Alitalia

Leaving USA in October via JFK to Palermo through Rome. And returning Catania to JFK through Rome. On a Perillo Tour group of 13. Any advice for travel group is appreciated.

Be friendly

Above is original post

Below is what OP added

Need advice on Alitalia Airlines only

Stay inside the plane... ??

I must have an attack of brain freeze, but I do not understand what OP is asking.

Same thing I told my kids when we were traveling cross country by mini-van: When there is an opportunity to "use the facilities," then gosh darn "use the facilities" whether you need to or not. Hmmmm... looks like you may have added an edit, of "advice on Alitalia Airlines only?" Well, okay. Still...

Treat Alitalia employees with politeness and servility like they are the customers.

Acting nasty to Alitalia employees will get you nowhere and will make your flight miserable.

Hi,

Just curious, no one at the Perillo Tour office able to give some advice on what to expect?

From various ads and YT promos, it appears Steve Perillo favors the Alitalia airline. (I favor British Airways to Italy; once with American Airlines - code shared.)

Alitalia used to be the "go to" direct airline to Rome/Italy. Probably still is to some.

There is a little joke about Alitalia - they were notorious for lost or misplaced luggage. That is not to say your flight will have that happen. Of course it is common sense to pack all valuables, meds, tech stuff, and a day or two of clothing with toiletries in your carry on; no matter what airline you fly with.

It will be nice to be flexible while in the air. I am not necessarily talking about "seat assignments." Those may not be interchangeable due to a traveler's mobility issue. No one knows.

I am sure FA's really appreciate patience, a smile and a thank you. Also, FA's in general appreciate a traveler who watches their alcohol intake and also being courteous of a shared space with a stranger.

This may be of interest to read. It is recent. https://www.inflightfeed.com/alitalia/

I'm not sure what you're asking, but I'm going to go out on a limb, and guess that you're asking for the sequence of how the flights will go. If so, read on; if not, you can disregard this post.

First, make sure you are actually flying an Alitalia plane (called "Alitalia metal"). Some nonstop flights from JFK to Italy with Alitalia flight numbers are actually Delta metal. This is important so you go to the right place in JFK. Alitalia flights leave from terminal 1, but Delta flights leave from terminal 4. You will waste a lot of time if you go to the wrong place.

When you check in for your flight from JFK to Palermo, you will get boarding passes for both segments. Your checked luggage should be tagged through to Palermo (make sure the tags say PMO). If so, you will not see your luggage in Rome. You will go through security at JFK, and Alitalia staff will make sure you have your passport, but you do not go through immigration or customs at this stage.

On arrival in Rome, you will go through passport control, and then security, on your way to your next flight. If you need to show an ID to board the plane, your passport is your ID for this (so keep it handy).

On arrival in Palermo, you will pick up your checked bags (if any), then go through customs. However, in Europe, customs is merely a matter of walking through the Green Channel Nothing to Declare line. Unless you're stopped for further inspection (possible but rare), you're done.

Upon checking in for your flight from Catania to JFK, again you should get boarding passes for both segments, and again your bags should be checked through to JFK (make sure the baggage tags say JFK on them). In Rome, you will go through passport control, then make your way to your US-bound flight, passing through security on the way. You will need to have your passport handy to board your flight from Rome to JFK, and there can be additional security screenings; just go with the flow (I once took a flight from Rome where they checked everyone's passport and boarding pass again IN THE JETWAY, after everyone had put them all away).

On arrival at JFK, all passengers, regardless of their final destination, will get off the plane and go through passport control, then pick up all checked luggage, then go through customs. You can then go to your next flight, or if JFK is your final destination, you leave the airport. Again, Alitalia flights land in terminal 1, but if your flight is actually operated by Delta, it will land in terminal 4.

Download and use the Mobile Passport app - it will save a lot of time upon returning to JFK.

You have a great trip planned and Sicily is a wonder. Hope you enjoy eating and tasting all of the glorious land and sea offerings. Mmmm, make a point to take in a farmer’s market for yourself and for bringing back tasty treats to gift friends and family, they will thank you heartily. My most recent Alitalia experience is April ‘17 SEA-AMS-FCO-PMO outbound and CTA-MXP-AMS-SEA inbound Delta codeshare. Delta liveried craft for both long-haul flights to and from AMS. Harold’s helpful description and advice is well-stated, accurate and valuable. My particular Alitalia experience included being impressed by FAs ‘bella figura’, having connecting gate change 2x enroute Palermo, and having newest jet I’ve ever been on for our Catania flight. All in all, comparable to other trips on other airlines in good ol’ coach with the rest of my economy-fare tribe. I did find needing to be a touch more assertive when seeking any kind of assistance from airport Alitalia personnel in comparison to domestic U. S. carriers. More of a cultural awareness that in exchanges of information I needed to be certain I understood and wouldn’t end the conversation hastily. Passport control in your average airport CAN be reasonable and not much of a trial and then you experience the crush of multiple international flights landing in quick order and a dearth of operating stations processing the masses (and maybe you landed in the outer reaches of the airport and have already had to be shuttled to PC area) and you come to fully appreciate how having however much of a zen attitude you can have when in transit is going to make dealing with the tedium that much easier. Buon viaggio!

Leaving USA in October via JFK to Palermo through Rome. And returning Catania to JFK through Rome. On a Perillo Tour group of 13. Any advice for travel group is appreciated. Need advice on Alitalia Airlines only

If your flights are on Alitalia for all legs (JFK to Rome, Rome to Palermo and vice versa), I'd suggest checking the airline website to confirm their policies for carryon luggage. I've only flown Alitalia within Italy (Rome to Palermo and Catania to Rome). I noticed that they seemed to be a lot more strict about enforcing carryon luggage size.

Of course, if you're not carrying a backpack or roller bag or similar carryon bag, that is not an issue.

Like I said, I've never flown their transatlantic routes, but they were just fine on the flights to/from Rome.

We had four flights on ALITALIA last year, LHR- FCO- PMO, CTA-FCO-LHR. All went fine, no issues. Just like any domestic flights in US, easy, special area immigration at FCO, , and LHR on return as we were staying overnight.
What are you asking?

Again, not to beat a dead horse, but the question??? One of our best recent flights to Europe was on Alitalia from JFK to Rome. Alitalia was unexpected flight since we had booked with Delta and expect a Delta plane but they code share. Service level was far better on Alitalia than the return flight from Rome on a Delta plane.

I flew direct from LAX to Rome and back again. The Alitalia personnel were friendly but I found the plane on the way there very run down (cracked plastic around windows, cracked serving trays, missing molding from seats....generally felt dirty and well worn). However, I landed safely so that is what is important.

Was scheduled on Air France ended up on Alitalia from JFK to Rome. My checked bag was delayed 2 days. I’m now trying to submit a claim to Alitalia - received several email bounce backs. Their fax doesn’t work. I Will probably overnight the claim with proof of delivery since there is a 21 day period for claims submission.
The flight itself, the flight attendants were unfriendly, the plane was old and appeared dirty. The food was horrible (take your own). I will not fly with them again if given a choice.