The paradox of ITA Airways' new "jewel," the A321neo ends up competing with Ryanair and Volotea
Where today other airlines fly more or less modern environmentally friendly and quiet "junk planes," ITA will fly the best plane in its fleet.
ITA Airways
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You can calculate everything to precision, you can make the best recipe, but you cannot control what happens outside your restaurant, and that is what is happening at ITA Airways, the plane that was supposed to "shuttle" the rich Tel Aviv market to North and South America has been cornered by the events of October 7.
Today, therefore, ITA finds itself with a unique aircraft in the European landscape, and more, But he has nowhere to fly it. A plane that can fly up to 6 hours and thus reach destinations throughout the Middle East and Central Africa from Rome, destinations that the Italian company plans to open in the coming months. At this stage, ITA's revenue managers had put all their eggs in the rich TLV/FCO basket, the only route in ITA's international network that could take advantage of the 100% configuration of this aircraft.
As mentioned, ITA's plans have blown up and it now finds itself having to fly that machine, without monetizing the product.
Where ITA's A321neo will fly.
Starting tomorrow, Dec. 1, ITA Airways' new Airbus A321neo will be used on the Rome Fiumicino - London Heathrow route daily frequency and on Rome Fiumicino - Paris Charles de Gaulle during the Christmas vacation period.
The choice then is to put on one of the longest routes in ITA's international network, namely London Heathrow and one of the typical Italian Christmas destinations Paris.
The operative on the British capital plans until the end of January departure from Rome Fiumicino in the early afternoon around 2 p.m. and arrival at London Heathrow by 4:30 p.m. From London, the flight will depart around 5:00 p.m. to land in Rome Fiumicino in the evening by 9:00 p.m. (the time varies depending on the day optioned).
To serve customers who will be flying over the Christmas vacation period On the French capital, ITA Airways from December 22 to January 9 will deploy the new A321neo with 3 daily frequencies also on Rome Fiumicino - Paris Charles De Gaulle. Three flights depart from Rome FCO (8:35, 15:05, 21:30 with arrival at 10:45, 17:15, 23:40 respectively) and three return flights from Paris CDG (departing at 6:10, 11:45, 18:10 and arriving at 8:10, 13:50, 20:15 respectively).
Thus where today the other companies fly more or less modern environmentally friendly and quiet "junk planes," ITA will fly the best plane in its fleet.
Fly for free in Premium Economy
Tickets are on sale, but as you can see in the image above ITA Airways only sells economy and business class tickets, it means that some tourist class passengers will be able to fly in Premium Economy without spending anything extra ( or it is likely that the company will monetize the seat at the selection stage, or those who have the status will be able to choose it for free).
Why ITA's A321neo is special
The A321neo, the latest type of Airbus to arrive in the fleet, represents a first for the company and goes to further consolidate the strategy of a fleet composed entirely of Airbus aircraft with 82 in operation including new generation aircraft such as the A220, A320neo, A330neo and A350.
ITA Airways' A321neo is the benchmark for technology, digitization, innovation, efficiency and made-in-Italy design for the airline on medium-haul. It features the award-winning Airspace Cabin, which provides the highest levels of comfort and increased space, with the latest generation of seats, new ITA Airways custom interior lighting system, and XL overhead lockers.
It is configured with three classes of service: Business Class (with 12 reclining seats, with configuration full flat to have a real bed), Premium Economy (with 12 seats) and Economy (with 141 seats of which 12 are dedicated to Comfort Economy).
In addition, thanks to the sophisticated IFE system, each seat is equipped with the latest "on-demand" video and audio entertainment system, 17.3-inch (Business), 15.6-inch (Premium Economy) and 13.3-inch (Economy) low-reflectivity touch-screen and 4K resolution for a user experience simple and intuitive.
With the entertainment system, passengers will enjoy an experience comparable to that of popular multimedia applications, a bimonthly programming consisting of a wide selection of movies, TV series, music playlists, interactive games, and 3D interactive flight map.
Finally, the A321neo is equipped with a Wi-Fi connection system through which travelers can connect with their device to the in-flight network and text, surf or stream content, depending on the connectivity package purchased
- 6,000 Mile Registration Bonus
- Collect miles WITH EACH PURCHASE
- Your miles with no expiration*
- No fees for ATM withdrawals and foreign purchases
- Without having to change banks
- Autonomous card activation
- Multi-function mobile application
- Free travel insurance
- Free credit for up to 7 weeks
- Contactless Payment
- Mastercard® SecureCode
- 20€ discount directly in your statement by spending €60 in one or more transactions with Carta on Italotreno.it
- Free fee the 1st year. From the 2nd €5.50 per month
- You can choose to pay in full or in installments
- Premium level of the Italo Più program
- 4 Vouchers per year for access to Italo Club Lounges
- Preferential Access to Italo's Fast Track at the station
- For every 5 purchases of Italo ticketing and/or onboard services made with Italo American Express Credit Card you will receive 1 voucher for room upgrade
- Welcome bonus of 100,000 Volare points upon reaching 6 thousand in spending in the first 3 months after card issuance
- Accumulate 1.5 qualifying Volare points for every euro spent, accumulate an additional 3 non-qualifying Volare points ( for a total of 4.5 Volare points) for every euro spent on ticketing purchases and other services offered by ITA Airways
- Access to the Premium Club of ITA Airways' Volare program.
- ITA Airways Lounge Access
- Free excess baggage
- Points Back