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I might have a new least favorite airline. Before this flight, I was not even aware that Aeroitalia existed and I’d like to go back to those days. The 40-minute flight itself was uneventful, but the lead up and extra costs that were incurred has made me vow to never fly this Italian low-cost carrier again. I know that everyone says that at times, but I’m going to try my darndest.
Anthony’s Take: We were scheduled to fly from Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International Airport (FCO) to Cagliari Elmas Airport (CAG) in Sardinia yesterday. I booked the tickets months ago and when I realized that we would be able to catch an earlier flight, I paid €20 and switched us. Check-in was smooth online and we had boarding passes in advance. All was looking good and we were moments away from boarding when the flight suddenly posted a 2.5-hour delay. The gate agent told me that he wasn’t sure that the flight would happen since the aircraft was stuck in Sicily. With Etna erupting and its ash causing problems for tons of flights, we also fell victim. The gate agent said that there were seats on the flight leaving after ours and that he could sell me tickets. Because we’re not residents of Sardinia, flight changes were not allowed. I purchased the seats for €300 each and about 15 minutes later that flight was delayed. Aeroitalia took the aircraft for the later flight and swapped it with the inbound for our original flight. I now had tickets on both and we ended up having to run back to the original gate as it was boarding. I get that the volcano is beyond the control of the airline, but its mismanagement, odd policies, and lack of communication are solely its fault.
Booking
I booked two Economy Class tickets directly on Aeroitalia’s website for €338 all in. This included an extra legroom seat in the bulkhead, Priority boarding, and the ability to bring a carry-on bag on the flight.
Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International Airport (FCO)
We attempted to use the Plaza Premium Lounge, but there was a 30-minute wait. Instead, we grabbed some pizza and beverages inside the airport while waiting for our flight. I have reviewed the Terminal 3 location, but have never been inside the one in Terminal 1. It’s directly across from ITA Airways Hangar Lounge (review here).
Boarding
We arrived at the gate around 20 minutes before boarding was supposed to begin. As we waited in line, the board quickly changed to show a 2.5-hour delay. People became very upset and the gate agent was quickly overwhelmed. I was up front, so I got to speak to him first. He was pleasant and gave me the best advice he could. Unfortunately, I ended up wasting quite a bit of money after I took his advice and booked new tickets.
We went to the other gate and got in line to board. Once again, the screen changed and showed a delay. The gate agents there were clueless and could not answer any questions. I asked if the other flight might be going first. They did not know. Finally, they said it was going and to run over to the original gate as it would be closing in two minutes.
We made it back in time and were put onto a bus to board. I hate remote stands and being packed into a bus just sucks.
Seats
The bulkhead seats provided plenty of space We were in seats 1C and 1B (another passenger was in 1C). These are standard Economy Class seats with extra legroom.
There were individual lights and air nozzles overhead. There were no USB or standard AC outlets provided.
The seats only function was to recline.
Surprisingly, there was an in-flight magazine.
Food
The flight was short, but no food or drinks were offered either for sale or on a complimentary basis.
Wi-Fi
There is no Wi-Fi offered on Aeroitalia. There is no entertainment either.
Lavatory
The lavatory was standard issue for a Boeing 737-800. There were no paper towels and the toilet paper was almost out.
Service
The flight attendants said “hello,” did a safety demo, and were not seen again. They did not collect trash or spend any time in the cabin on the short flight.
Overall Impression:
Aeroitalia is a low-cost carrier. It’s policies are draconian and it’s not even trying to be anything more than a plane from point A to point B. I went in expecting this, but what I can’t excuse is the confusion, misinformation, and messiness of the operations.
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
