You can bet that there was euphoria in the C-Suites of Delta Air Lines over the news of Air Italy’s collapse. But the untimely demise of Air Italy does not excuse Delta of hypocrisy nor validate its longstanding protest...
My Beloved Air Italy Bites The Dust
In an unexpected move, Air Italy decided to cut its loses and shut down…effective immediately. This is a very sad day for a very special carrier. Investors accelerated an emergency meeting, originally scheduled for February 18th, to today. There,...
Hey Delta, Where’s The Outrage Over Alitalia’s New U.S. Route?
Alitalia announced new seasonal service between Rome and San Francisco next summer. Did I miss the outrage from Delta? When Air Italy announced new service between Milan and San Francisco, Delta CEO Ed Bastian was outraged, penning a fiery...
Review: Air Italy A330 Business Class
Air Italy offers a phenomenal onboard soft product in business class. The food, drink, and especially the service onboard my 12.5 hour A330-200 flight from Milan to San Francisco left me smiling. I walked out of the Sheraton, up...
Airline Labor Unions Assail Trump For “Cozying Up” To Qatar Airways
Labor unions across the airline industry are outraged at President Donald Trump for siding with Qatar Airways and Air Italy in a recent White House meeting. There’s nothing that brings all sides together like a red herring over American...
First Impressions: Air Italy A330 Business Class
The service and comfort on Air Italy exceeded my expectations. I enjoyed an excellent flight from Milan to San Francisco. Really, the highlight of this flight was the service from Paolo and Maurizio. Maurizio worked my side of the aisle...
Air Italy Is Horrific On The Ground, Stunning In The Air
I’m safely back home after a lovely trip around the world. My final new flight experience, on Air Italy, was an interesting one. I’ll use this post to paint the juxtaposition between Air Italy on the ground and Air...
Shuttle Diplomacy By Qatar Airways Impresses Trump, Roils US Airline CEOs
Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker can smile today. He won the battle at the White House. President Donald Trump sided with him…and perhaps for reasons having less to do with the issue itself than over ego. A successful...
An Observation On Air Italy Award Space
Air Italy award space is generally quite good, even in premium cabins…but be sure to book in advance. I tend to be a last-minute type of flyer. I rarely book tickets more than 1-2 days before travel and consequently...
Doug Parker Explains Why AA Hates Air Italy
American Airlines CEO Doug Parker sat down with Business Insider to discuss why Air Italy is viewed as such a threat. First, let me say that I am so tired of rehashing this issue over and over. But as...
The Real Reason Air Italy Won’t Receive 787
Air Italy has revealed it will not receive any Boeing 787s but instead maintain a longhaul fleet of exclusively Airbus A330 aircraft. In an interview with Aviation Analyst, Air Italy’s COO Rossen Dimitrov shared his rationale. Because of the...
Air Italy Suspends Three Transatlantic Routes, Adds Four Fun New Routes
U.S. legacy carriers should be very afraid of Air Italy. The Italian airline is doing so well it has announced it will halt service to two U.S. cities and one Canadian city this winter. Were you saying something about...
Qatar Airways Blasts U.S. Lawmakers For Air Italy Criticism
Qatar Airways is hitting back at U.S. lawmakers for the steady rain of criticisms over its investment in Air Italy. In a press release, Qatar forcefully and convincing lays out its case for why the fearing mongering from U.S....
U.S. Secretary Of State Looking “Very Closely” At Qatar-Air Italy Deal
Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, was grilled by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this week. Many topics were raised, but the one that raised my eyebrows was Air Italy. A group of U.S. Senators—a motley bipartisan crew—are...
Air Italy, The Clone Of Qatar Airways
It is becoming more difficult to distinguish Air Italy and Qatar Airways. Perhaps that is not such a bad thing. Yesterday, Air Italy launched nonstop service between Milan and Los Angeles. San Francisco starts next week. In celebration of...
Delta’s Nationalist Ambitions Hurt American Airlines
Delta Air Lines has been the most vocal US Carrier in regards to the “Middle East 3” expansion in the North American market. While Delta claims to defend jobs for American citizens, its double-edged sword cuts both ME3 and...
Dense, Dimwitted Logic From A Deliberately Deceptive Delta CEO
Air Italy’s USA expansion has caused a stir amongst U.S. legacy carriers. But Delta CEO Ed Bastian’s op-ed response is riddled with deception and outright mistruth. Feel free to start by reading Ed Bastian’s op-ed without my commentary. I’m...
A Warning To Air Italy
A friendly warning to Air Italy: learn from the mistakes of others, for you cannot live long enough to make them all yourself. Air Italy is in expansion mode. Last week, the carrier announced plans to add service to...
As Air Italy Looks To California, Congress Looks To Block
A posse of U.S. Senators has Air Italy in its crosshairs, dampening news that the Italian carrier plans to add service to two California cities next yaer. Air Italy Announces Service to LAX and SFO Yesterday, Air Italy announced...
Air Italy Loans An A330 To Finnair It Leased From Qatar Airways
Air Italy just proved that there is a still a role for middlemen in the aircraft leasing business. Last month, a Finnair A330-300 (registration # OH-LTS) was clipped by a high loader (those vehicles that load baggage or catering onboard) at...