I flew YYZ-MXP on Saturday. Check in was exactly as described above. I came three hours early, nervous by the very recent report of rude treatment by someone reticketing at YYZ. Check in could not have gone any more smoothly. I asked about changing my seat, but was told that the cabin was full. Off I went.

Terminal 1 is very modern, very new. There are lots of shops should you like that kind of thing. I went immediately to the down escalator to get on the bus to go to the infield terminal. Once you arrive there, do not follow the folks streaming to the left to go up the escalator. Rather, go to the right to the Maple Leaf Lounge.

The lounge must hold about 200 people. I was the first to arrive. By the time I left, there were perhaps 12 folks there. There are 3 computers for public use, as well as cables for your own computers. There are various snacks, none very impressive - olives, bread, butter, soup, salad, raw vegetables, crackers and cheese.

There is no immigration formality. You can leave the lounge about 45 minutes before flight time, The gate is at the top of the escalator.

I had never seen so many people in wheelchairs loaded on a 767. About 12 folks were loaded first. then all the families with children. Finally business class was loaded. The plane is loaded from the front door, so once onboard, all the passengers continue to go by.

Seating is 2 x 1 x 2. Both AA and UA have 2 x 2 x 2, so this was really comfortable shoulder width. As stated, the only entertainment is a screen at the front. The seat controls are electronic, and work reliably - a pleasant contrast to UA and AA seats. The amenity kit is nicely designed and certainly exceeds that given by UA.

Service was brusque. We finally got water, juice or champagne after all the coach passengers were on board. The menu was unremarkable. It was 2 pastas, 2 mains, cheese, and dessert. They set your tray before bringing around the first drink.

I asked for my meal to be served as an executive meal, which meant I got pasta, cheese and dessert on my tray all at once. I highly recommend this as it is only a 7 1.2 hour flight. I had my meal finished before they had even finished serving pasta to others.

Despite being told the cabin was full, there were 9 of 25 seats empty. I managed to get 2 seats for myself, which is a great luxury in biz cabins these days. I slept til breakfast.

While Alitalia's biz class is a notch below UA and AA, it is tolerable. Don't have high expecations and you will end up pleased.