AZ J FCO-JFK Nov 2007 with pix link
Nov 26, 2007, 5:26 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: New York
Posts: 7,347
AZ J FCO-JFK Nov 2007 with pix link
Alitalia Magnifica Business Class from FCO to JFK
Hi all,
Here is the last report on my series of November flights! It was my first flight on Alitalia, which warrants a report. After reading much on various bulletin boards, I do not have any expectation on Alitalia, which was not as bad as it was said here, but also not a particularly impressive airline. I flew on the “new” seats, which were okay, and indeed better than AA’s new called next generation seats (just my own opinion), but the lack of a real personal television system and not even Air Show on the main screen bothered me much. The F/As were polite but definitely enjoyed rushing through the meals and spent quality time at the galley. After lunch, they passed out a bottle of water and then that was that extent of mid-flight service. The lunch was okay, but the pre-arrival meal was rather uninteresting. Anyway, here is a brief report!
Photo link:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...8QbNHDNy5bqJrY
November 21, 2007
AZ 610 FCO-JFK Lv1350 Arr1735 Boeing 767-300ER EI-DDW Sebastian Caboto
Check-in:
Rome Leonardo Da Vinci Fiumicino International Airport definitely showed its age and the Concourse C (International/Non-Schagen) area was rather dark and the elevators all smelled funny. Alitalia had various check-in areas, and remembered to check the flight monitor for the correct check-in station, as Schagen, non-Schagen and USA bound flights used different aisles. The check-in area looked very dark with very classic style check-in desks. There is one dedicated Magnifica Class counter with the USA area (which is fine because there is really only one flight to USA daily), and there are three people staffing that line but more cheerful in talking loudly among themselves. English proficiency is low. I asked for a luggage tag and the agent just pointed to that baggage claim she attached to the bags. So I gave up… at least they knew to put a priority tag. However, I find the check-in experience to be very un-professional. More people are hanging out than doing real work!
Lounge:
The lounge looked fine, as you can tell from the pictures! But the amenities were very, very sad! The snack selection includes many packaged stuffs – cereal bars, chips, nuts, and yogurts, and the real stuff include only pastries, sandwiches, and diced cheese. The drink menu is purely random, but I am just shocked that there was no diet coke or coke light or any of the “light” drinks. Furthermore, there are no internet-connected computers and not to mention free wifi. The lounge is even worst than some of the US lounges. Not impressive at all! So I left the lounge early and wondered around the pier and the shops.
Airport:
Well the airport definitely showed its age, but the immigration was fairly easy to deal with, and then the security line was not too bad, and everyone was civilized. Way better than your typical TSA experience! Inside the secure area, it was like a mini shopping mall and there were much to see. I will venture out to the food court next time and report back.
Plane-spotting:
Cathay Pacific Airbus A340-300 B-HXL
Air China’s Airbus A340-300 B-2383
Thai Airways’ Boeing 747-400 HS-TGG (Old Color)
Emirates’ Boeing 777-300 A6-EMR
Air Canada’s Boeing 767-300ER (Old color and three main doors) 653/C-GGMX
Boarding:
C31 was our gate this afternoon, parked right next to Thai Airways’ flight to Bangkok. The boarding arrangement definitely had left yet to desire. “Chaos” is the word to describe the whole arrangement, as there is no clear premium line, and the agents made no effort to look for special request passengers. Boarding was delayed due to “crew” problems and the agent was not good in letting people know in advance. Finally at 1:28pm, there was call for business class passengers, and all the sudden, they opened up a line towards the left side of the gate, but to give AZ credit, they ensured that only business and elite passengers made it down the line.
The extra security check was carried after boarding (so don’t bring bottled waters!), and all the passports were verified and hand carry was being searched next. Another interesting thing was that despite there was only one door for boarding on this Boeing 767-300ER, there is no rope blocking off the second door, which still had the sign saying “economy class”. Really disorganized.
Once on board, the chief steward bided everyone hello and each seat came with a pillow and blanket (very flimsy) and also a menu and wine list. I was at 2D, the middle seat, but then moved back to the free pair of seats at row 4 (4J and 4L) after boarding was completed. The chief steward was very friendly and said felt free to move.
Seat:
I got the new Magnifica seat, which was not too bad. Yes it was one of those lie flat angled seats but the seats were not too bad. I felt that it was more like a sleeper seat with a cocoon cover. I like the grey leather cover and the seats felt very comfortable in both lounging and sleeping position. But I feel the cabin to be very crowded. And if the cabin was full, the middle seats were definitely preferred. There are pictures of the seats, so you can decide!
Flight:
Flying time was eight hours and forty-seven minutes and I have no idea about the routing or even the basic information because the pilot did not make one single announcement, and there was also no sky map function on the main screen television screen. Boarding began at 1:28pm and door was closed at 1:59pm, and we took off from R/W25 at 2:23pm.
Entertainment:
Individual entertainment units were distributed to business class passengers, which contained various movies and limited amount of short subjects. For main screen, movie, “Hairspray” was shown as well as a variety of short subjects and music videos. Nothing was showed for the last part of the flight. I personally like personal television.
Food/beverage:
Two meals were served during the flight, and the main meal/lunch was served individually from a trolley. Hot towels were served once – only before lunch service. Table was setup individually with tablecloth, beverage glasses and utensils, and strangely for the salt and pepper shakers, only these sad packets were placed on the table (but later on the snack service prior to arrival, real salt and pepper shakers were used). Pasta was also prepared by the two F/As on the side. Entrée was pre-plated casserole dishes, and for cheese board, fruit basket, and dessert, they were all served from the trolley. Very good presentation! Quality wise – the pastas are very good and tasty, and the rest of the meal is fine, except the entrée, which is very average. Speed wise – the lunch was served in a decent pace, but for some reasons, the F/As suddenly rushed through the last part of the meal. I am a relatively quick eater, but the cheese and fruit board was already rolled out prior to me finishing my entrée. From that point on, things were rushed and maybe the F/As felt that they need to rest soon. The second meal was served an hour and half prior to arrival, which is pretty much an one tray service with the F/A passing out the canapé, which was a warmed cheese bread, individually, as well as some olive oil flavored swirl bread roll.
Here is the wine list and menu transcript:
Wine List
White Wines
Charodonnay D.O.C. Piave 2006, Masottina, Veneto
La Rustia D.O.C. Erbaluce di Caluso 2006, Azienda Vitivinicola Orsolani, Piemonte
Red Wines
La Reniere D.O.C.G. Chianti dei Colli Senesi 2005, Fattoria Le Reniere, Toscana
Fornace di Cerreto D.O.C. Barbera d’Asti superiore 2004, Azienda Vinicola Malgra, Piemonte
Coste delle Plaie D.O.C. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2005, Podere Castorani Abruzzo
Quota 29 I.G.T. Salento 2005, Menhir Vini Puglia
Spumanti Franciacorta
Novalia brut D.O.C.G. Franciacorta, Tenuta Villa Crespia, Lombardia
Water
San Benedetto
Acqua Minerale Oligominerale
Naturale o Frizzante
Aperitif and Spirits
Bitter Campari
Martini Rosso
Ballantine’s
Grappa Alexander
Gin Bombay
Cognac Martell
Amaro Averna
Chivas Regal
Remy Martin
Limoncello Villa Massa
Lunch
Assorted Nuts to enjoy with your favorite aperitif
Crepes au gratin with artichokes and feta cheese
Trofie pasta in pachino cherry tomato and basil sauce
Braised beef in a Tuscan red wine sauce with yellow “polenta” and pore mushrooms
Or
Steamed sturgeon fillet flavored with thyme served with wild rice pie and zucchini
Cheese board selection served with dried fruits and crudités
Seasonal Fresh Fruit basket
Open bar with desserts and “Espresso” coffee
Snack
Robiola cheese and Grana Padano shavings with crudités and dried fruit
Canapes with stringy cheese, olives and dried tomatoes
Mixed salad with extravergine olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Open bar with “Espresso” coffee and tea
AZ 604.606.610.618.626.636.644.652 – L.D. 11/S. 19 n. 2 (W) – 2007
Flight attendants:
Well an all male team was serving business class – two older ones were serving and the younger one was the galley slave. They are actually pretty friendly throughout the flight. With no expectation, they are nicer than I have expected. However they pretty much disappeared after the main meal service and did not service till after the second meal. In the middle of the flight, a bottle of water was passed out to each passenger, and there is no more water or beverage rounds till the second meal. The F/As walked from economy to business class just to do their own things, as well as passing the trolleys between the two cabins.
Arrival:
Descent began at 4:39pm New York local time and we landed on R/W31R at 5:10pm, and parked at gate 5 at 5:34pm. Well the arrival scene was another interesting one. As usual, our plane had to wait for our gate because of our early arrival. A JAL plane, JA8082 new color, heading to Sao Paulo, was occupying our gate, so we had to wait outside at the tarmac. Of course, the economy class F/As decided to turn on the light while we were waiting, and all the Y passengers decided to stand up at the same time. The next minute was announcement and two angry business class F/As rushing to economy class cabin telling everyone to sit down immediately and closing all the overhead bins. The leading F/A was very upset with the Y F/As for sure. Of course, the pilots did not say much till later. Then later, as we stopped short at gate 5, even I thought we were all set at the gate, so the F/As turned on the cabin light and everyone stood up. Then a minute later, the aircraft moved forward again, but nobody said a word, including the pilots. Everyone was definitely in a hurry including the F/As!
Terminal One was actually pretty quiet at this time of the day, and the immigration area was wide open with no one in there. I managed to get through within three minutes, and the bags came out relatively quickly. My only complaint was that you had to pay USD$3 to get a baggage claim, which was unacceptable for an international airport at an international area. I can accept charging baggage carts on domestic flights, but no international. I really don’t get it!
Conclusion:
Alitalia is actually better than I expect, but there are differently many areas that they need to work on. The ground service at Rome Airport was just unacceptable, and the staffs need to be re-trained in their English oral skills, as well as focused more on the job, rather than chatting. The boarding scene was also disorganized and clear signage should be used to separate premium, special request, and economy passengers. There should be signs and more announcements telling passengers that boarding should take place in the following manner and more details need to give out if the flights are delayed for any reasons. Onboard service is okay, but the second meal definitely need a meat/seafood component, and during mid-flight, a snack station should be set up with water, soft drinks and juice because I know it is impossible to get the F/As to do water rounds for sure. Also there should be more than one bottle of water per passenger… more bottled waters should be loaded. I can totally understand why Alitalia is in so much trouble financially as well as their reputations. The next owner will definitely need much time to clean up this nation airline and maybe it is time for Air One to step up their service and possibly starting their own long haul service. I have a few more AZ flights in the future and have a good idea on what to expect. Hopefully the 777 flight will be a bit better, as well as the breakfast service. Delta is not a bad option!
The next report will not happen till after Christmas!
Have a great holiday season and safe travels!
Carfield
Hi all,
Here is the last report on my series of November flights! It was my first flight on Alitalia, which warrants a report. After reading much on various bulletin boards, I do not have any expectation on Alitalia, which was not as bad as it was said here, but also not a particularly impressive airline. I flew on the “new” seats, which were okay, and indeed better than AA’s new called next generation seats (just my own opinion), but the lack of a real personal television system and not even Air Show on the main screen bothered me much. The F/As were polite but definitely enjoyed rushing through the meals and spent quality time at the galley. After lunch, they passed out a bottle of water and then that was that extent of mid-flight service. The lunch was okay, but the pre-arrival meal was rather uninteresting. Anyway, here is a brief report!
Photo link:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...8QbNHDNy5bqJrY
November 21, 2007
AZ 610 FCO-JFK Lv1350 Arr1735 Boeing 767-300ER EI-DDW Sebastian Caboto
Check-in:
Rome Leonardo Da Vinci Fiumicino International Airport definitely showed its age and the Concourse C (International/Non-Schagen) area was rather dark and the elevators all smelled funny. Alitalia had various check-in areas, and remembered to check the flight monitor for the correct check-in station, as Schagen, non-Schagen and USA bound flights used different aisles. The check-in area looked very dark with very classic style check-in desks. There is one dedicated Magnifica Class counter with the USA area (which is fine because there is really only one flight to USA daily), and there are three people staffing that line but more cheerful in talking loudly among themselves. English proficiency is low. I asked for a luggage tag and the agent just pointed to that baggage claim she attached to the bags. So I gave up… at least they knew to put a priority tag. However, I find the check-in experience to be very un-professional. More people are hanging out than doing real work!
Lounge:
The lounge looked fine, as you can tell from the pictures! But the amenities were very, very sad! The snack selection includes many packaged stuffs – cereal bars, chips, nuts, and yogurts, and the real stuff include only pastries, sandwiches, and diced cheese. The drink menu is purely random, but I am just shocked that there was no diet coke or coke light or any of the “light” drinks. Furthermore, there are no internet-connected computers and not to mention free wifi. The lounge is even worst than some of the US lounges. Not impressive at all! So I left the lounge early and wondered around the pier and the shops.
Airport:
Well the airport definitely showed its age, but the immigration was fairly easy to deal with, and then the security line was not too bad, and everyone was civilized. Way better than your typical TSA experience! Inside the secure area, it was like a mini shopping mall and there were much to see. I will venture out to the food court next time and report back.
Plane-spotting:
Cathay Pacific Airbus A340-300 B-HXL
Air China’s Airbus A340-300 B-2383
Thai Airways’ Boeing 747-400 HS-TGG (Old Color)
Emirates’ Boeing 777-300 A6-EMR
Air Canada’s Boeing 767-300ER (Old color and three main doors) 653/C-GGMX
Boarding:
C31 was our gate this afternoon, parked right next to Thai Airways’ flight to Bangkok. The boarding arrangement definitely had left yet to desire. “Chaos” is the word to describe the whole arrangement, as there is no clear premium line, and the agents made no effort to look for special request passengers. Boarding was delayed due to “crew” problems and the agent was not good in letting people know in advance. Finally at 1:28pm, there was call for business class passengers, and all the sudden, they opened up a line towards the left side of the gate, but to give AZ credit, they ensured that only business and elite passengers made it down the line.
The extra security check was carried after boarding (so don’t bring bottled waters!), and all the passports were verified and hand carry was being searched next. Another interesting thing was that despite there was only one door for boarding on this Boeing 767-300ER, there is no rope blocking off the second door, which still had the sign saying “economy class”. Really disorganized.
Once on board, the chief steward bided everyone hello and each seat came with a pillow and blanket (very flimsy) and also a menu and wine list. I was at 2D, the middle seat, but then moved back to the free pair of seats at row 4 (4J and 4L) after boarding was completed. The chief steward was very friendly and said felt free to move.
Seat:
I got the new Magnifica seat, which was not too bad. Yes it was one of those lie flat angled seats but the seats were not too bad. I felt that it was more like a sleeper seat with a cocoon cover. I like the grey leather cover and the seats felt very comfortable in both lounging and sleeping position. But I feel the cabin to be very crowded. And if the cabin was full, the middle seats were definitely preferred. There are pictures of the seats, so you can decide!
Flight:
Flying time was eight hours and forty-seven minutes and I have no idea about the routing or even the basic information because the pilot did not make one single announcement, and there was also no sky map function on the main screen television screen. Boarding began at 1:28pm and door was closed at 1:59pm, and we took off from R/W25 at 2:23pm.
Entertainment:
Individual entertainment units were distributed to business class passengers, which contained various movies and limited amount of short subjects. For main screen, movie, “Hairspray” was shown as well as a variety of short subjects and music videos. Nothing was showed for the last part of the flight. I personally like personal television.
Food/beverage:
Two meals were served during the flight, and the main meal/lunch was served individually from a trolley. Hot towels were served once – only before lunch service. Table was setup individually with tablecloth, beverage glasses and utensils, and strangely for the salt and pepper shakers, only these sad packets were placed on the table (but later on the snack service prior to arrival, real salt and pepper shakers were used). Pasta was also prepared by the two F/As on the side. Entrée was pre-plated casserole dishes, and for cheese board, fruit basket, and dessert, they were all served from the trolley. Very good presentation! Quality wise – the pastas are very good and tasty, and the rest of the meal is fine, except the entrée, which is very average. Speed wise – the lunch was served in a decent pace, but for some reasons, the F/As suddenly rushed through the last part of the meal. I am a relatively quick eater, but the cheese and fruit board was already rolled out prior to me finishing my entrée. From that point on, things were rushed and maybe the F/As felt that they need to rest soon. The second meal was served an hour and half prior to arrival, which is pretty much an one tray service with the F/A passing out the canapé, which was a warmed cheese bread, individually, as well as some olive oil flavored swirl bread roll.
Here is the wine list and menu transcript:
Wine List
White Wines
Charodonnay D.O.C. Piave 2006, Masottina, Veneto
La Rustia D.O.C. Erbaluce di Caluso 2006, Azienda Vitivinicola Orsolani, Piemonte
Red Wines
La Reniere D.O.C.G. Chianti dei Colli Senesi 2005, Fattoria Le Reniere, Toscana
Fornace di Cerreto D.O.C. Barbera d’Asti superiore 2004, Azienda Vinicola Malgra, Piemonte
Coste delle Plaie D.O.C. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2005, Podere Castorani Abruzzo
Quota 29 I.G.T. Salento 2005, Menhir Vini Puglia
Spumanti Franciacorta
Novalia brut D.O.C.G. Franciacorta, Tenuta Villa Crespia, Lombardia
Water
San Benedetto
Acqua Minerale Oligominerale
Naturale o Frizzante
Aperitif and Spirits
Bitter Campari
Martini Rosso
Ballantine’s
Grappa Alexander
Gin Bombay
Cognac Martell
Amaro Averna
Chivas Regal
Remy Martin
Limoncello Villa Massa
Lunch
Assorted Nuts to enjoy with your favorite aperitif
Crepes au gratin with artichokes and feta cheese
Trofie pasta in pachino cherry tomato and basil sauce
Braised beef in a Tuscan red wine sauce with yellow “polenta” and pore mushrooms
Or
Steamed sturgeon fillet flavored with thyme served with wild rice pie and zucchini
Cheese board selection served with dried fruits and crudités
Seasonal Fresh Fruit basket
Open bar with desserts and “Espresso” coffee
Snack
Robiola cheese and Grana Padano shavings with crudités and dried fruit
Canapes with stringy cheese, olives and dried tomatoes
Mixed salad with extravergine olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Open bar with “Espresso” coffee and tea
AZ 604.606.610.618.626.636.644.652 – L.D. 11/S. 19 n. 2 (W) – 2007
Flight attendants:
Well an all male team was serving business class – two older ones were serving and the younger one was the galley slave. They are actually pretty friendly throughout the flight. With no expectation, they are nicer than I have expected. However they pretty much disappeared after the main meal service and did not service till after the second meal. In the middle of the flight, a bottle of water was passed out to each passenger, and there is no more water or beverage rounds till the second meal. The F/As walked from economy to business class just to do their own things, as well as passing the trolleys between the two cabins.
Arrival:
Descent began at 4:39pm New York local time and we landed on R/W31R at 5:10pm, and parked at gate 5 at 5:34pm. Well the arrival scene was another interesting one. As usual, our plane had to wait for our gate because of our early arrival. A JAL plane, JA8082 new color, heading to Sao Paulo, was occupying our gate, so we had to wait outside at the tarmac. Of course, the economy class F/As decided to turn on the light while we were waiting, and all the Y passengers decided to stand up at the same time. The next minute was announcement and two angry business class F/As rushing to economy class cabin telling everyone to sit down immediately and closing all the overhead bins. The leading F/A was very upset with the Y F/As for sure. Of course, the pilots did not say much till later. Then later, as we stopped short at gate 5, even I thought we were all set at the gate, so the F/As turned on the cabin light and everyone stood up. Then a minute later, the aircraft moved forward again, but nobody said a word, including the pilots. Everyone was definitely in a hurry including the F/As!
Terminal One was actually pretty quiet at this time of the day, and the immigration area was wide open with no one in there. I managed to get through within three minutes, and the bags came out relatively quickly. My only complaint was that you had to pay USD$3 to get a baggage claim, which was unacceptable for an international airport at an international area. I can accept charging baggage carts on domestic flights, but no international. I really don’t get it!
Conclusion:
Alitalia is actually better than I expect, but there are differently many areas that they need to work on. The ground service at Rome Airport was just unacceptable, and the staffs need to be re-trained in their English oral skills, as well as focused more on the job, rather than chatting. The boarding scene was also disorganized and clear signage should be used to separate premium, special request, and economy passengers. There should be signs and more announcements telling passengers that boarding should take place in the following manner and more details need to give out if the flights are delayed for any reasons. Onboard service is okay, but the second meal definitely need a meat/seafood component, and during mid-flight, a snack station should be set up with water, soft drinks and juice because I know it is impossible to get the F/As to do water rounds for sure. Also there should be more than one bottle of water per passenger… more bottled waters should be loaded. I can totally understand why Alitalia is in so much trouble financially as well as their reputations. The next owner will definitely need much time to clean up this nation airline and maybe it is time for Air One to step up their service and possibly starting their own long haul service. I have a few more AZ flights in the future and have a good idea on what to expect. Hopefully the 777 flight will be a bit better, as well as the breakfast service. Delta is not a bad option!
The next report will not happen till after Christmas!
Have a great holiday season and safe travels!
Carfield
Dec 1, 2007, 3:21 pm
#3
Join Date: Jan 2004
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Another great TR, Carfield, keep it up! I always enjoy your premium class reviews.
Agreed; totally inexcusible that they do this in most (all?) US airports.
I believe you mean Schengen?
Originally Posted by Carfield
My only complaint was that you had to pay USD$3 to get a baggage claim [cart, trolley], which was unacceptable for an international airport at an international area.
Originally Posted by Carfield
...Schagen...