alitalia

The bread is dry, the turnover average and the fruit good.

Really nothing exceptional, more like the lower average of what I’ve seen on European medium-haul airlines.

Once the service is over, the staff disappear into the Galley and reappear only briefly to clear away.

With 50 minutes to go, the temperature in the cabin is very hot indeed.

My iPad will be put to good use to pass the time watching series

I can enjoy the view of the Alps.

Arrival

We arrive on time at Linate, an airport I haven’t been to for at least 6 or 7 years.

We’ll park at the gate, which isn’t always easy at this airport, where buses frequently pick us up and drop us off.

A short walk to the ITA Airways lounge to wait for my next flight and I’m ready for the rest of the journey.

Service

Very friendly staff, but not very present or available Invisible during most of the flight, no offer of refill…

Decent without more.

Bottom line

A comfortable flight but a very average overall service, with a mediocre meal tray and an absent crew.

The articles about this trip to Sicily

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