ITA Airways, which routes have the new long-haul business class
Italians are increasingly returning to travel, and more and more travelers are choosing to trust the company again [...]
Italians are increasingly returning to travel and more and more travelers are choosing to put their trust in Italy's national airline again and, as Emiliana Limosani said, sales for the summer season are going strong.
Two long-haul aircraft for ITA Airways.
In this article:
Currently, February 2023, the Italian carrier has a long-haul fleet made up of two aircraft models. The new Airbus A350s entering service during summer 2022 and the old A330/200 aircraft inherited from Alitalia. As is easy to imagine, are two very different planes in both structure and fittings.
A350 of ITA Airways
This is the flagship of the Italian company: are set up with two cabins, business class and economy.
There are 33 business class seats with a 1-2-1 configuration, so where each passenger has Direct hallway access, plenty of personal space, and a top-of-the-line IFE.
Then there are 301 economy seats, the first 5 rows of the tourist class offers the economy comfort seats, Structurally identical to the others but with more legroom.
A330 by ITA Airways
These are the planes the company has kept in its fleet while waiting for the new A330/900neo, the new generation of the A330 is a certainty in Airbus' fleet, chosen by companies such as Virgin Atlantic, Delta, TAP portugal And many others.
The planes have been painted blue, but inside they are still Alitalia's in every way. The 20 business class seats are still the old and iconic ones from Alitalia's Magnifica. Agé, but still a 1-2-1 configuration that doesn't disfigure compared to other, more emblazoned airlines.
Unlike the A350s, they are outfitted with the premium economy cabin, which can accommodate 17 passengers. The remaining 219 passengers are "forced" to sit in seats that have seen better days and have to endure an aged (badly) IFE.
How to know which aircraft a route is flown on
The most immediate way, whether the ticket you are about to book involves flying on A350 or A330, is to note whether or not the options on sale include premium economy. If so, the route is evidently operated with the old A330s; if not, you will be aboard the beautiful A350.
This will not change even as new A330/900neo aircraft enter the fleet, which will be outfitted with the new cabins and will also have premium economy.
Which routes in ITA Airways' operations are definitely operated with A350s
We have written it so many times, machine change is a constant in the aviation world. An inconvenience, a delay, a sudden need can make the company's plans change, and nothing is due to the passenger as a refund if the model is changed.
Having made this obligatory premise, in the case of ITA Airways it is evident that given the technical peculiarities of the only two models in the fleet, some intercontinental network routes are operated exclusively with the A350, here are which ones:
- Tokyo the flight from Rome Fiumicino could be operated with the A330, but the closure of Russian airspace forces carriers, including ITA, to lengthen the route, and this situation independent of the carrier's will, forces ITA to use its flagship.
- Los Angeles the flight to California is operated exclusively with the A350
- San Francisco, this route that will debut in the summer schedule will always be operated with the flagship.
- Buenos Aires Of the three South American destinations, Argentina's capital is the only one with only the A350 as an airplane.
Which routes never involve the A350
Of the network of 9 destinations currently served by ITA Airways the A350 is not excluded from any of these and could always be used. At present, however, it is difficult to see him committed to Malé and New Delhi.
In addition, the only route from Milan Malpensa to New York never provides, barring last minute changes, the use of the A350.
Which routes involve a mix of the two models
Currently, only the flight from Rome to New York has multiple frequencies per day, and is therefore the only route where on the same day it is possible to see both planes engaged.
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As seen above, looking for a random day in March 2023, two flights operated by ITA are scheduled, while others are code-shared with Delta, Air France, or KLM. The difference is obvious, and it is easy to see that flight AZ608 will be operated with A350, while flight AZ610 will be operated with A330.
Use of the A350 on other intercontinental network routes may occur for various reasons: normal machine rotation, respond to increased demand on a specific date/period, need for more cargo availability to transport goods to or from Italy. For example, over the Christmas holiday period in response to high demand the A350 was deployed to the Maldives, as in the photo above taken at the Malé airport.
From June, the new A330/900s
A game changer will be the entry into service of the new A330/900neo aircraft. They will be a real step forward and will immediately make ITA's proposal among the most modern on the European scene.
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