Transfer in Rome

I’ve just arrived in Rome on an ITA Airways flight from Zürich. By the time we pull up to our parking stand, we’re running ninety minutes behind schedule. The terminal in Rome is a very pleasant surprise. The old Schengen gates used to be a complete rat hole, but that is certainly no longer the case. The airside area is bright and spacious, with a high, vaulted ceiling and bright lights.

It’s also very nice that the terminals are all connected to each other and easily accessible on foot. I’m just a bit surprised by how busy the terminal is. After all, it’s coming up to 22h00.

The path to immigration is clearly signposted. Fortunately, it’s very quiet when I arrive at the e-gates.

The ITA Airways Piazza d’Espagna Lounge

ITA Airways operates a lounge in both the Schengen and non-Schengen areas of the terminal complex. The lounge on the E concourse is located near gate E 11.

By the time I reach the lounge just before 22h00, there’s hardly anybody there. They’ve also started clearing away the buffet. Luckily, the meal on the flight from Zürich was quite extensive. Otherwise, I’d be going hungry.

Boarding

Boarding for the flight is from E 08, which is a bus gate. The atmosphere on the bus is nice. Most travellers seem to be emigrated Albanians returning to visit friends and family. So there’s a sense of excitement and anticipation. The bus ride takes for ever, and eventually we come to a stop in front of our aircraft. This stand redefines the meaning of a remote stand. It’s so remote that you can’t even see the terminal buildings anymore. Where the heck are we?

The Cabin & Seat

The cabin on this aircraft is much nicer and looks a lot fresher than the A 319 on the previous leg from Zürich to Rome. There are three rows of Business Class with only six out of twelve seats occupied.

The seat next to me stays empty. The seat pitch on row 1 is also much better than on the previous flight. It’s quite generous, actually.

The Crew & Service

The cabin crew on this flight are quite entertaining. There are two middle aged ladies serving the Business Class cabin. They look kind of grumpy and slightly intimidating, but they’re actually rather nice. While we wait for the second bus to arrive, they pass through the cabin with cups of orange juice or still water. There’s rather a long queue for departures, but eventually we get airborne at 23h30. The flight time is announced at sixty minutes.

The Meal

Even on a flight of only one hour and in the middle of the night, ITA Airways will do a full tray service with a hot meal.

For a starter, there is a salad of shrimp, potato, and celery, served with condiments.

The main course is a cheesy vegetable lasagna. The meal is served with warm focaccia.

And for dessert there is a cannoli filled with a ricotta and pistachio paste which is just lovely!

With the cannoli, I have a coffee, which is served on a saucer that still shows the logo of its previous owner.

Arrival in Tirana

We land in Tirana just after 00h30. The airport is very busy at nights. We park quite far away from the terminal and are then bussed to arrivals. Immigration is swift though, with e-gates available for holders of biometric passports.

Getting into Tirana

I step outside and catch a taxi into Tirana. At nights, so in good traffic, the journey will take about twenty minutes and costs EUR22 or LEK2200.