Find cheap ITA Airways flights

If the ITA Airways brand is unfamiliar, that is because it is the reincarnation of the Italian national airline Alitalia. Now, ITA is the flag carrier for Italy and has repainted its modern fleet in a bold blue livery with red, white and green accents representing its flag.

Its main hub has been consolidated to Rome Fiumicino, but it has some regional operations in Milan. From these cities, you can fly across Europe or even further afield. Following investment by the Lufthansa Group, the airline is rumoured to leave SkyTeam for Star Alliance. For now, here’s what you need to know about ITA Airways.

ITA Airways route map

The carrier had been losing money for decades in its guise as Alitalia, and the rebranding is aimed at correcting this. Part of this meant the restructuring of its route map to cut unprofitable flying and pull out of its Milan Malpensa hub operation altogether. That means that the flag carrier no longer serves Italy’s second-largest airport.

All of ITA’s long-haul flights now travel via its Rome Fiumicino hub, connecting to onward domestic and international destinations. The airline still flies to many regional cities from Milan Linate Airport, which is within easy reach of the city centre.

ITA flies to numerous cities in North and South America, Africa and Asia. It also covers almost every commercial airport in Italy with flights to Rome and sometimes Milan.

With the Lufthansa investment, the carrier is adding many new destinations to its route map, too. This includes flights to Bangkok and Dubai as well as adding seasonal service to more airports like San Francisco and Washington Dulles (both Star Alliance hubs).

ITA Airways fleet and cabins

ITA has ditched its former Boeing planes to concentrate on an all-Airbus operation. Its cabin interiors have also seen a refresh to make them more modern and match the new brand identity. The experience you have will vary depending on the route and aircraft.

Long-haul flights

Its largest planes are the A350 and A330s that ply its long-haul routes around the world. They feature an impressive Business Class product setup in a 1-2-1 configuration with ample space and privacy.

On the A330s, they are in a staggered setup. This means that some seats are closer to the aisle and some are closer to the window, offering more privacy. I always choose the latter. On the A350, all of the seats face away from the aisle towards the window for a bit more privacy, too.

I absolutely love the multi-course meal service in Business. Everything is laid out like a restaurant on table linens (no trays during the main meal). Large wine glasses for the Italian wine list appear with the appetisers, but it is the first pasta course that is my favourite for its al dente preparation. You can choose between two options.

Next is the main course, which includes hearty meat or seafood recipes (usually no vegetarian option, though, so pre-order a special meal). Dessert soon arrives with the option for an Italian cheese plate with cordials. Economy Class also enjoys complimentary wine and two choices for meals, albeit with less service fanfare.

Business passengers enjoy large pillows, plush blankets, slippers, Salvatore Ferragamo amenity kits and basic headphones. If you are curious what is on the menu for your flight, the airline posts inflight menus for Business Class on its website.

ITA offers Premium Economy on its longer flights. These seats have as much as 40% more space than standard Economy, a headrest and footrest, and more substantial food and drink service. This fare also includes priority boarding and check-in perks. I like how they offer small touches like a welcome drink, and larger TV screens make it seem truly premium.

Short-haul flights

Short and regional flights fly using Airbus A220, A319, A320 and A321 planes. Business Class is nothing special since they use Economy-style seats with hardly any legroom, although the seat next to you is blocked for extra space.

If traveling in economy, I try to choose flights using the A220 since these are in a 2-2 setup versus the 3-3 seating of larger planes. Unlike ITA’s wide-body flights, none of these planes have seatback entertainment screens.

While long-haul service and amenities are quite impressive, short-haul ITA flights are a disappointment. There is usually just one meal choice for Business Class (pasta or a few small cold sandwiches). On flights of three hours or more, there may be a warm, second choice. My personal hack is to request a special meal because these are often better on short flights.

While I find Business Class on these short flights to be rather average, kudos to ITA for offering complimentary drinks and snacks in Economy on short and long flights. Many European airlines have shifted to a buy-on-board model.

On domestic flights, Superior is a special fare product that comes with an extra blocked seat next to you (except on the A220), greater baggage allowance, priority check-in and boarding, lounge access and onboard food and drinks.

Aside from the blocked seat next to you, I don’t see much value in this fare since my elite status with SkyTeam includes many of these perks already. But, if you don’t have status, this could be a nice way to improve the trip with a few extras.

Another key consideration is that the airline does offer some discounted versions of its traditional Superior and Economy fares. These “Basic Economy”-style fares have additional restrictions in exchange for saving a little extra cash. These could be worth it if you do not have time to use the lounge before boarding or are not travelling with a checked bag.

Onboard entertainment

The entire wide-body fleet plus the A320neo, A321neo and A220 aircraft come with onboard Wi-Fi. Messaging is free on long-haul flights, but you will have to pay extra for any other connectivity options. The goal is to eventually offer Wi-Fi on all of its fleet.

I find that the fee to connect on long flights just to check my email or surf the web is quite reasonable for those that want to stay productive. If you don’t want to pay, you can enjoy a long list of Hollywood films, short subject programmes and TV shows, and music free of charge on the seatback screens of wide-body flights.

Lounges

One area where ITA really excels is its airport lounge offering. Fresh salads, pastas, pizzas, sandwiches and other Italian delicacies will quell any hunger pangs between flights. Baristas prepare made-to-order coffee and cocktail beverages. The wine list is almost exclusively Italian.

Enjoy other specialties like an Aperol Spritz or limoncello to savour the real Italian experience. The airline operates its own branded lounges in many airports, but also cooperates with an airport’s own lounge in others to give premium and eligible passengers a place to relax before the flight when there is no ITA lounge.

Membership in SkyTeam means that SkyTeam Elite Plus passengers also enjoy access to an eligible lounge, even when flying in Economy.

Loyalty programme

Volare is the airline’s frequent flyer programme. Many travellers who belong to other SkyTeam programmes prefer to credit their miles there. If you have elite status with another alliance partner and want to test out the waters with Volare, here’s a great tip.

Volare regularly offers status matches to members of competing loyalty programmes. This could be a great way to instantly secure SkyTeam elite status if you normally fly with other airlines. That way, when you do fly ITA or its current partners (like Virgin Atlantic or Air France), you can still enjoy benefits.

If ITA does leave SkyTeam and move to Star Alliance, you would then get Star Alliance elite status, which could prove equally valuable.

Other tips for flying ITA

Here are some other ways to enjoy more flexibility when flying with ITA.

Bidding for an upgrade

I love getting a good deal. When ITA determines it will have extra space in Business Class, it may email you with an offer to bid for an upgrade. I don’t wait for the email though. I go to the airline’s dedicated upgrade page to make my bid. It’s a nice way to score more space and better food at a discount if you are one of the highest bidders.

There are three ways to upgrade: one is by placing a bid (my recommendation), another is by accepting the flat rate they charge (bidding for an upgrade is often cheaper) or holding out to see if there is a better deal at the airport. The latter is risky because people may have already been upgraded using the auction system by then.

Time to think

If your plans are still up in the air but you want to lock in a low fare when you find it, the “time to think” option allows you to hold the fare for up to 72 hours for a fee. I wish more airlines offered this option during the booking process.