Review of Alitalia flagship from Rome to New York in business class

N.B. This review concerns a flight from the pre-covid era.

At the time of writing this review, we have no idea what the future will be for the B777er, the only one in Alitalia's fleet and among the most likely to be returned to sender by new management.

Specifications

Aircraft:

B777/300

Class:

Business

Treat:

FCO - JFK

Price:

64k Millemiglia

Book

This aircraft was the latest "gift" from Etihad, it was supposed to be the first of 4 and instead remained the only one. Obviously it is the last airplane to enter the fleet and being the largest, it represents the flagship of the company.

In the winter 2017 timetable it was deployed on the South Americ,a connection while in the summer period it was moved to Alitalia's busiest route: Fiumicino-New York, and this is where we tested it.

In the midst of the emergency Covid-19 has been dedicated entirely to cargo flights to and from China, as it is the largest aircraft available to Alitalia.

Reservation

This trip was booked through Alitalia miles. In the pre covid landscape the only route where it was possible to find 3 award seats in Alitalia's Magnifica class, i.e. business class, was precisely the Rome New York. Having Az three daily connections in the summer and high season, it happened often to find 3 seats on at least one of the flights.

The cost according to the Millemiglia table is 80k miles per ticket, including as always an approach flight, which we took advantage of having departed from Genoa.

Alitalia, everything you need to know about booking a millemiglia award ticket

Thanks to the exclusive benefits reserved for holders of American Express Alitalia Green and the companion ticket, the three tickets cost us just 138 thousand miles compared to a list cost of 240 thousand. To learn in detail how to get the benefits, we recommend reading our special.

Alitalia requires payment of taxes for all award tickets, so the total cost incurred was about 900 euros, in addition to the aforementioned 138k miles.

On the ground

Our journey began at the Genoa airport for the connecting flight; the shortcomings of this airport are well known to Ligurians: very few connections and difficulty in reaching the airport, which is not connected to any public transportation system, although it is located less than 10 minutes from the city center.

The lounge (click here for review) had recently opened and was very modern looking, but with a desultory lack of food and beverage offerings. The benefits of the lounge, which is located outside the screening area, are basically two: the presence of a counter to chek-in while avoiding the queues in the public area, and access to the fast track, which allows people to skip the queue and arrive directly at the screening area. Benefit that would still be granted to premium ticket holders, elite status and the American Express Platinum which provides fast track at most Italian airports.

There is a decidedly richer offering at Fiumicino's Terminal 3 lounge. Casa Italia is actually Alitalia's most important and is located in the company's flagship airport.

When we entered, it was very crowded, as normal to expect in an early morning hour, given the high number of AZ flights departing for the U.S. and beyond.

Cabin and chair

As mentioned, this 777er is the newest addition. Although to date it has 11 years of honored service and has changed two liveries before donning the tricolor, it is the newest in terms of outfitting, IFE, as well as being the largest with 30 seats in Magnifica class, 24 in classic+ (premium economy) and 324 in classic (economy).

The business cabin layout, as on Alitalia's entire long-haul fleet, includes a 1-2-1 configuration, meaning that all passengers have direct access to the aisle. As for the middle seats, since they are arranged in a checkerboard pattern, there are also "honey mooners," or two closer seats that allow those traveling in company to not be distant and at the same time more isolated from the aisle.

Our seats were in row 3: two honeymooners and seat 3L , window side on the right side of the aircraft.

The cabin layout with very soft colors offers leather upholstered armchairs that recline up to 180°, with fully horizontal bed position and massage function.

Ample space is available both for storing personal belongings in the hat box and for keeping cell phones, notebooks and tablets under control and always charged.

IFE and services

Although it is the latest, this 777er is equipped with the classic in-flight entertainment system of the entire AZ fleet with the added presence of WiFi.

Very little film offerings compared to other airlines, which in addition to on-demand content offer almost all live channels and much more.

Also noteworthy is the almost total absence of webcams to watch what is happening outside the airplane. The gullwing view from the tail of the plane on takeoff is a very exciting thing and one that draws me in every time I watch it.

The Ferragamo-branded night kit contained the standard equipment: various creams, toothbrush and toothpaste, eye mask, a pair of socks, the earplugs and a mint.

Different kit for children, but very similar in content with the addition of a booklet and crayons for coloring. Again, the offerings albeit in Magnifica class are much more meager than in economy on many other airlines.

The headphones are not the best one can find in the skies, but they still provided a good level of soundproofing. As is the practice for this type of flight, a pillow, a blanket/quilt and a small bottle of plain water were also provided.

The kitchen

The culinary offering is a boast and a hallmark for Alitalia, which for years has literally aimed to grab premium passengers by the throat.

Awarded "Best airline cuisine" for 10 years, menus dedicated to Italian regions have been introduced for the past few years, and in September it was Puglia's turn. The in-flight offer therefore included a menu based on typical Apulian recipes and wines.

In addition to this, the wine list consisted of Italian bubbles and passiti for desserts.

Final judgment

You can say anything about the Italian national airline: perpetually in crisis and perpetually undergoing a revival. The Magnifica product, however, is no match for the business classes of Air France, Lufthansa and KLM.

The guarantee of free access to the corridor from anywhere, a sufficient choice of Italian-language entertainment, and certainly fine cuisine make up for some shortcomings in service and overall offerings.

We must also not forget the cost of only 80k miles, a figure that is absolutely competitive with the proposals of other carriers that for the same route ask for at least a 30% more miles (sales and offers excluded).

The verdict

One plane, the 777/300, accidentally arrived in Alitalia's fleet. And precisely because it is the only one, it is destined to leave it soon. Alitalia's "magnificent" class is a product that holds its own against other European airlines, certainly the difference begins to be felt when you compare IFE, wifi and other ancillary services, however.

7.5

Service

7

IFE

6

Cabin and Armchair

8.5

Pro

• All seats have direct access to the aisle, so you don't have to climb over your neighbor to go to the bathroom or stretch your legs
• The cuisine is level and in some aspects better than competitors
• Despite its age, the seat and cabin in general are cozy and well maintained
• Voucher to use free wifi (50mb)

Against

• On a scale of 0 to 10, IFE deserves 4
• Wifi bad and complicated, you pay by traffic and not by time
• There is a lack of level wines
• Staff tend to "run away" at the end of the service