TFC exclusive. ITA Airways, all the developments in the Volare loyalty program: alliances, award tickets and Skyteam privileges

On the sidelines of ITA Airways' press conference at TTG Rimini, While in Rome, the CDA deposed chairman Altavilla., the Italian flag carrier was drawing up a balance sheet of its first year of operation.

It seems like yesterday, but it has already been a year since ITA Airways first took off from Milan Linate and today the CCO drew up a balance sheet, pitted some numbers, and gave some glimpses of the future.

Flying has reached 700,000 subscribers

ITA Airways' loyalty program has surpassed 700 thousand members, spread over the 5 cards from the basic one (the smart one) to the Executive forever, while there are still no details on the arrival Of Limitless cards.

This result was arrived at after three status match campaigns, the last one concluded last September.

Benefit Skyteam

This is where the bad news begins for status holders. To see benefits recognized, Skypriority, when flying with partner airlines will have to wait until early next year.

Confirming this is Emiliana Limosani, chief commercial officer of ITA Airways and CEO of Volare. Same for the reverse situation: holders of Elite Plus Skyteam status will also have to wait until spring 2023.

Cold shower then for another 3 to 4 months minimum and very bad news for all frequent flyers, especially in view of the Christmas season.

Accumulation of points

The novelty, and This is the first time ITA Airways has gone into such detail, is that work has begun with the first Skyteam companies to define the rules for accumulation, in technical jargon accrual.

Accrual, That is, the ways and rules when you fly with a company and want to Load the points onto a different card By the one you fly with. For example fly Air France and accumulate on Volare card.

ITA Airways, confirms Luca Galanti (Director Partnership Product Flying), is working with the first four companies and expects to close the deal by the end of the year to make it operational by early 2023 at the latest.

It will be possible to accumulate points Fly initially with Delta, Air France-KLM, Korean and Saudia. Obviously this will be reciprocal, so it will be possible to cumulate on the cards of these four carriers the flights made with ITA.

Following within 2023 will be closed agreements with other carriers in theSkyteam alliance and non-Skyteam partner carriers.

The bad news is. there is no possibility on the horizon of being able to back-credit flights made, so our advice is-to avoid losing those points-to choose a loyalty program other than Volare.

Award chart

As we who are enrolled in the Volare program are well aware., to date it is impossible to book a real award ticket using Volare points. The only option is to use points in the mode cash and miles. "For us at the moment it is the ideal solution because it makes it possible to book every seat, on every flight without restrictions." confirm from Volare.

The possibility of redeeming prize tickets with the Flying points will come later than when the opportunity to accumulate points begins, so we can assume that It will hardly be possible to book an award ticket with Saudia using Volare points before late spring.

This means that in order to redeem a real award ticket (not in cash and miles) with Volare you will have to wait until next spring (if it goes well, ed.).

The good news, however, is that the award chart will finally be presented. The confirmation comes again from Galati: "We don't know yet whether it will be dynamic, Flying Blue model, or fixed as was the case with Millemiglia. But it is in the Skyteam rules and so it will come."

Status renewal

No comment from ITA Airways spokesmen on possible ex officio renewal of statuses to those enrolled in the Volare program. Certainly it is, in my personal opinion, that ITA is bound to have to take some action against all the members who have been flying in recent months, both ITA and other Skyteam carriers, and who have not been able to accumulate the points necessary for status renewal.

In conclusion

Sweet and bitter balance. Of course it is also evident from the Roman news that ITA has bigger problems, but it is true that loyal passengers are the ones who allow the carrier to collect money.

On Volare, what can I say: we are clearly still far from the true form of a mature program, and it is also clear that there are still too many gray areas, not to mention shortcomings, to be able to "bet" on this program. However, I like to see the glass half full and the idea that we will finally have a real award chart is still a light at the end of the tunnel.

• Flying