Review Alitalia flight to Tokyo, here's how I took 3 business for only 64 thousand Millemiles
To start 2021, I decided to publish this review even though it recounts an October 2019 flight. I did it [...]
To start 2021, I decided to publish this review even though it recounts an October 2019 flight. I did this because the goal is to "erase" 2020, and I hope that the year that has just begun will be as close as possible to the pre-pandemic world rather than the one that just ended
In this article:
- Specifications
- Aircraft:
- A330/200
- Class:
- Magnificent
- Treat:
- MXP - NRT
- Price:
- 64 thousand thousand miles
- Book
It will also be a "different" review because it will tell not just one flight, but two. I will explain why in a moment.
A short preface
Finding three tickets award in Magnifica class has always been very arduous, the frequent flyers of the Italian airline know this very well. The old Alitalia always had few intercontinental routes and with few frequencies. In fact, the only destination served with multiple daily flights was always New York, a total of four: three from Rome Fiumicino and one from Milan Malpensa.
All other destinations were always operated with only one daily flight and some with less than one flight per day. This situation resulted in the possibility of finding 3 award seats on at least one of the daily FCO/JFK flights and rarely even on the Miami connection or on some lightly trafficked route such as the Cuba flight.
Wanting to fly three, we aimed for Tokyo for a connection of the old schedule. In fact, Alitalia connected Tokyo with two daily flights, one from Rome and one from Milan.
Two flights departed and landed at virtually the same time, so we decided to book two seats on the flight from Milan and one from Rome. Living in Liguria, all we had to do was take advantage of the (free) approach flight from Genoa to Rome, while the other two people drove to Malpensa airport.
Reservation
The cost of an award ticket in Magnifica class is 120k Millemiglia points (it is the most expensive ticket in the current Alitalia table). It is equal to the price of a flight to South America and 50% more expensive than those to the United States.
In total, however, the 3 tickets cost me only 192k Millemiglia, because one of the three was a companion ticket and for the other two paid tickets I immediately received the 20% milesback of the miles spent. So in the end every single ticket cost me 64k Millemiglia points, to which must be added the cost of taxes of just under €300 per coupon. In the same period, the cost of each ticket was about 2,500€ each.
Typhoon Hagibis
It was at least 35 dead and 20 missing the latest death toll provided by the Japanese media of casualties caused by the passage of the powerful typhoon Hagibis over Japan, with wind gusts reaching 216 kilometers per hour. In fact, before we arrived, the whole of Japan was devastated from south to north by one of the most powerful typhoons in 50 years. This had led all airlines to cancel hundreds of flights to and from the Land of the Rising Sun.
Our departure date was Oct. 13; in the days before, all Alitalia flights had been canceled, but fortunately our two flights were in fact the first flights taken by Alitalia as soon as they returned to normal, a real "bang for the buck" since there were no vacancies for days on subsequent flights.
Of course, the damage caused by the disturbance also impacted our vacation, but fortunately we were able to arrive in Tokyo as planned.
The airport experience
Obviously we are going to talk about two separate experiences, the first from my partner who traveled from Genoa to Rome and from there to Tokyo. While my daughter and I left from Milan on a direct flight.
The journey began with the Check-in in Genoa, which can be done directly in the lounge, and with the connecting flight being operated in the traditional economy seat, since AZ does not provide business on domestic flights.
As mentioned, in the time it took my daughter and I to reach Milan Malpensa, Mom arrived at Rome Fiumicino airport.
Check-in operations at Malpensa went quickly and smoothly, little queue even at the security checkpoint, and with my daughter we headed to Casa Italia Malpensa, if you are interested you can read the full review of the lounge, whose future is as "nebulous" as AZ flights from the Varese Province airport.
In contrast, my companion reached the satellite of Fiumicino's pier and terminal 3, the one you reach by sky bridge, here is the second Alitalia lounge in the long-haul terminal, called Casa Italia - Piazza del Popolo.
Food and beverage offerings as rich as ever, but in general this lounge is inferior to both Malpensa and Piazza di Spagna, the main lounge in Terminal 3.
Compared to these two lounges, where the pasta is freshly slathered and the pizza baked by the pizza chef, the Piazza del Popolo lounge had classic self-service.
Needless to say. all AZ lounges are currently closed. On the website it says "due to the covid situation," but it is surely an economic choice since, as we have seen, it is one of the few (if not the only premium company) not to have reopened the halls so long after the fact.
On board
The two flights were operated with the two different long-haul planes on Alitalia's force in those days.
The flight from Malpensa has always been operated with the Airbus A330/200, while connections from Fiumicino have historically been operated with Boeing 777/200s. Currently, the only flight connecting Italy with Japan departs from Fiumicino and lands at Haneda Airport, no longer at Narita.
Cabin layout, 1-2-1 layout seating arrangement, and seat type is identical on both models.
Mom rode in the 1L seat, the advantage of sitting in the front row seats is that you can enjoy extra space in the front to the seat, convenient for storing blanket and pillow when not in use.
Instead, my daughter and I sat in the middle seats, in the Alitalia configuration there are seats called "honey mooners."
This solution has two advantages: greater isolation from the aisle and the ability for two people to travel closer together. If you are interested in these two seats, they are the ones in the odd rows on both the A330 and 777.
As soon as we were seated, the cabin manager came to introduce herself. I noticed that she only went to some passengers, which is why I believe she only did so with elite customers of the MilleMiglia loyalty program.
I have always liked the colors of the cabin and the fittings of the Magnifica class seats, and despite the years, I must say they have stood the test of time well, thanks in part to the quality of the Frau leather. Space is also generous, on one thing we have to give Alitalia credit: on the entire fleet, the seat configuration allows all passengers to have direct aisle access, and on a long-haul flight with a seat that becomes a bed, it makes a difference not to have to climb over a stranger to go to the bathroom or get something to drink.
The same cannot be said of the in-flight entertainment system. We are talking about an old IFE, the total absence of wi-fi on both aircraft, and monitors that show all the years they have. You can tell from the controller that we are light years behind the competition. I would like to take this opportunity to recommend the purchase of a small adapter that will allow you to connect your headphones to the onboard IFE system, so you can isolate yourself much more than the headphones offered by the various companies.
The route to Tokyo has always been one of the few in profit, the two connections being the only direct connections between Italy and Japan and therefore used by so many Japanese heading to our country. There were a total of four Italians in Magnifica's cabin, the rest all Japanese passengers.
That is why there have always been native-speaking flight attendants on board, let's hope that these "simple ideas" will remain in the future to make Alitalia a carrier that can intercept foreign passengers as well and especially.
The small Ferragamo-branded beauty is much richer than average and offers quality products.
N.B. In early 2020 the new kit arrived, this time branded Bvlgari.
Food & Beverage
Two different flights, but heading to the same place, this means same culinary offering. Over the years, Alitalia has always tried to take customers by the throat.
Of course, one must always carefully consider with whom one is comparing. From personal experience, I think that as far as the menu is concerned AZ holds its own with European and American airlines.
Alitalia has always offered the option of dining when one wants, or "dine on demand," a service not found on all airlines. The crew tends to advise against it, but ultimately respects the customer's choice.
I find that the ability to eat whenever you want on a trip of more than 12 hours is a real advantage. In the case of the flight to Tokyo with departure a few minutes after 3 p.m., it just doesn't make sense to eat dinner right after takeoff, also because in our case we had just eaten in the lounge.
We then asked to be allowed to eat about 4 hours after takeoff, so my daughter was also able to keep her own pace and fall asleep right after dinner, in fact even before we finished.
The wine list is Alitalia's weak point. Ok to focus on Italian wines, however, the options starting with the choice of sparkling wine are far inferior to the competition.
What if in the middle of the night a pang comes? No problem here's a margherita pizza.
Given the length of the flight, breakfast is provided in addition to dinner; the cheese omelet was really delicious.
IFE and services
We have said it before, the quality of the entertainment system is barely sufficient, none of the Airbus A330s in service are equipped with wifi, only in a few 777s is there a connection. In 2019 this is a very serious lack, as is the complete absence of live TV.
The movie proposal is poor compared to any other carrier, so in the end when we travel with my daughter I download a lot of content on the tablet so that she can be comfortable.
In conclusion
This was my last long-haul flight with Alitalia before the pandemic, I am curious to see how the new Alitalia will resume flying once the transition from the commissioner to the new ownership is completed. Regarding this flight, I can say that it confirmed the merits and shortcomings of the AZ company and service. Alitalia's award table is set to increase, so certain 62k Millemiglia tickets have their days numbered. As long as it is possible to take them one must do so without a second thought.
Pro
- The service
- The menu
- the final price
Against
- Absence of wi-fi
- IFE below average
- Poor wine list