This domestic flight between Milan and Catania in business class on ITA Airways was of rather mediocre quality, even for a domestic flight.

So I continue my discovery of the “new” ITA Airways with this second flight to my final destination, Catania in Sicily.

A domestic flight from which I’m not expecting much, especially after the medium-haul flight that brought me from Paris.

A reminder of this vacation’s air routing:

At the bottom of the page you’ll find a summary of articles about this vacation in Sicily.

Ground experience

I leave the ITA Airways lounge a few minutes before boarding time. Looking at the signs, I see that I’m moving away from the boarding piers, which leads me to fear that I’ll be boarding by bus. At Linate I can’t remember ever having avoided the bus either on arrival or departure.

I find myself in a large room on tarmac level dedicated to this type of boarding.

My flight is announced on time

Boarding

There’s a group of teenagers, obviously on a school trip, blocking access to the priority lane and thinking they’re a bit alone in the world.

When the Skypriority passengers start boarding, they are reluctant to give way, not understanding why they are being passed while they were first in line.

Boarding passes are checked by friendly, smiling staff, and we find ourselves quietly on the other side of the counter, away from the noisy horde.

We’re invited to board the bus while the boarding passes of normal passengers are checked. And therein lies the absurdity of respecting priorities when boarding by bus: apart from those airlines which provide a dedicated bus for priority passengers (especially in Asia), the latter are crammed into the back of the bus, as they are the first to board and will be the last to disembark to board the plane.

The bus takes us to the aircraft, which is still in Alitalia livery.

It’s possible to board from the front or the rear, but the group rushes to the front door when they’re…in the rear. This creates a huge traffic jam on the ground and in the cabin, while, of course, the passengers in the front are stuck on the ground. And of course the ground staff do nothing to direct people to the right staircase.

In the end, we laboriously make our way into the plane.

This aircraft still wears the Alitalia livery, with a sticker on the fuselage reminding us that a new era has begun. Soon to be a collector’s item.

The cabin

Unsurprisingly, it’s the same old Alitalia cabin as on the previous flight.

Leather seat and middle seat blocked and replaced by a table. I appreciate that

Legroom very decent, perhaps better than on the first flight

A very decent cabin, especially with the central table, although I find the seat a little hard.

There are 3 rows of business class on this flight for 10 passengers and, luckily, I won’t have a seatmate.

The flight

Boarding ends 10 minutes early, but we’re still waiting. In fact, a second bus eventually arrives: I had no idea that so many people could fit into an A319.

Nice “Born in 2021” livery.

We are finally ready to leave.

We go back up the taxiway to the runway threshold, and I’d never noticed that it runs alongside a cemetery. A cemetery in which I see a few spotters armed with their cameras, and where the parking lot is probably not just for visitors.

During take-off, the curtain separating the business class from the economy class is not closed, but the curtain between the cabin and the galley is. Strange, and I don’t think it’s in line with safety regulations.

The second curtain is finally closed 20 minutes after takeoff, and we are brought food. Well… that’s perhaps an exaggeration.

I should point out, though, that I did order water… there were other options.

On the other hand, for those who criticize Air France’s business product on domestic flights, you can see that the grass isn’t any greener elsewhere. It makes me nostalgic for Lufthansa flights between Munich and Frankfurt.

Having no seatmate, I can lie on the diagonal to stretch out my legs while watching a series on my iPad.

The staff disappears completely from the cabin and takes refuge in the galley, never to be seen again.

However, as we get closer to our destination, the scenery I see through the window is enough to please me.

Beautiful view of Mount Etna on final approach

Arrival

Once again, remote parking, but we’re close to the terminal, which we reach on foot without needing a bus.

I’ll pick up my suitcase, which will arrive fairly quickly on the luggage conveyor belt, and order an Uber, which I’ll meet at the meeting point in a parking lot about a hundred metres away.

The crew

Very pleasant but not very present.Très agréable mais très peu présent.

Bottom line

A flight barely better than economy, the only advantage of business class on this domestic flight being the seat without a seatmate, the space available and the calm. But its only justification was to be an extension of an international flight, otherwise it’s not worth it.

And once again, the staff, although very friendly, limit themselves to the strict time needed in the cabin.

The articles about this vacation in Sicily

Articles similaires

ITA Airways business class from Paris CDG to Milan Linate: average Air France Business Class post-COVID, Paris CDG – Catania Fontanarossa, Airbus A319: Finally a real service! Air France Business post-COVID, Catania Fontanarossa – Paris CDG, Airbus A320 : Bordello all’Italiana ITA Airways lounge in Piazza della Scala, Milan Linate: very decent British Airways Club Europe, Budapest Ferenc Liszt – London Heathrow, Airbus A320: Please improve the service! American Airlines Domestic First, Boston Logan – Phoenix Sky Harbor, Airbus A321neo: Excellent service, comfortable seat