fasteddie1971

https://www.corriere.it/economia/azi...da981d05.shtml
https://quifinanza.it/economia/video...mborsi/495853/

For those who don't read Italian, the next issue to be tackled is what to do about tickets that Alitalia has sold (and is still selling) relating to the period after ITA launches (expected to be September).

One of the EU conditions to ensure discontinuity between Alitalia and ITA is that existing bookings can't be transferred to the new carrier. Alitalia doesn't have the money to refund ticketholders, so the options under consideration are either a) the state stumps up to refund ticketholders, or b) the state pays to reprotect ticketholders on other flights (including those operated by ITA). Either way, the state pays (go figure). But this will need to be agreed with the EU.

I have a personal interest in this. Having in January 2020 booked award tickets to take my family to New York last October (which obviously didn't happen for Covid reasons), I was able to get a full refund of costs, miles and companion voucher (as AZ had changed the times of the flights I'd originally booked), so rebooked for October 2021 to Miami. Wonder what'll happen now. Let's just say, I'm going to wait before applying for a new set of ESTAs for the family....

Speaking of discontinuity, I see that the Millemiglia programme will be subject to an auction. Who knows where we will end up....! If the auction were to be won by another carrier, i.e. not ITA, would ITA be allowed to offer status matches? I would think not, as surely this would at least partially defeat the point of the auction. Though I suppose at the end of the day Millemiglia is essentially just a mailing list of frequent flyers, and it'd be up to the successful bidder to come up with a plan to make the best use of it (i.e. offering flights to/from Italy!) regardless of what ITA is or is not able to offer.

fifty_two

thanks for sharing . It sounds like we will have headaches again , iam glad i managed to get refund , cause i will definitely avoid them

KLouis

You remind me of what psychologists say about somebody who found out that (s)he suffers from lethal disease and he can only expect a few more months before the end:

1) Anger! Why did this happen to me, was this due to somebody's fault? etc, etc.
2) Looking for a way out! Trying strange or experimental drugs, visiting non-conventional healers, etc, etc.
3) Resignation! Sitting alone at home, not seeing anybody, not going out, etc, etc.
4) Acceptance! Taking care of family and business matters, taking a trip to an exotic place, etc, etc.

I guess you are still somewhere between #2 and #3...

Lisa Dee

Oh great, I recently booked 6 tickets for a family trip in December and now I read this. Hope they get it sorted out by then.

EZE

My understanding of the situation is that the EU for competition purposes wants the “new” airline to pay a reasonable compensation for certain assets of the “old” Alitalia whereas the new shareholders would prefer to pay as little as possible. There are no guarantees in life especially when European politics are involved in COVID times but I think there is a very high probability that this will all be worked out. The downside risk is that the airline will be smaller and they may not have a way to route you that will be to your liking. There have been some articles published on which long haul routes they will keep so if you tell us which flights you are on, we may be able to assist.

fasteddie1971

I haven't been following which routes they will and won't keep....... Is MIA-FCO likely to continue?

EZE

looks bookable and they have said US is likely OK. Of course with them selling this at $515 round trip, I am not so sure if it will continue to be the case! While it’s the same for JFK-FCO, MIA-FCO is a longer route! I was supposed to fly this route next month but they pushed the start date back to aug 1. I too hope it makes the cut!

TATLTAIL

Just my thoughts on this as someone who flew AZ lots before covid and will again in the next months... I would buy tickets with Delta, even if it is on AZ metal. The price will be comparable, but the ticket will be issued by DL (number starts with 006). There aren't many details yet on what discontinuity between Alitalia and ITA (the new company) means for ticket holders, but the EU is requiring a break between them, which presumably includes ticket stock, Mile Miglia, and all branded products.

jshavitz

I'm holding two Business tickets FCO-JFK for October, paid for by 180k Millemignia points. Really going to suck to lose those. Hope it gets worked out. - That was based on a 200k points Amex transfer.

Lisa Dee

Our flights are IAD-FCO, appreciate any thoughts on that route, thanks!

mrcool1122

I have FCO to LAX booked on an AF ticket on AZ metal in September. I wonder if it's worth now trying to change it to FCO-CDG-LAX to avoid any seat availability issues.

Xandrios

As long as you booked via AF on AF flight numbers you are fine. If AZ were to cancel the flights AF would then re-route you on any of their own flights (or KLM, or Delta) free of charge. Making that change now would likely cost you a rather large change fee & fare recalculation.

mrcool1122

I tried. No change fee, but fare difference was prohibitive. I mentioned AZ concerns and the AF agent just laughed.

splflyer

The italian government now has 100 million loan offered to guarantee the ticket and vouchers and so passengers can book with trust according italian newspapers.
Ita alitalia newco supposed now to take off october 1 st with 6000 staff and 55-60 aircraft. EU has agreed on this subject

TATLTAIL

Yes, there seems to be an UE agreement about the transition, but there is uncertainty about anyone who purchases after September: https://www.repubblica.it/economia/d...ldi-303620759/
TL/dr: best to book with another carrier (AFKL in Europe, DL transatlantique) and let them sort it out. Would be a shame to lose AZ from Skyteam but... vederemo quello che succede :-/