Ah cool.
Well it probably is the best bet for them then if it means they will be close to their final destination. Unfortunately I doubt there will be any Italian movies on the flight so it may be worth advising them in advance to download a few programmes onto their iPod or something, or if they are of a different generation just tell them to pack a good book!
However the chances of there being at least one italian speaking crew member on board are high as we have loads of Italians working for us. Plus if they are flying after the 17th september they will be transiting through T5 so it should make it a lot less painful!
Best of luck with it!
T