Top Bunk
It is offensive to say that the Italian State is morally bankrupt it is not factual or even an intelligent comment, when people say things that are offensive no-one else will listen.
So we can all forget about this issue, in 2006 Italy contributed Euros 14,359,479,157 and EC expenditure in Italy was Euros 10,922,300,000 Italy is a net contributor to the EC therefore NO european money is used or has ever been used for Alitalia!
Try not to confuse Euros for the currency of the EC it is also the currency of Italy and has nothing to do with the commission or the tax payers of the UK
Now Alitalia, a few weeks ago I posted a message saying I was thinking of booking in order to do my bit to help, as I believed they couldn't be that bad.
I did book for Christmas eve, flying to Brasil so we could arrive on Christmas day and suprise family.
I booked online and took the first of many different options on the screen, seeing as they all arrived in GRU at the same time, my usual carefullness went out of the window, I saw we had 3.25 hours to change in Milan no probs I thought.
Some of you are already are already seeing alarm bells. Because it makes perfect sense to not have ANY flights to an international hub from the biggest city in Europe, (yes not I do believe some sort of mad political interference)
The flight arrives from LHR to LIN at 8.35pm (in the last 30 days it has been cancelled 4 times, late 11 times and ontime 15) and the only bus and last of the day to get me from LIN to MXP is 9.30 (so 55 mins to allow for any delays in LHR (never happens I know) get off the plane get my luggage then find and get on the bus) and arrives outside the terminal just 20 mins before checkout closes. I don't think thats enough time anyone done it? Am I worrying about nothing? Having been told repeatedly by AZ staff the bus transfer takes 45mins, the 8.35pm time quoted is the that I will get my luggage etc. etc.
Anyway I wanted to change for an earlier flight as I didn't want to be stuck in MXP for 2 days over Christmas, and I don't think Alitalia should have sold the ticket without making it clear that ther was a change of airport not as I had stupidly assume a change at worst of terminals.
Sorry for the length of the post I am getting to the point.
I have spoken to 7 members of Alitalia staff in 5 days, I have been given 2 bogus email addresses, 3 wrong telephone numbers had the phone slamed down on me and been kept holding for 20 mins without any check backs, to those of you who say the problem is not the staff you would appear to be very very wrong. Alitalia is
worse than Ryanair for customer care and they don't even have an excuse.
Yes it could be an isolated case but its not, its an ethos, its training it comes from the top, I now understand those who say staff at AZ believe they have a God given right to act anyway they choose. (Perhaps cos they fly the Pope?) now I sadly have to agree with those who say Alitalia does not deserve to survive (at least if it fails I can claim back on my credit card and fly with a professional airline).
I was one of those people to give them a chance, I am sad, I am sad for the people who will lose their jobs, I am sad that AZ is not worth fighting for. When I fly Ryanair I factor the price of the priority booking and the baggage in the hold I check and re-check my bookings, and if I make a mistake I expect to lose, but in the long run after all the cheap flights I can afford to take a loss once in a while.
However I will never fly AZ, there just isn't any point there are so many better airlines out there, Ryanair is the best at what it does Alitalia is no where near the best, if I was paying 50 quid for my ticket then ok, but I wasn't I was paying much the same as Iberia, AF, Lufthansa etc.
Please someone who believes in Alitalia, try and explain why I am wrong. Tell me why I am worrying about sleeping on the floor of MXP for nothing tell me why AZ have managed to make me more worried not less tell me why AZ gleefully told me they will cancel my entire ticket if I fly BA to MXP even though they don't check me in for the whole route from LHR, and tell me why I was told by staff "but Sir everyone knows that with Alitalia you have to change from Linate to Malpensa" I don't I am a stupid member of the public London LHR - Milan LIN , Milan MXP - Sao Paulo GRU means nothing to me other than I get the flight in London and I arrive in Sao Paulo.