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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 27 2008, 7:46 PM EDT (current) | jimglab | 399 words added |
| Apr 27 2008, 7:45 PM EDT | jimglab |
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Government still hopes to save Alitalia
The future of Italy’s national carrier, Alitalia, is still uncertain despite the Italian government’s approval last week of an emergency $475 million loan to the troubled carrier. Meanwhile, U.S. travelers will soon have another option for travel to Italy, with Italian carrier Air One – a partner of Lufthansa – planning to launch its first transatlantic flights in June. Air One said it will begin flights from Milan Malpensa to Boston on June 1, operating five times a week; and to Chicago O’Hare on June 21, with six weekly frequencies. Air One will reportedly code-share with US Airways on the Boston-Milan route, and with United on ORD-Milan flights. The airline will use Airbus A330-200s for the transatlantic routes. Air One has been building up an international hub at Milan Malpensa, having recently launched service from there to Rome Fiumicino, Naples and Palermo, and planning to start service from Milan to Berlin May 2, followed by Brussels June 2 and Athens June 7.
As for Alitalia, newly elected prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who takes office in a month, said he expects private investors to bail out the carrier, in which the government holds a 49 percent stake. He did not identify the investors, but indicated the emergency loan should give Alitalia enough time to develop a rescue plan – if it works. AirFrance/KLM had been ready to purchase Alitalia, but backed out when the airline’s unions refused to go along with the prospective buyers’ plans for restructuring, which would have included the loss of hundreds of jobs. Meanwhile, in a cost-cutting effort, Alitalia is consolidating its hub operations at Rome Fiumicino, phasing out its secondary hub at Milan Malpensa last month. The addition of more Alitalia long-haul flights out of Rome may be causing some problems there. The U.S. Air Transport Association this month issued a carefully-worded statement complaining about Rome Fiumicino’s Terminal 5, used by U.S. carriers. “While much work has been done toward refurbishing T5, there is still much more that needs to be completed before being able to adequately accommodate passengers, including transportation of passengers en masse from T5 via buses to the satellite terminal gate area, and convenient and safe access from the ramp and into the satellite,’ ATA said, noting that it wants to ensure U.S.-bound passengers at Fiumicino “are treated uniformly and have a seamless travel experience.”
