Alitalia next?

[UKDEB]

Italian airline Alitalia may not be able to fly after Sunday because it is running out of fuel.

 

[Netty]

saw this on the news before, the high price of fuel yet again..

 

[wayneg]

Its was on Sky news earlier today, it said expect it to go but then start again very soon, within 1-2 days. lets see what happens.

 

[carolfoy]

Alitalia have been losing nearly a million euros a day in subsidised flights since around october last year. They are government subsidised. Air Canada is in the same predicament.

 

[steve_rob]

In fact, Alitalia have been heavily subsidised for ages by the Italian government - people in the aviation industry have said that without this help they'd have probably gone bankrupt about 10 years ago. Hopefully though something can be sorted out (another shot at the proposed takeover by Air France that fell through earlier this year?) so that no-one else ends up stranded at an airport this year.

 

[Cyrano]

Alitalia have been losing nearly a million euros a day in subsidised flights since around october last year.

I'm sure that must be breaching European state aid rules

 

[wayneg]

I'm sure that must be breaching European state aid rules

Aren't we the only ones that stick to European rules and laws?

 

[Vana]

Aren't we the only ones that stick to European rules and laws?

Yes we are time to get out of the EU

Political rant over.

 

[carolfoy]

I'm sure that must be breaching European state aid rules

probably but it seems to me that airlines do what the heck they like!

 

[Stitch's Greatest Fa]

IMHO there are too many airlines and this wouldn't happen if there weren't so many.

 

[Neoshoegal]

For the past 7 years I've been hoping that Alitalia will go bust. They've come close so many times but always managed to get bailed out. I just keep dreaming

 

[luke]

For the past 7 years I've been hoping that Alitalia will go bust. They've come close so many times but always managed to get bailed out. I just keep dreaming

Any particular reason? Won't be very nice for those booked on flights when they do finally run out of fuel

 

[Goofyish]

They have been in trouble for quite a long time. The LGW/MAN Virgin Atlantic 747s were originally ordered by Alitalia and then cancelled, so VA bought them.

 

[PoppyAnna]

Speculation is, with Ike hitting the fuel fields of Texas - the prices will rocket even further

 

[Vana]

According to the papers today they cannot guarantee any flights after Sunday.
More stranded people

 

[Beth__WDW23/6/02]

According to the papers today they cannot guarantee any flights after Sunday.
More stranded people

How awful

 

[Neoshoegal]

Any particular reason? Won't be very nice for those booked on flights when they do finally run out of fuel

I know it won't be nice for those passengers if they run out of fuel, but I do have a particular reason.
We flew with them for our honeymoon back in September 2001. Flight out was to Miami. Messy check in, flight attendants hardly understood any English (food came round and were asked 'meat or fish?', when asking what meat or what fish they reply was 'meat or fish?', no distinction between beef or chicken or cod or salmon, so asked again and I got an angry version of 'meat or fish?'). But not complaining about that part.
The complaining is about our return trip.
We had been on a cruise for our honeymoon, during our week onboard September 11th happened. At the end of the cruise, the cruise line were offering a special deal for passengers as many people had to cancel for the next cruise due to no flights and such. We considered this and decided to call Alitalia as by the time of our flight, planes were flying again and we wanted to check if we'd be on that flight. We were told we would be, so decided not to stay another week onboard.
So we arrive at the airport, tickets in hand and go to the Alitalia check in. If I thought the check in going out was messy, this was positively Bedlam. A member of the staff asked to see our tickets and quickly told us that with those tickets, we wouldn't be flying out that day. We told her we had phoned in advance, she just said that doesn't matter now, we would NOT be flying back. So when we asked what we had to do/where to go, she simply replied: "Sleep on a bench, find a hotel. I don't care".
We went to the help desk of the airport where they checked if we could get on another to flight to anywhere in Europe basically, but to no avail. They also gave us a list with hotels giving discounts to stranded passengers, apparantly our airline was supposed to give those things to us. All other airlines had orderly lines, Alitalia was a big mess. The site manager was standing on a desk shouting at the passengers in Italian only, he refused to speak any English. A couple of fights broke out and the airport police had to get involved. We were looking at it from a distance and a guy standing next to us said "imagine having to be in that line"!
So we found a hotel for the night, came back the next day to the airport, they still said there would be no space for us until a week later but to keep checking every day. After 3 nights, our parents got involved by calling Alitalia back at home. We had checked that morning if there would be any space available and were told again, no space. Our parents on the other hand were told by Alitalia at home that there was space on the plane, but that they couldn't put us on and that they would contact Alitalia back in Miami to add us. When we checked back with Alitalia, there suddenly, miraculously, was space for us!
So we went back to the airport, checked in. We asked to be seated together if possible and the reply was "oh no problem, the plane is only half full anyway" WTF?!?! We phoned this morning and were told there was no space and it wasn't until we got people calling from the other side of the Atlantic that you would allow us on. You lying b@stards! Apparantly, they had just been moving everybody's ticket one week back, so less hassle for them. Also, we were not allowed any hand luggage whatsoever. We thought it was only sharp objects, which we had taken out. No, the guy said we should have watched the news. That's all we'd been doing and they never managed no handluggage whatsoever. We get to the plane and half the people arriving there did have handluggage, apparantly the desk next to ours was allowing handluggage. Nice to see some consistancy.
Afterwards we received a letter from the cruise line apologising for any inconvenience we might have had due to the circumstances. The cruise line had been fabulous in handling everything. Did we ever get any apology from Alitalia, who messed us about, were rude to us all the way, maliciously lied to us? no
I fail to have any sympathy for them

 

[Mr Stoat]

Humpf!

Companies like that don't deserve to stay in business. I had a similar one with KLM/Air UK, standing in a single line waiting to get my open ticket validated for the Schipol / Glasgow flight. We went to the front of the line several times to tell the single trainee that we would miss our flight. Eventualy we got to the front of the line to be told "Oh, you are too late now." Great service.

 

[Vana]

I know it won't be nice for those passengers if they run out of fuel, but I do have a particular reason.
We flew with them for our honeymoon back in September 2001. Flight out was to Miami. Messy check in, flight attendants hardly understood any English (food came round and were asked 'meat or fish?', when asking what meat or what fish they reply was 'meat or fish?', no distinction between beef or chicken or cod or salmon, so asked again and I got an angry version of 'meat or fish?'). But not complaining about that part.
The complaining is about our return trip.
We had been on a cruise for our honeymoon, during our week onboard September 11th happened. At the end of the cruise, the cruise line were offering a special deal for passengers as many people had to cancel for the next cruise due to no flights and such. We considered this and decided to call Alitalia as by the time of our flight, planes were flying again and we wanted to check if we'd be on that flight. We were told we would be, so decided not to stay another week onboard.
So we arrive at the airport, tickets in hand and go to the Alitalia check in. If I thought the check in going out was messy, this was positively Bedlam. A member of the staff asked to see our tickets and quickly told us that with those tickets, we wouldn't be flying out that day. We told her we had phoned in advance, she just said that doesn't matter now, we would NOT be flying back. So when we asked what we had to do/where to go, she simply replied: "Sleep on a bench, find a hotel. I don't care".
We went to the help desk of the airport where they checked if we could get on another to flight to anywhere in Europe basically, but to no avail. They also gave us a list with hotels giving discounts to stranded passengers, apparantly our airline was supposed to give those things to us. All other airlines had orderly lines, Alitalia was a big mess. The site manager was standing on a desk shouting at the passengers in Italian only, he refused to speak any English. A couple of fights broke out and the airport police had to get involved. We were looking at it from a distance and a guy standing next to us said "imagine having to be in that line"!
So we found a hotel for the night, came back the next day to the airport, they still said there would be no space for us until a week later but to keep checking every day. After 3 nights, our parents got involved by calling Alitalia back at home. We had checked that morning if there would be any space available and were told again, no space. Our parents on the other hand were told by Alitalia at home that there was space on the plane, but that they couldn't put us on and that they would contact Alitalia back in Miami to add us. When we checked back with Alitalia, there suddenly, miraculously, was space for us!
So we went back to the airport, checked in. We asked to be seated together if possible and the reply was "oh no problem, the plane is only half full anyway" WTF?!?! We phoned this morning and were told there was no space and it wasn't until we got people calling from the other side of the Atlantic that you would allow us on. You lying b@stards! Apparantly, they had just been moving everybody's ticket one week back, so less hassle for them. Also, we were not allowed any hand luggage whatsoever. We thought it was only sharp objects, which we had taken out. No, the guy said we should have watched the news. That's all we'd been doing and they never managed no handluggage whatsoever. We get to the plane and half the people arriving there did have handluggage, apparantly the desk next to ours was allowing handluggage. Nice to see some consistancy.
Afterwards we received a letter from the cruise line apologising for any inconvenience we might have had due to the circumstances. The cruise line had been fabulous in handling everything. Did we ever get any apology from Alitalia, who messed us about, were rude to us all the way, maliciously lied to us? no
I fail to have any sympathy for them

To be honest sounds like you had a terrible time and don't blame you for not wanting to use them ever, however. I have used them a dozen times back and forth from Heathrow and internally in Italy, I love Italy. We were treated with respect and help at all times.

I have had bad treatment from airlines one in particular B.A. I find them so bad that I never use them unless I have to but, I would not wish the Company to go under and people to lose their jobs and peoples holiays ruined. I think it's normal to have bad experiences with carriers makes you appreciate a good one.

 

[angel659]

To be honest sounds like you had a terrible time and don't blame you for not wanting to use them ever, however. I have used them a dozen times back and forth from Heathrow and internally in Italy, I love Italy. We were treated with respect and help at all times.

I have had bad treatment from airlines one in particular B.A. I find them so bad that I never use them unless I have to but, I would not wish the Company to go under and people to lose their jobs and peoples holiays ruined. I think it's normal to have bad experiences with carriers makes you appreciate a good one.