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  ITA Airways

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  AZ/ITY

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Rome Fiumicino Airport

  Year Founded:

  2020

  Alliance:

  SkyTeam

  CEO:

  Fabio Lazzerini

  Country:

  Italy

Italy's national carrier ITA Airways is hoping to deliver a new and better onboard experience on its recently acquired Airbus A350 aircraft. The airline had been planning to deploy the twin-engine jets to South America, and now, closer to the date of its first flight to Buenos Aires, it has revealed what customers can expect from its newest equipment.

From old to new

ITA Airways is pushing diligently to reinvent itself through new branding and refreshed passenger experience. First, the airline broke the mold with its unique signature Savoy blue livery – a departure from the standard white fuselages of many of its European counterparts.

Now, it is pinning its hope on its latest flagship product, the Airbus A350-900 aircraft, for elevating passenger perception and experience of its product and services. ITA had long been planning to deploy these jets to South America and will fly it for the first time in a commercial capacity on the Rome-Buenos Aires route from June 2nd.

The new A350 will fly to Argentina with 5 weekly frequencies every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from Rome and every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from Buenos Aires to the following schedule:

The frequency of this route will increase to once daily from August. So, what exactly can passengers expect from ITA's A350?

Latest offerings

The airline has broadly divided its new offerings into these three features: New cabin interiors, new crew uniforms, new onboard catering

Let's explore these one at a time:

New cabin interiors

The interior of ITA Airways' A350 is configured in a two-class layout, with 334 seats, 33 of which are executive and 301 economy seats. The economy class is laid out in a 3-3-3 pattern, while the business class cabin is distributed in 1-2-1, so everyone has access to the aisle at any time. But the selling point of these cabins seems to be that they are designed by designer Walter De Silva, who wanted to bring back a pleasant and coherent sensation to the interior of the aircraft.

Blue and sand are the predominant colors, but the most important feature is the progressive set-up of the lighting, which changes seamlessly based on the different situations onboard (boarding - take off - fly - dinner - lunch - sun rise - sun set - night). According to the airline, this last option will be available only on long-haul flights, where it represents an added value for the quality of life onboard.

New dining experience

From June 2nd, passengers can expect a revised menu on all intercontinental flights on ITA Airways' network. The meals will be designed by several renowned Italian chefs and young talents who will take turns periodically.

The first to get on board is one of Italy's most famous chefs Enrico Bartolini who has reinterpreted traditional Italian dishes to be served on the flights. Business class passengers can expect reinterpretation of pappa al pomodoro (served as a hot first course) and chicken hip with Amalfi scents. The menu will also include desserts, coffee, and beverages – all from Italy.

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New uniforms

The uniform has been designed in-house but with consultation from the luxury Italian fashion house Brunello Cucinelli. The men's uniform will feature a dry-fitting jacket and trouser suit with a one-and-a-half-breasted jacket. For the female cabin crew, both a jacket and trouser combo and the traditional combination with a skirt were chosen.

The new uniforms will progressively enter service on the entire fleet over the next few months. This is done to save costs by managing the end-of-stock of old uniforms.

For those who are curious to find out more, ITA will promote these features through a new advertising campaign on June 1st called "DESTINATION: YOU."

Here's hoping that the airline's second stint with new themes and branding, and perhaps soon with new owners, is a successful one.

Are you excited about ITA's latest product? Please let us know in the comment section below.