Readers' reviews: how to fly aboard Universal Air from Milan-Linate to Ancona

It is always a huge pleasure to receive reader reviews-whether these are of a flight, a lounge or a hotel-and when they happen, ca va sans dire, we are delighted to publish them. Today, specifically, it is the turn of a young reader, Federico, who takes us aboard Universal Air - one of the companies that flies in ACMI for SkyAlps.

Reservation

I bought this flight motivated by a desire to try a turboprop plane for the first time. Crossing economic necessity and timing convenience, I thus chose to fly SkyAlps. The flight is operated under territorial continuity, with three departures from Milan Linate during the week and only one on Saturdays and Sundays. SkyAlps, in fact, has grabbed territorial continuity over Ancona and offers routes to and from Milan Linate, Rome Fiumicino e Naples. The company to and from Milan offers discounted fares around the 80 euro, while for those who do not enjoy territorial continuity, the price is on the 120 euro. Residents of the Marche region, anyone under the age of 21 or students up to the age of 26 can take advantage of the first ones. I, fortunately, am still 18 and so I was able to detach this ticket at 169 euro, an all-inclusive price reasonable. 

The journey

SkyAlps notified me, via a emails sent the night before, that the flight would undergo one hour late. The departure would thus have slipped from 10 o'clock to 11 o'clock. No matter what, I still go to Linate the next day well in advance so that I can have a leisurely breakfast, pop into Leonardo Hall for the first time, and head to the gate. Meanwhile, I also find out that this flight will be operated by Universal Air, a newborn Maltese company which also flies Bombardier turboprops and has lately been helping SkyAlps, which Has seen almost all of his planes grounded Because of maintenance issues.

At the boarding gate it is immediately clear to me that on this flight. there won't be a full house: account at the beginning a dozen people, but then some get up to board another flight, departing from the gate next door, and so we remain in 6. Embarkation takes a few seconds and waiting for us beyond the gate, instead of the usual bus, there is a small van SEA. Upon boarding the plane I am greeted by smiling cabin manager Sara and realize that all the crew is Universal Air, except for a SkyAlps supervisor. Very few minutes after we board the doors close and we are already taxiing to the runway. 

The seat is smooth, reclines enough and has good legroom. Standard equipment includes a reading light, call button and air vents.

Just at cruising altitude begins the bar service of SkyAlps, consisting of. a beverage of your choice (juice, soft drink, water, coffee) and a snack, sweet or salty. I choose, as my usual, Coke and salty snack. The glass of Coke is more meager than that of Lumiwings, but still. significantly fuller than that on any ITA flight (than to give you a cookie doesn't even imagine it, on a domestic flight). The flight proceeds smoothly, the flight attendants go up and down the cabin a few times, and the service proves to be undoubtedly efficient and attentive. 

We arrive at 12:05, a little over an hour behind schedule. After landing I naturally pop into the cockpit where I meet the captain, whose name I cannot remember, and first officer Brian. I exchange a few words and then get off the plane, from which a bus picks us up and takes us to the arrivals terminal at Ancona's Raffaello Sanzio airport.

After having lunch and a walk in Castelferretti, a small town adjoining the airport, I return to the airport and wait to depart at 3:45 pm. Ancona airport is small, rather sad, with a food court ground and one air side and nothing more. While it is not particularly busy, in my opinion it is unsuitable to the traffic it accommodates, and as a busy Ryanair flight to Krakow was departing, and shortly thereafter another to London, some passengers had no place Where to sit.

On the return flight we are in four, even less than on the outward journey! This one proceeds the same as the first, I eat and drink the same things. In theory SkyAlps advertises in-flight service, free, of some wine label trentino, who, however, on this Universal Air aircraft was not offered, probably because it is not available. 

Final Budget

Flying on an empty airplane is a very special experience, but also a very pleasant one, which I doubt I will have again anytime soon. Too bad I have no excuse to fly to Ancona again. The question arises: to an Ancona man agrees fly To and from Milan? In my opinion in this case the answer is not unique And you have to take into account your priorities. The cheapest solutions with the train cost just under 40 euros, but they take over five hours and often with a change in between, whereas a direct trip on the Frecciarossa, which is the fastest option, takes almost three hours and can be purchased at about 65 euros. In terms of solely economic the answer then is no, but maybe it is the case that we should do an average even with travel time: spending twice as much as Intercity for a flight that takes a fifth of the time can ultimately result in convenient, not to mention the Frecciarossa, compared to which it takes a third of the time with only a few more euros.

On the other hand, those who do not enjoy territorial continuity, do the math: the cases are too many for me to rattle off in the space of a few lines, and I do not want to turn this review into a lecture on economics and sociology...

In conclusion

In conclusion, SkyAlps offers a. competitive on the level of theefficiency and the service And my experience with them has been absolutely positive. Perhaps the self-definition, on their site, of boutique airline, but for a forty-minute flight one could not ask for more. So I would recommend it, also pointing out that the vast majority of online reviews are favorable-a rarity for an airline. Even the crew Universal Air was all-around friendly and attentive, from the very friendly cabin manager Sara (and her smiling colleague Ana) to the pilots, willing to chat with an enthusiast. In principle, therefore, even traveling with them. it was pleasant.