XPs, Tier Points and my 4 annual BA flights via Alitalia, British and American
Aug 17, 2019, 7:50 am
#1
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Location: Denver • DEN-APA
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XPs, Tier Points and my 4 annual BA flights via Alitalia, British and American
Another week. Another mileage run. The last one of the year, or so Mrs. SFO777 insists and I promised. LOL. I'm off to Rome this afternoon on the return leg of a dirt cheap roundtrip that will get me close to AF Flying Blue Silver thru 2021. From Rome, I'm logging the requisite 4 BA flights that will let me requalify for BA Gold and my One World Emerald status thru the end of August 2021. Here are my next 54 hours...
• Alitalia Business Class LAX-Rome
• Alitalia Business Class Lounge at Rome FCO
• BA Lounge at Rome FCO
• BA Economy (exit row) to London LHR
• BA Galleries First Lounge at London LHR
• BA Economy (exit row) to Amsterdam AMS
• YotelAir in terminal hotel at AMS
• BA Lounge at Amsterdam AMS
• BA Club Europe Business Class to London LHR
• BA Galleries First Lounge at London LHR
• BA Club World Business Class to New York JFK
• American Flagship First Dining at JFK
• American Flagship First to LAX
I lucked out and found a ground level T4 garage parking spot right by the walkway to The Bradley Terminal.
Since Alitalia does not participate in PreCheck, I headed for the secret TBIT/T4 security checkpoint, where once again I was the only passenger. Amazing.
Great plane spotting from the T4/TBIT connector.
And the lines for regular TBIT security. LOL.
I headed for the Korean Lounge, the only Sky Team lounge in the Bradley. LOL, I don't think so. The line just to get in...
Yikes.
So I headed downstairs and towards Gate 159.
Which was a great choice since the gate area was remarkably calm, and remained so even at boarding.
Los Angeles LAX to Rome FCO
Alitalia AZ 621
777-200
3:10pm-12:15p +1
August 12, 2019
Business Class Seat 1A
l was not the least bit impressed with my Rome-LAX Alitalia flight year so I had low expectations for this one. Fortunately, today was much better than that one.
On board, a dated but reasonably comfortable 1-2-1 configuration.
The first sign of improvement from last year was the new IFE, significantly better than the 20+ year old relic of a system on last year's flight.
Today's menu and wine list. This looks pretty good, although so did last year's menu look good. It was just that the food on that flight was generally awful.
Best airline cuisine for the ninth consecutive year? Proof positive that airline awards are meaningless. Although the fine print doesn't award the actual food served, just the menu. LOL.
The Alitalia amenity kit.
A little above average with Ferragamo products, including a take home body lotion size.
Wow, so much better than the old IFE.
And Wifi. Not great WIfi, but at least one could keep in touch with emails and texts. And a free 50MB for Businesss Class passengers. I wound up not even using the entire 50MB.
And we're off...
Service was generally OK. Most of the crew was seasoned and efficient, but Iacked personality and seemed to be just going thru the motions. Prior to take-off, lunch orders were taken from each passenger. And within 30 minutes of take-off, service began... with the meal service. No drink service, just right to the meal. Showtime Alitalia style... with individual settings for each passenger. While the food last year was meh, the wines were excellent as they were today as I went with the suggested wine pairings.
For my Appetizer, I chose the Bresaola Roll with Goat Cheese. It was quite good.
The Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Basil was very good as well.
For my Secondi, the Beef Filet with Mushrooms, with pan fried chard and rosti potatoes.
It was delicious, especially with the lovely L'Atto Basilicata IFT Rosso Cantina del Notaio.
Cheese plate and another glass of the L'Atto Basilicata.
And finally some sweets, the warm Ricotta and Raisin Pie.
Yummy.
At this point, we were just under 9 hours to go. I did a little work, watched a movie and then popped an Ambien... and slept like a baby for nearly 6 hours, waking up as we were descending to Rome.
We landed on time at a little after noon. All in all, a pleasant flight and much better than last year's never ending 14 hour westbound ordeal.
• Alitalia Business Class LAX-Rome
• Alitalia Business Class Lounge at Rome FCO
• BA Lounge at Rome FCO
• BA Economy (exit row) to London LHR
• BA Galleries First Lounge at London LHR
• BA Economy (exit row) to Amsterdam AMS
• YotelAir in terminal hotel at AMS
• BA Lounge at Amsterdam AMS
• BA Club Europe Business Class to London LHR
• BA Galleries First Lounge at London LHR
• BA Club World Business Class to New York JFK
• American Flagship First Dining at JFK
• American Flagship First to LAX
I lucked out and found a ground level T4 garage parking spot right by the walkway to The Bradley Terminal.
Since Alitalia does not participate in PreCheck, I headed for the secret TBIT/T4 security checkpoint, where once again I was the only passenger. Amazing.
Great plane spotting from the T4/TBIT connector.
And the lines for regular TBIT security. LOL.
I headed for the Korean Lounge, the only Sky Team lounge in the Bradley. LOL, I don't think so. The line just to get in...
Yikes.
So I headed downstairs and towards Gate 159.
Which was a great choice since the gate area was remarkably calm, and remained so even at boarding.
Los Angeles LAX to Rome FCO
Alitalia AZ 621
777-200
3:10pm-12:15p +1
August 12, 2019
Business Class Seat 1A
l was not the least bit impressed with my Rome-LAX Alitalia flight year so I had low expectations for this one. Fortunately, today was much better than that one.
On board, a dated but reasonably comfortable 1-2-1 configuration.
The first sign of improvement from last year was the new IFE, significantly better than the 20+ year old relic of a system on last year's flight.
Today's menu and wine list. This looks pretty good, although so did last year's menu look good. It was just that the food on that flight was generally awful.
Best airline cuisine for the ninth consecutive year? Proof positive that airline awards are meaningless. Although the fine print doesn't award the actual food served, just the menu. LOL.
The Alitalia amenity kit.
A little above average with Ferragamo products, including a take home body lotion size.
Wow, so much better than the old IFE.
And Wifi. Not great WIfi, but at least one could keep in touch with emails and texts. And a free 50MB for Businesss Class passengers. I wound up not even using the entire 50MB.
And we're off...
Service was generally OK. Most of the crew was seasoned and efficient, but Iacked personality and seemed to be just going thru the motions. Prior to take-off, lunch orders were taken from each passenger. And within 30 minutes of take-off, service began... with the meal service. No drink service, just right to the meal. Showtime Alitalia style... with individual settings for each passenger. While the food last year was meh, the wines were excellent as they were today as I went with the suggested wine pairings.
For my Appetizer, I chose the Bresaola Roll with Goat Cheese. It was quite good.
The Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Basil was very good as well.
For my Secondi, the Beef Filet with Mushrooms, with pan fried chard and rosti potatoes.
It was delicious, especially with the lovely L'Atto Basilicata IFT Rosso Cantina del Notaio.
Cheese plate and another glass of the L'Atto Basilicata.
And finally some sweets, the warm Ricotta and Raisin Pie.
Yummy.
At this point, we were just under 9 hours to go. I did a little work, watched a movie and then popped an Ambien... and slept like a baby for nearly 6 hours, waking up as we were descending to Rome.
We landed on time at a little after noon. All in all, a pleasant flight and much better than last year's never ending 14 hour westbound ordeal.
Last edited by SFO777; Aug 18, 2019 at 7:34 am
Aug 17, 2019, 7:51 am
#2
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Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Denver • DEN-APA
Programs: AF Platinum, EK Gold, AA EXP, UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 21,602
We arrived on time, and headed for the Casa Alitalia Business Class Lounge.
After security, in the concourse...
... and towards the Casa Alitalia...
... Alitalia's Business Class Lounge.
The Alitalia Lounge is attractive, with numerous seating areas and a large dining area, with excellent food options.
And a pizza oven!
First stop was a much needed shower.
And then for some lunch. Decisions, decisions.
Both pasta dishes were really good.
As was the pizza.
After an hour or so, I headed out for the British Airways Lounge and my flight to London.
After security, in the concourse...
... and towards the Casa Alitalia...
... Alitalia's Business Class Lounge.
The Alitalia Lounge is attractive, with numerous seating areas and a large dining area, with excellent food options.
And a pizza oven!
First stop was a much needed shower.
And then for some lunch. Decisions, decisions.
Both pasta dishes were really good.
As was the pizza.
After an hour or so, I headed out for the British Airways Lounge and my flight to London.
Last edited by SFO777; Aug 18, 2019 at 7:14 am
Aug 17, 2019, 8:03 am
#4
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Posts: 21,602
Aug 17, 2019, 6:26 pm
#7
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Join Date: Nov 2007
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Posts: 21,602
British Airways Lounge at Rome FCO and BA Economy to London. 
From the Alitalia Lounge, I headed for the long trek to the BA Lounge for my 24+ hours with BA. BA Gold requires 1,500 Tier Points and at least 4 BA segments. While 1,500 Tier Points are easy for me to accumulate, it's those 4 BA segments that are the challenge. So I planned this trip to knock off all 4 segments, starting today with Rome-London-Amsterdam. I chose AMS because it had the cheapest two flight one way Economy fares from Rome as well as some of the cheapest Business Class fare to LAX. I paid for each ticket using Amex Pay WIth Points and my 35% Platinum card rebate.
At around T-45, I headed out for the gate... which turned out to be all the way back and just beyond the Alitalia Business Lounge. LOL.
Rome FCO to London LHR
British Airways BA 547
A321-neo (32Q)
3:15p-5:00p
August 13, 2019
Economy Exit Row 16D
Since Club Euro (aka Euro-fraud Business Class) is simply a 31" pitch Economy seat with a blocked middle, I saved money and bought an Economy ticket... and selected exit row aisle seats, with at least a foot more legroom than in Business Class.
Today's flight was one of BA's new 32Qs, which is British for "cram more wafer thin seats into an A321". This Euro-fraud "Business Class" configuration doesn't even have a middle seat drop down tray.
But as bad as Club Europe is, Economy is horrific unless you are in the exit row. Wafer thin seats with no recline at all.
Lots of legroom... but can anyone make a thinner seat? Yikes.
The exit row legroom makes the 2+ hour flight survivable.
From the Alitalia Lounge, I headed for the long trek to the BA Lounge for my 24+ hours with BA. BA Gold requires 1,500 Tier Points and at least 4 BA segments. While 1,500 Tier Points are easy for me to accumulate, it's those 4 BA segments that are the challenge. So I planned this trip to knock off all 4 segments, starting today with Rome-London-Amsterdam. I chose AMS because it had the cheapest two flight one way Economy fares from Rome as well as some of the cheapest Business Class fare to LAX. I paid for each ticket using Amex Pay WIth Points and my 35% Platinum card rebate.
At around T-45, I headed out for the gate... which turned out to be all the way back and just beyond the Alitalia Business Lounge. LOL.
Rome FCO to London LHR
British Airways BA 547
A321-neo (32Q)
3:15p-5:00p
August 13, 2019
Economy Exit Row 16D
Since Club Euro (aka Euro-fraud Business Class) is simply a 31" pitch Economy seat with a blocked middle, I saved money and bought an Economy ticket... and selected exit row aisle seats, with at least a foot more legroom than in Business Class.
Today's flight was one of BA's new 32Qs, which is British for "cram more wafer thin seats into an A321". This Euro-fraud "Business Class" configuration doesn't even have a middle seat drop down tray.
But as bad as Club Europe is, Economy is horrific unless you are in the exit row. Wafer thin seats with no recline at all.
Lots of legroom... but can anyone make a thinner seat? Yikes.
The exit row legroom makes the 2+ hour flight survivable.
Last edited by SFO777; Aug 18, 2019 at 1:02 am
Aug 17, 2019, 6:28 pm
#8
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Denver • DEN-APA
Programs: AF Platinum, EK Gold, AA EXP, UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 21,602
We arrived on time and pulled into the B Gates...
... which meant a train ride to the main Terminal 5 A Gates.
After a quick stop for Fast Track security, I was in the main T5 concourse.
And a few minutes later, the Galleries First Class Lounge.
Meditation anyone. LOL. BA will do and sell anything for a buck, or GBP in this case.
I'm partial to the Terrace and headed there for find a comfy spot to pass the next 2 hours.
Say what? Looks like BA has also sold the Terrace for the summer. LOL.
I lucked out and found a nice quiet seating area, with great views.
After a G&T, time for some dinner.
I checked out the serve yourself options...
Ugh...
The "Brought to Your Table" options looked a little better.
The Green Thai Chicken & Vegetable Curry was tasty.
At T-45, our gate was posted. The good news is that we're at nearby Gate A17.
London LHR to Amsterdam AMS
British Airways BA 444
A320neo (32N)
8:15p-10:35p
August 13, 2019
Economy Exit Row 12D
Mercifully, the A320neo seats were a lot more comfortable than the A321neo.
And great leg room with recline for the 45 minute flight.
... which meant a train ride to the main Terminal 5 A Gates.
After a quick stop for Fast Track security, I was in the main T5 concourse.
And a few minutes later, the Galleries First Class Lounge.
Meditation anyone. LOL. BA will do and sell anything for a buck, or GBP in this case.
I'm partial to the Terrace and headed there for find a comfy spot to pass the next 2 hours.
Say what? Looks like BA has also sold the Terrace for the summer. LOL.
I lucked out and found a nice quiet seating area, with great views.
After a G&T, time for some dinner.
I checked out the serve yourself options...
Ugh...
The "Brought to Your Table" options looked a little better.
The Green Thai Chicken & Vegetable Curry was tasty.
At T-45, our gate was posted. The good news is that we're at nearby Gate A17.
London LHR to Amsterdam AMS
British Airways BA 444
A320neo (32N)
8:15p-10:35p
August 13, 2019
Economy Exit Row 12D
Mercifully, the A320neo seats were a lot more comfortable than the A321neo.
And great leg room with recline for the 45 minute flight.
Last edited by SFO777; Aug 18, 2019 at 10:49 pm
Aug 18, 2019, 12:32 am
#9
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: MEL/YMML
Programs: A3 Gold, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Amex Platinum
Posts: 287
Another excellent status run TR.
1. Maybe you should've tried the BA A35K Club Suites LHR-MAD "training flights".
2. How about Korean Air Lounge LAX remove Priority Pass access? It's hopelessly crowded (sometimes it's not possible to get in), plus terrible food selection.
1. Maybe you should've tried the BA A35K Club Suites LHR-MAD "training flights".
2. How about Korean Air Lounge LAX remove Priority Pass access? It's hopelessly crowded (sometimes it's not possible to get in), plus terrible food selection.
Aug 18, 2019, 3:23 am
#11
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Italy 90% - Rest of the World 10%
Programs: Marriott + Hilton. Fly BA and AZ
Posts: 2,912
My first post in THREE YEARS (!!) but I have kept on reading SFO777 trip reports that are always top notch
Glad to see that 777 AZ J was better this time round. I do hope they find a solution with DL
Enjoy tier point run ciao
Glad to see that 777 AZ J was better this time round. I do hope they find a solution with DL
Enjoy tier point run ciao
Aug 18, 2019, 4:00 am
#12
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold, Marriott LT Platinum
Posts: 2,334
Another great TR - thanks!
That's actually the first time I see the interior of the 321N. Absolutely no difference anymore to Easyjet or Ryanair. A new BA intra Europe low I would say... not even a headrest.
I mean - come on
That's actually the first time I see the interior of the 321N. Absolutely no difference anymore to Easyjet or Ryanair. A new BA intra Europe low I would say... not even a headrest.
I mean - come on
.
Aug 18, 2019, 5:52 am
#14
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Singapore
Programs: CX Gold, Krisflyer PPS, Hyatt Diamond, SPG Platinum
Posts: 738
Nice TR - I flown AlItalia when I was a teenager from Rome to HKG, I still remember the FA's wearing leather gloves when pax were boarding. Do they still wear it nowadays?
Aug 18, 2019, 7:06 am
#15
Join Date: Feb 2014
Programs: Amex Plat, Hilton Diamond, SPG Gold, Carlson Gold, CM Presidential / *A Gold, Hertz 5*
Posts: 1,648
I was in FCO a few days ago in the *A lounge. The food (and presentation of it) is the exact same as in your pictures of Alitalia's Business Class Lounge!