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After our time in Puglia, we had to head back to Chicago. The first two legs were on ITA Airways with a flight from Brindisi Airport (BDS) to Leonardo da Vinci-Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) (and then a connection to Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) where we spent the night). The flight was on an old Alitalia aircraft that was repainted, but held the same dated interior. We departed 35 minutes late and arrived around 38 minutes behind schedule.
Anthony’s Take: This was a meh flight within Italy. There was no Wi-Fi, outlets, or entertainment on board. The snack provided to Business Class passengers was the same as what was provided in Economy. This could be stepped up. Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, and others serve a nice tray even on flights this short. Service was fine and what I expected on a one-hour flight. I used the app to check in and it was seamless.
Booking
I booked the flights directly with ITA Airways. Business Class was around $271 per person. ITA Airways is part of SkyTeam and my Diamond Medallion status with Delta (along with being in a premium cabin) afforded me SkyPriority status and Fast Track security and boarding at Brindisi Airport (BDS).
Boarding
As noted above, the flight was on delayed and everyone was pushing forward without paying attention to boarding groups. Gate agents allowed anyone regardless of group to scan their boarding passes and join the line to board the plane.
We were up front and I ran ahead to get some pictures before it was filled with passengers. The signs were largely ignored.
Seats
Business Class was designated as the first four rows of the plane. It had a small, moveable curtain to adjust cabin size as needed.
This is European Business Class, which means that the seats are identical to those in Economy Class. You have one blocked next to you, so you’re essentially getting 1.5 seats for the price of one. There were no outlets. The seats reclined and had a tray table at each one. We selected seats 1C and 1A. The bulkhead had plenty of legroom and the armrests lifted.
Individual air nozzles and lights are overhead. The aircraft was incredibly warm and these only helped a little bit.
There were some random controls on the seats that did not function.
A table folded out from the center seat. This was in addition to the table in the armrest.
Food
No predeparture beverages or bottled water was offered. We were offered the same snack and beverages as Economy Class. A choice of crackers or cookies was provided.
Wi-Fi
This ITA Airways flight did not offer Wi-Fi.
Service
The flight attendants were as attentive and friendly as they could be during a one-hour flight. I found it funny that the carts are still a mix of ITA Airways and the ghost of Alitalia.
Lavatory
There is a lavatory at the front of the plane. It’s standard size and was functional.
Goodbye, Puglia.
Overall Impression: The flight was delayed and hot. Nothing special happened during the hour, but we got to Rome in enough time to comfortably make our connection.
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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.
