#77 out of 94 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings.
44 reviews
Hello dear FlightReporters,
The last months have been very busy with university. I’ve finished my last year of Architecture and hopefully I’ll graduate next December. Since I couldn’t get any vacation during my last term I decided to make something special during Summer.
Fortunately, it happened that a cousin of mine usually leaves his house in Paris to relatives and friends during summer days. Having visited Paris when I was 8 years old, I didn’t think twice to ask him. The house is in the 2e Arrondissement, in the heart of city.
I decided to stay there the first days of August, since he told me the house would have been free until the 8th of the month.
Around the 20th of May my cousin confirmed that I could get the house from 31st July to 8th August.
I checked on SkyScanner and the best solution appearead to be flying to Orly with Vueling
31st July VY6253 FCO - ORY 13:30 - 15:40
8th Aug VY6933 ORY - FCO 21:35 - 23:25
Total price: 280 euros
Bagpack and checked bag included, no cabin baggage
Unfortunately I was kinda busy that days and when I came back on Vueling website the 3rd of June the ticket had risen to 325 euros
So I started to explore other solutions with Vueling
I skipped immediately the 6:50 flight from Rome since I didn't want to ask my parents to bring me at the airport so early (moreover the flight wasn't so cheaper)
A good solution seemed this:
31st July VY6253 FCO - ORY 13:30 - 15:40
8th Aug VY6250 ORY - FCO 9:35 - 11:40
Total price: 310 euros
Bagpack and checked bag included, no cabin baggage
Even if the price was good, I wasn't really sure about leaving in the morning from Orly, considering it would have take me one hour to get there from my accomodation
Just for curiosity I took a look to Italian State-owned rail company, Trenitalia, which offers a six-hour high speed train from Milan to Paris-Gare de Lyon
Even if the price was fair (270 euros) the journey between Rome and Paris would have taken 10 hours with a change in Milan.
I got on ITA Airways website and I finally found this itinerary:
31st July AZ324 FCO - CDG 15:10 - 17:20
8th Aug AZ313 CDG - LIN 16:55 - 18:35
8th Aug AZ2075 LIN - FCO 20:00 - 21:10
Total price: 266 euros
Bagpack, cabin baggage and checked baggage included
I decided to go for this solution since the price was the cheaper, the time were fine and the stopover in Milan didn't pose an issue for me
Since I was booking in such an advance I add ITA Airways insurance, which costs 20 euros
Being under 35 I was able to use a discount from European Youth Card
This brought the flight price from 266 to 250 plus the insurance, for a total of 270 euros.
ITA Airways allows passenger to check-in 48 hours before the departure time.
Two days before the flight I logged-in on their website and was able to print my boarding pass
Since last time I've flown with AZ (November '22) the design of the BP had been improved, with important infos highlighted
Moreover my Volare frequent flyer number had been inserted correctly
My fare didn't allow me to choose the seat
I was lucky to get a window seat in the back of the plane
Changing it would have cost me at least 11 euros
With the flight departing at 15:10 I decided to be at the airport no later than 13
This would have allowed me to check my bag and print my BP
My parents and I left home around 12:30 since at that time the motorway is not very busy
A few minutes before 13 we arrived at Rome "Leonardo Da Vinci" International Airport
ITA Airways is based at Terminal 1
T1 hosts other European carriers while T3 is mainly dedicated to extra-Schenghen operations
The bright check-in hall was quite crowded
Even if my flight was still not shown on FIDS I made my way to desks 11-20, which seemed to deal all ITA's European flights
No separate lane was available for bag drop
The queue was quite big, but only 3 desks were opened
It took me 35 minutes to get to the counter
While I was waiting I heard many stanger passengers complaining about ITA and its ground service. By the way handling was managed by Swissport
During that time three additional desks were opened
When I got to my counter the lady told me the plane was full and ask me if I could check the second baggage too. Having already one checked bag I didn't hesitate
I finally got my boarding pass at 12:40, forty minute after being left at the kiss and ride
After a short stopover at the pharmacy I made my way to the security checkpoint
Of 15 lanes 11/12 were opened, making the queuing quite fast
FCO is equipped with new generation X-ray machines that allows passenger to keep their electronic devices in the bag and to bring liquids over 100mL
The whole process took less than 15 minutes
I got airside around 14, half a hour before scheduled boarding time
Obliged passage through the massive duty free
The T1 departure lounge was expanded last April, opening large windows on the apron
From 12nd April to 31st August 2023 the seating area would host the Salvator Mundi, by Gian Lorenzo Bernini
This marble statue, dated 1679, usually lies inside San Sebastiano church in Rome
Since my BP didn't show any gate I took a look to the FIDS
My flight would depart from gate A50, located at the far end of pier A31-52
I went upstairs to explore the new food court, equipped with many italian and international food counters
The largest food point in the area is represented by Eataly, which sells any kind of italian specialities
One last pizza before 9 days of French cuisine
Time for some spotting
The pier A31-52 seen from the departure lounge
ITA Airways A320
Two Ryanair Boeing 737s parked at pier A1-10
Eurowings A320 taking off from runway 25
The apron got busier
Ryanair Boeing 737, Wizzair A321neo, ITA Airways A319 in old Alitalia livery and Lufthansa A320
Having some spare time I decided to visit the new eastern departure lounge and the pier A61-83
This part hosts many shops
The apron between piers A31-52 and A61-83 (the newest)
ITA Airways A320neo
Vueling A320neo
The connector bridge is enriched with ancient roman statues
The pier A61-83 still smelled new, having opened in May '22
Stored Alitalia Boeing 777 and A321
The white stored A340 in the background is probably I-TALY, a plane leased from Etihad Airways in 2014-2015 that was supposed to become the Italian State plane
Since schedule boarding time was closed I made my way to gate A50
The gate was being prepared to board
10 minutes after scheduled the gate was opened
The plane had arrived from AMS on time
At the end of the queue an agent checked if the name on the BP was the same on the ID
Once cleared this step it was possible to use the e-Gate
A bit of waiting in the glass jetway
Our today ride:
ITA Airways Airbus A320neo, EI-INB, delivered to Avolon in December '22 (0.7 years old) and leased to ITA since February '23
It's equipped with 180 seats in mixed C-Y configuration
The plane is dedicated 1984-Giro d'Italia's winner Francesco Moser
Mandatory (blue) door shot
Once onboard I gave the Purser the flight report form
He asked me which website I write reviews for and accepted it
I then made my way to my seat, 26F
The cabin looked so new
Legroom was OK
The view from my seat as boarding continued
The plane still carries old A320 safety chart
Moreover they were ruined and dirty
Not a great touch to be 100% honest
Some spotting from the plane
ITA Airways A330 bound to Dehli
British Airways A319
Lufthansa A320 and Wizzair A321neo leaving the apron
Boarding was completed at 15:20, ten minutes after planned departure
Doors were closed and armed minutes after
The crew made a welcome announcement
Flying time would be approximately one hour and 50 minutes and the weather in Paris would have been cloudy/rainy with 17°C
At half part three we left our stand
Mood lighting turned from white to blue
I like the overhead compartments design
More spotting on our way to the runway
Swiss Air A320
Stored Alitalia Boeing 777s
So sad to see those beauties "without wings"
Poste Air Cargo Boeing 737F
Wizzair A320
Lauda Motion A320
As usual in FCO we'd depart from runway 25, pointing Tyrrean sea
I've done this taxiing countless times
32 minutes after scheduled the two Pratt & Whitney PW1000G went full thrust with an enjoyable hiss
Up to the air
Crossing runway 16R-34L
Slightly banking northward as we flyed over the towns of Fregene and Focene
Civitavecchia's harbour with two sea giants and a ferry docked
Following Tyrrean coast we encounter Montalto di Castro power plant
Prior to 1987 it was the building site of two nuclear reactors, but the referendum following Chernobyl's incident dropped the project
Argentario, a renowed holiday resort
Porto Ercole is, along with Porto Santo Stefano, one of the two main towns on Monte Argentario
Orbetello town, connecting Argentario with the mainland
Grosseto, in souther Tuscany
Outside the weather was barely clouded
Follonica, another sea holiday place
Livorno and Rosignano Marittimo
Rosignano Solvay, a planned town built in 1910s to house workers of Solvay's chemical factory
The White Beaches hold this name for the large amount of calcium carbonate wastes released by the chemical plant
Even their tropical appearance they're considered among the most polluted beaches in Europe
Livorno and Pisa
Livorno city with its harbour
Pisa with "Galileo Galilei" Airport
Lucca, famous for its preserved walls built around the city
La Spezia and Massa mark the border between Tuscany (on the right) and Liguria (on the left)
Carrara, famous for its marble quarries
The marble of Carrara has been a protagonist of Italian sculpture and architecture since centuries
La Spezia, in Liguria region
Cinque Terre (Five Lands), a piece of coastline famous for this five towns: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso
Half a hour into the flight service started
Mood lighting turned from blue to orange
A choice of two snacks was available: salty crackers or rice and chocolate biscuits
The snack was accompanied by a selection of cold and hot beverages
I chose biscuits, which were tasty, and a sugar-free coke
As the service was going on the Pursers hand me the flight report form
No detail was missing
As we cut through Liguria's coast more clouds appeared over Northern Italy
Novi Ligure, in Piemonte region
Crossing Po river
Trino Vercellese, which hosted on of the four working nuclear power plants in Italy
Approaching cloud-covered Alps
As I'd later see on FlightRadar we flyed exactly over Mont Blanc summit
Entering Swiss airspace the sky immediately cleared
I took a short nap
Twenty minutes after I woke up over France, painted by a layer of clouds
Minutes before 17 descent was announced by the cabin crew
We expected to land in around 25 minutes, perfectly respecting our schedule
Mood lighting turned white again and the cabin was set for landing
Outside it was partially cloudy
Aligning to runway 26R
We'd land from east
Saint-Soupplets
Juilly
The interchange between N2 and N1104
Last moments on air
At 17:27, seven minutes after scheduled, we touched down at Paris "Charles De Gaulle" Airport
We overflew a lot of runway before putting gears on the ground, resulting in a rough braking
Terminal 2E - Satellite L with an Air France Boeing 777
Terminal 2E with two Air France birds
No need to say who rules here
Crossing runway 08L-26R as an Air Franca A320 departed
Air France Boeing 777 aligning for take-off
CMA CGM Air Cargo Boeing 777F
Air Austral Boeing 777
The Concorde lying in the distance
At this moment a small tear came down my eye…
Royal Air Maroc Boeing 787 Dream)Liner
Air Baltic A220
Taxiing behind another Air France Triple-777
Unfortunately it started to rain, resulting in a big difficulty to take good shots
We blocked at the gate at 17:39, next to an Air France A220
Such a long taxiing
Disembarking through the glass jetway
Our bird parked next to another Air France A220
In a few minutes I reached the baggage reclaim hall
Our baggages would be delivered from belt 27
Minutes after the first luggages emerged from the belt
I got mine less than 20 minutes after getting off the plane
After claiming my baggages I went straight to Paris CDG Station - Terminal 2, perfectly connected through covered walkways
The best way to get to Paris city center is RER B, which takes around 30 minutes to reach Chatelet - Les Halles
From there my house was 10 minutes walking
The ticket to the city center costs 11.45 euros and can be purchased at ticket machines
Stay tuned for the return flight…
I've flown with ITA Airways a few times on domestic legs, this was my first European one and I think the service is in line with other continent's carriers. The general impression is they're trying their best to fix small "issues" or have a better touch on everything
Hope they'll improve more and more
FCO always confirms to be a good airport even if the general feeling is that the personell number is lower than how it should be
By the way the newest parts are great and the food/shopping offer is amazing
CDG is perfectly inside my expectations, the arrival procedure was a breeze and the transportation systems to the city works really well
Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 61 avis concernant 6 compagnies sur la ligne Rome (FCO) → Paris (CDG).
La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est Air France avec 7.5/10.
La durée moyenne des vols est de 2 heures et 6 minutes.
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2 Comments
Love the aerial shots with the place pins! I'm always curious about geography when flying over beautiful landscapes like that.
Thanks so much for sharing! Grazie :-)
I really hope ITA will bring these updates soon on their planes, I think it's a good touch
They're making their best to make everything work, but sometimes the impression is They've to fix some details
But I understand it may be difficult to rethink an entire airline from zero without missing something, at first
Wishing them good look
Regarding the place pins, I got inspired by @GregLYS
I love spotting known places as I flight, but I realized that explaining them just by words may be difficult for people who don't know those spots
A visual aid can be useful
Wish you good flights :) ciao!
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