My wife and I are supposed to fly Alitalia soon, Athens to Rome on May 24.
Does anyone know whether or to what extent the bankruptcy filing will affect service? The airline claims it will not affect service at all, but we're thinking it might be a good idea to get alternate tickets, even non-refundable ones if necessary.
thank you
You mean buy brand new tickets and lose money on these ones? I say "no way"! You may be worried too much. Alitalia has threatened bankruptcy for a long time now, so nothing new there. They're obligated to honor your ticket - it's highly unlikely that they will cease operations anytime this month with no warning.
(PS. Thanks to you, I learned what a Pharough Hound is! Is it really a Maltese dog? It's a really cool looking dog)
This might be of interest to you.
https://thepointsguy.com/2017/05/alitalia-starts-bankruptcy-2017/
Also, i just checked google flights. you can buy a one way ticket from Athens to Rome for $118 tomorrow. I wouldn't do anything yet because you can probably get cheap, last minute tickets anyway.
The restructure procedure started today under the supervision of the Ministry of Transportation. All flights are guaranteed for 180 days as part of the terms of this process. So you are covered. If a solution (an acquirer) is not found be within 180 days then the liquidation proceeds may indeed start whereby the assets of the company are auctioned off.
Agnes, Stephen, and Robert, thanks a lot!
When it comes to trip planning, worrying too much is pretty much what we do :-) (For example, we'll arrive at the airport at least 4 hours early for the flight to Europe.) But even we have been thinking that Alitalia service probably would not collapse within the next month. Still, it is nice to have corroboration.
Agnes, yes, I guess Pharaoh Hounds are Maltese in origin, though we always liked (and like) to imagine that our dog Ally was descended from those cool Egyptian canines with the big ears.
Best wishes to all.
I wonder if it's possible that Alitalia will be bought out by another airline at some point during the bankruptcy proceedings? The price of the corporation will be lower at that point, and the buyer will get the routes, landing rights, etc.
Our flight with them is at the END of November. -fingers crossed-
While it doesn't look like the airline will be bailed out this time, operations won't be affected for months.
So far, no other airline wants to buy out Alitalia right now, but later on, if the price is right, the routes and gates will have some value. Alitalia has over 12,000 employees and if they become unemployed, that would be bad for the already hurting Italian economy.
Well this puts a wrinkle into my travel plans. Booked flights through Delta and on the way back have a small hop with Alitalia. This is in November so not sure what the situation will be like at that time.
