ITA Airways intensifies activities by opening new routes

This is the only positive news published by the ITA Airways press office of late. The airline announced new flights from Genoa to Alghero and Olbia for the summer from July 30 to September 4, flying every Saturday and Sunday.

But there is no news regarding internal management and financial problems still injected by taxpayers. Why? Because ITA management does not make profits: it loses 2 million a day.

Below is a critical and amusing comment published by the Italian daily Il Giornale, the result of an intelligence investigation signed by N.Porro – quote:

“Knives fly. They hate each other.” What happens in the “new” Ita Airways?

The company, according to the latest public data, continues to lose about 2 million euros a day, net of internal feuds.

Right now, the fate of the old Alitalia is being decided. The Palazzo (government rumors), barring direct hits from Prime Minister Draghi, speak of the usual swamp: “you had to have an idea about the buyer by the end of May, and instead nothing.”

There is a risk of a new swamp at the expense of the taxpayer with a new stalemate. There are 3 parties: that of the Germans, that of the French, and that of making a living as it is.

The new ITA proved to be similar to the old Alitalia. Apart from a painted blue on airplanes and online applications, just its coat of paint should make one think.

That’s the first thing the marketers thought about doing. Genes: they thought that a coat of blue was enough to transform a Ritmo car into a Lamborghini. The planes inside are the same as before, but outside they look different.

In short, the shape changes, but not the substance. And the booking application is now a beautiful blue, but it works worse than before: it is so stupid that at each check-in you have to retype your name and surname. But let’s go in order. Unfortunately, and it was written by those who initially believed in it, things did not go as they should.

One would say: we are used to it. But the point is another. The new company has few employees, with salaries and benefits to the bone. The fleet counts 50 of the same type of planes, the only right decision is to rationalize the cost. In short, there is no one here (right, President Altavilla?) who can act as Marchionne (a smart Italian tycoon) and shoot at workers or trade unions.

Here is the weakness of the company, as usual, with the small detail that employees cannot be blamed which, indeed, are the best aspect of the new company.

Although they are paid to the level of low-cost employees, they generally have well-established grace and professionalism. And when you get picky about treatment on board, think about how they treat you elsewhere.

The real issue is not just the money that ITA throws into the drain every day. This waste of money was born also by buying the Alitalia brand for as much as 90 million euros (some say it was forced by the government) and finally saved it in the drawer. It’s like a citizen’s income earner buys oysters and Dom Perignon champagne to store it in the cellar. Without a future!

No, the problem is called litigation. Knives have been flying within the company top for months.

It is a known secret that President Altavilla and the CEO, Lazzerini, hate each other. And the thing propagates down the branches negatively – managers who respond to the first in command and who tease those who respond to the second.

The company is small, however, it is difficult to work well in such a climate. Fortunately, the group’s operations are under the command of a pilot who takes care of flying the machines, educating the staff, and the safety of passengers. For the rest it is Vietnam.

There are dozens of rudeness in those parts: just think that one day the CEO of the company was summoned by the president and more or less said to him: “Do you want a couple of million (euros) to quit?” And he replied: “Are you kidding? You have no power to give me a euro. If anything, the Treasury, which is our shareholder, can decide.”

Nice climate. They should be united to give the company a future, and instead, they coexist with threats to fire each other. In this kindergarten setting, how can the company’s sales process proceed?

Bad, of course. On the one hand there is the Italian-German consortium (Lufthansa and MSC) and on the other the French one (funds with Air France). Yesterday, Repubblica daily, wrote of the complaints of the Germans, who allegedly accused ITA of not having provided them with the information requested. There is a bet, and within the company, they do: 2 factions are divided between French and German.