Originally Posted by
glemat
I admit to being just a teensy bit envious of your peace of mind, TATLTAIL! My upcoming FCO-LAX flight will be my 3rd time in their Magnifica J class and I agree that the single long leg is the way to go. And what terrific food! (Pre-Covid anyway.) Their administrative end however is another story. After my original flight was cancelled last year, it took AZ over 8 months to return the miles to my Millemiglia account. And unfortunately, award flights on AZ booked with MilleMiglia miles are a world onto themselves, so I'll be thrilled to just get on that flight.
As for ITA, so little is known at this point but they apparently will not have many long-haul aircraft and I've read speculation that the LAX-FCO route might not be viable. I know next-to-nothing about their loads, but I thought the LAX-FCO route was a popular one and could be profitable being the only non-stop from LAX.
Yes - AZ has always been a mixed bag. In the air, they could be really wonderful - the J menus were especially good in 2018-19 - and good cabin crew, though I suspect it helps to speak Italian (until Covid, we spent about half the year in Friuli... hopefully returning to this pattern soon!). On the ground, a bit of a basket case as they say: have had bags sent to wrong airports, experienced 34 hour delays, etc., but have also had punctual flights and smooth connections. Hopefully ITA takes the good and reduces the bad, but I wouldn't count on it. After all, this is the third (fourth?) iteration of Alitalia...