Today I’ll be reviewing ITA Airways short haul service on their A320. Our route today is LHR in London to Milan LIN airport. I’ll also detail the connection process here at LHR. Connecting here is pretty easy, but can be a little time consuming. LHR is not my favorite place to make a connection, but it’s not the worst.
We were scheduled to take a morning flight to Linate, we needed to make an unprotected connection in LHR, sadly we were denied boarding on this connection. We made it, on time, and at the gate with the correct paperwork. We were still denied boarding. ITA moved us to the later flight in the day, nearly 8 hours later. We have applied for denied boarding compensation under EU 261, I’ll update as I learn more.
Anyway, I apologies for the poor pictures in this review. The outside of the plane was very dirty so in combination with the nighttime flight, the window shots are not very good. We are seated in the first row of the economy cabin so it’s not a great vantage point. I’m also absolutely exhausted, because the delay we sat around LHR for 8 hours after our overnight flight from DTW. Oh well, let’s get into it.
In This Trip
LHR Layover and Terminal Transfer
After landed in LHR we had a full on sprint to make. Our 90 minute connection was now 60 minutes. At first we felt like we had zero chance, we arrived into LHR Terminal 3 and needed to transfer to Terminal 2. LHR and the UK allow a sterile transfer so we started running.
After following the signs we ended up at the bus stop that the Inter-Terminal Transfer Buses use here at LHR. There are 2 lines, one for buses to Terminals 2 and 4. The other is for Terminal 5. We joined the line for Terminal 2.
Once on the bus it was a short ride over to LHR Terminal 2. This felt like an eternity but really, only took about 7 minutes.
Once in Terminal 2 we continued our run to the transfer area and through security. Luckly there were no lines and we quickly were into the secure area again.
ITA Airways Denied Boarding
And here we are at the gate, in the boarding queue, for our ITA flight to Milan. Sadly when we got to the front we were denied boarding and told we needed to stand to the side and let the rest of the plane board.
I really and truly don’t know why we were not allowed to board. We had all of the correct paperwork, we are on-time, and we just got pushed to the side.
Here’s the plane we should have boarded. Instead the gate agents moved us to a flight 8 hours later and told us to just deal with it. Yes, EU 261 compensation has been applied for.
All in, the transfer here at LHR only took 20 minutes, I was very pleased with that. I was very excited as we stood in the boarding line that we made our connection in such short order. But I could not be more disappointed with ITA, we were passed the boarding gate when we were recalled with no explanation.
Here was our seat for the next 8 hours. There is a lounge here at LHR Terminal 2 that we could access, but when we went there, it was completely jam packed full. I’d rather just sit here in an empty terminal area than in a lounge that crowded.
Yes, this sucked. Probably the worst airline and airport experience I’ve had in a few years. I’m tired, jet lagged, and needlessly delayed. Not to mention that we now don’t land in Milan until 11pm. We were planning on driving to Verona when we landed, but not anymore. Oh well, sometimes you get kicked in the face.
ITA Airways A320 Boarding
With night fall here we walked down to our boarding gate, from here there’s no view of the plane.
ITA Airways is the reincarnation of Alitalia. They haven’t even repainted the planes. The boarding process is exactly as Italian as you would have expected. They call boarding and everyone mobs into the line.
The gate agent was a little surprised when we got to the desk, all of our documents had already been marked as reviewed from the previous flight.
ITA Airways A320 Economy Seat Review
Well here it is our seat in the first row of economy. That gold cloth is the curtain that separates us from business class.
We had the row to ourselves and the overhead bins were getting full so we stuffed Val’s pelican under the seat in front of us. Works for us.
After boarding the flight attendants gave their welcome and the safety briefing.
The seat had these in-seat controls, they didn’t work or seem to do anything when I plugged in my headphones. This plane was also very grubby. Everything was just kinda dirty.
Like the rest of the plane, the overhead panel wasn’t in great shape. I’m also very grumpy due to the denied boarding and late hour.
ITA Airways A320 Economy Review
The lights were dimmed and we pushed back.
We headed for the runway with our scratchy window.
As we climbed away from London I was glad to finally be in the air. Again, not a great picture.
After a few minutes the curtain was closed and we settled into our 2 hour flight. I wouldn’t recommend the row right behind business class, the curtain is constantly invading your space.
Yea, ITA Airways is totally a new airline and not Alitalia in any way. Really, this was a pretty boring flight. There was a water service offered, but we declined, it’s late and we’re tired.
The view outside while passing over northern Italy was lovely, nope, definitely doesn’t still stay Alitalia on the wing.
ITA Airways Linate Arrival
After our 2 hour flight we descended into Milan. It’s a little foggy out tonight.
And on the ground here at Linate. This airport is smaller than MXP but is used extensively by ITA and Alitalia previously.
ITA Airways Linate Arrival
LIN doesn’t have a lot of jet bridges and I love that, however most of these gates are bus gates so that sucks. But as you can see, ITA is totally not just Alitalia.
Onto the bus we go. I would recommend trying to stand towards the front of the bus and near the doors. Makes getting into immigration and customs easier.
After a quick paperwork and passport check we are ready to exit and pickup our rental car.
ITA Airways Final Thoughts
I did not enjoy this experience. Being denied boarding and having to wait for 8 hours was unpleasant. It was already a long day that was made longer. When we landed we ended up just getting an airport hotel to crash at for the evening before driving a few hours to Verona. I’ll update this when I hear back about my EU 261 claim, I’m expecting a fight.
The flight itself was fine, nothing amazing. It’s a standard short haul European flight. The plane felt a little grubby and old. The fittings were certainly in need of a little love. Having the middle seat empty was great, but I’d rather have flown on my correct flight.
All in, I’d probably avoid ITA for a little while. We could have flown British Airways on this route or to MXP and I regret not choosing that option.
Follow This Trip
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