Getting to the Airport

I leave the CitizenM down by the Tiber at 12h10 and walk the short distance to Via di Torre Argentina. I just have a short wait before a line 40 bus arrives. The 40 is an express bus that makes fewer stops than the regular busses that run from Argentina to Termini. By the way, just a piece of advice. If you buy paper tickets for the bus, you are expected to stamp and validate them as you enter the bus. I bought three tickets when I first arrived in Rome. However, I ended up using only one – mainly because none of the validators but one were actually working. It says on the ticket that you shall inform the driver when that happens. However, judging by their reaction, I’m not sure that happens very often. And I’m convinced that the drivers really couldn’t care less.

At Termini I transfer to the Leonardo Express nonstop train to Fiumicino airport. To board, you can just tap on and off with your credit card. Trains to the airport arrive and depart from track 24. The journey to the airport takes 32 minutes.

Check-In

ITA Airways operates out of Terminal 1 in Rome. The SkyPriority counters for check-in are facing the escalators as you descend from the footbridge that connects the terminal to the airport’s railway station.

There is a dedicated Fast Track for security. The process is swift and efficient. Fiumicino is a busy airport. Even so, the passenger experience is pleasant, and the terminal is easy to navigate.

The ITA Aiways Hangar Lounge

The ITA lounge is located one floor up from the general airside concourse, at the back of a large and attractive food court. By the looks of it, they’re expanding the lounge – probably in preparation for the integration into Lufthansa and the expected influx of terminally trendy German hipsters in Boss suits and white sneakers.

The lounge has a nice selection of Italian goodies. And the food really is good. I get myself a plate of fresh pasta in a rich, buttery ragù and I’m in heaven. It’s so, so good. There’re even a large bowl of grated parmigiano.

Boarding

Boarding for our 16h20 departure starts forty minutes early. Initially, I wonder if perhaps that might be a tad exaggerated – until I see the copious amounts of hand luggage passengers are trying to bring on board. And they just won’t stop coming. Eventually, the maître de declares “basta”, there’s no more room in the overhead bins and all remaining passengers will have to put their luggage in the hold.

The Cabin & Seat

The cabin on this aircraft is different to the ex-Alitalia bird on my flight from Brussels. The consequences of the rather unfortunate choice of light cream and grey colours are beginning to show. The seats look old already and there are several nasty grease stains on the curtain and carpet.

The seat has an adjustable headrest. I’m initially seated on 1D, the bulkhead row, and the seat pitch is very generous. It may look old, but it’s a comfortable seat.

The Service & Crew

On this flight, no welcome drinks are offered because the cockpit crew is in a hurry to leave and boarding has taken so long. Other than that, this crew is much, much better than the previous one. They’re friendly, chatty, and professional. While we push back, they start the safety briefing. The volume is very low and there seems to be an issue adjusting it. So they break off the safety demo until they solve the issue, and then start again at the beginning.

We push back on time and taxi to the active runway. We take off in a westerly direction towards Ostia Antica and the Mediterranean. Once we’re over the sea, we make a wide right turn to point us in the direction of the Alps. The expected flight time is one hour.

The Meal – Early Dinner

The service begins as soon as the timer on the hot air oven goes off. Given the short flying time, the trays are served from the trolley. The meal is identical to the one on the flight from Brussels to Rome. Especially the salad is lovely. The crew do a full drinks service and also offer tea and coffee.

The crew clear away the trays, and shortly after we start our descent. The view outside is gorgeous. The Alps are still covered in a thick layer of snow and the setting sun is illuminating them perfectly.

Arrival in Zürich

The descent is very scenic. As they make their preparations for landing and the safety check, the crew pass through the cabin offering small, crunchy chocolates. Meanwhile, the lady on 1A has decided to make herself really, really comfortable. As the flight attendant passes row one, she gives Ms 1A a stern look, “ma… signora!”, and she reluctantly puts her feet down. Real classy!

Eventually, we dive into the murky darkness and make our approach from the north to runway 14. And just like that, I’m home again.

Conclusion

God, what a relief. After my previous experience with ITA Airways on the flight from Brussels to Rome, I was a bit concerned they may have let themselves go a bit. But obviously, that was just a fluke because the crew on this flight were professional and similar to the crews on my previous experiences with the airline. I like ITA Airways. I just hope Lufthansa won’t try to standardize them to death once they take over.