Review of ITA Airways flight from Rome to Los Angeles in Business

Hello everyone

Up at 5:30 a.m., just like the sun.

We'll just take our showers, breakfast will be in the lounge

After our 2 pre-routing flights, we're in the thick of things: our flight to LAX, and the discovery of Business at ITA on the A350.

It seems to me that this is the first report on this aircraft and this route on ITA.

To understand the genesis of this routing, I suggest you take a look at the first flight.

I had booked the hotel shuttle at 6.20 a.m. for 18€.

Departure from the hotel almost on time

Traffic flowed smoothly all the way to the terminal, where complete anarchy reigned. Even cabs made customers get out on the taxiway, resulting in a single queue, so we were well on schedule.

FCO

Having seen at the ITA show in January that flights to the USA depart from Terminal 3, I told the driver to stop at Terminal 3.

We already had our boarding passes and nothing to add in the hold (we were allowed 272 kilos of baggage in the hold, far too much for a week).
We headed for the fast track and were kindly told that flights to the USA were in terminal 1 for ITA flights.

Less than 10 minutes later we arrived at terminal 1,

once again we're turned away with a smile

the passage for USA flights is indeed in terminal 1, but below the giant FIDS on the right.

We found it

No fast track, but no waiting either, as we passed through the gantry, I was randomly selected for an explosives search, then a few moments later it was my daughter's orange suitcase that suffered the same fate.

As we don't have SSSS clearance, we're spared a thorough baggage check.

We then cross Terminal 1 to the PAF checkpoint.

Less than a minute's wait, like yesterday many PARAFEs available and several counters open for those not eligible, again a short walk through the luxury boutiques

THE ITA SHOW

to reach the ITA lounge, which left us with fond memories of our visit in January.

No waiting to get in

The lounge is practically empty at this early hour

The breakfast menu is quite extensive, so there should be something for everyone

Cold offer

Hot offerings

The only self-service drinks

My first selection

What a disappointment, it's too sweet and even dry

My second selection

Nothing to say, the eggs are cooked just right, and the potatoes with onions are succulent. I'll have a second helping, with a fried egg, a real treat.

The little one enjoys a selection of fruit and yoghurt

the lounge fills up very quickly

Still the same negative point for drinks, apart from water, which is available under the buffet.

Whether for soft drinks, spirits or hot beverages (NB: a coffee machine is available in one part of the lounge) YOU MUST GO TO THE BAR; at 7 a.m. the wait is short, but then a queue quickly forms.

A PAX in front of me asked for a whisky, then a double shot, I watched him leave with his glass, he downed it in 2 gulps without even sitting down at a table…

Part of the ofrre Glou-Glou

At the Imbarco display we leave the salon for our door

Madame cheats, they take the traveltor

I've enjoyed artworks at this airport before, but this one just doesn't do it for me…

boarding

A queue forms in front of the gates

but the priority queue means no waiting

More random cabin baggage checks

While I'm taking photos, Madame gets a head start, so don't worry, I'm the one with the tickets.

Our steed from different angles

it's recent, less than 2 years old

It's come a long way in the last few hours

Two gangways, but the first one is condemned, strange (I think we were the last PAX Business to board, maybe that's why).

Fuselage shot

Instant PS and door

View of the Trent, which looks a little fragile (at least in the sandy areas).

OUR PLANE

Photo of the cabin (100% full in Business)

Welcome message

My baggage compartment, with an oxygen reserve?

Blanket, pillow and comfort kit are already available, as are menus.

Discover the seat

Storage galore

With all the connectivity

tablet

A comfortable seat

Discovering the comfort kit

what a choice!

A glass of champagne before take-off, sorry the jet-bridge hides the light
To all Fristes

Jet-bridge unhooked on time

Push with 15 minutes delay

A neighbor returning to Canada

THE MENU

Reading the menu, the order will be taken on paper before take-off

And the snack offer

The drinks

Let the wine list be judged by connoisseurs (part of the list, otherwise I'll exceed the limit of 150 photos)

THE FLIGHT

The video for the safety instructions is very nice, and humorous, with Olympic champions (Italians) taking part in the various scenes (Only one photo, still within the 150 photo limit).

Here are the safety instructions

Mood light green for rolling

The IFE is a good size, with less glare than we find in other companies.

On the other hand, the choice of language is rather limited.

No Bluetooth connection available.

Long taxi to the runway

Just in case, reminder of the frequency to reach TWR

One of the family at takeoff

We arrive at the 16R threshold, but will have to let some landing aircraft pass before lining up and launching for take-off

we're being followed

Flight following awaiting departure

Launching the Trents

Takeoff at terminal level, which seemed less swift than on my last A350 flights (we're taking on a lot of kerosene for a 12-hour flight plus reserve).

We soon found ourselves over the sea again, and turned north-west.

before heading further north again, back on dry land.

The route we took was not the one we had planned, as we were to fly over France

so we turned further north

This is our new route, over Germany and the Netherlands

After a 40-minute flight distributing lukewarm Oshibori

THE FIRST SERVICE

A few minutes later the aperitif is served, I had chosen a mimosa
We fly over Germany

As we clear the table, I ask for the same thing again: I'll be served within 5 minutes.

Light cloud cover

We're still flying over Germany

When the starter was served (plate service), the ham and bread was delicious, the pear accompaniment was original, but went well together.

The first course was served around midday, spinach rice with salmon, which was decent, but the salmon was a little dry, and the portion was small (well, you've got to put it into perspective, there's a second course behind it).

My second course was beef, served with pea purée and spinach (that's a lot of spinach for me).

Of course it wasn't a piece of beef, but stewed beef, it was good, and the pea purée was a nice surprise.

I skipped the cheese and went straight to the fruit.

They were better than they looked (canned pineapple).

The end of the meal before reaching the UK

So far, the flight had gone pretty well, but we were asked to close the windows and the lights were turned off, and then no more service.

I made my way to the galley and started to get told off by the purser because I wanted to take a photo of a galley screen.

I explained to her how I felt about the absence of service for nearly 5 hours, and Emilio, a French-speaking steward, explained that most of the cabin crew had gone to rest, so if you needed anything, just call.

A few minutes later I receive a glass of still water, whereas I'd asked for sparkling water, mini-sandwiches and a few sweets.
I prefer the snacks available at Air France

I managed to get cashew nuts served again with a Coke.

As the cabin is still in night mode, no service is offered spontaneously.

I checked, it's daylight outside

The little one is wide awake and comfortable.

DISCOVERING THE ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM

No Bluetooth connection available

The choice of films is more limited, both in terms of new releases and back catalog, and it's not possible to select films by language (a large part of the catalog is available in French).

For children, the choice is even more limited, which is a real shame for such a long flight.
No photo for this Item (limit exceeded)

As for the music, there's practically nothing,

I browsed the disco item (5 different playlists) and 80% of the catalog is second-rate (in another life, I was a DJ and would have emptied the dance floor by playing this type of track).

Flight tracking doesn't offer as much information as some systems, but it works fine

dual screen possible

Made in China headphones are low-end, I much prefer my Bose headphones

WIFI is available

1h30 before landing, the lights are turned back on and a snack is distributed.

Pretty decent, but the pizza slice is a bit small to feed your man, so I'll have no problem getting a second slice.

We're back to the service we had at the beginning of the flight, where you're offered drinks or sweets. I'll ask for some dark chocolate, which is really excellent.

cloud cover

Change of course with one hour to go

We'll be passing over Las Vegas, so I won't be on the right side to take photos

No regrets it's cloudy

it worked well

the desert

Then snow-capped peaks in early May, 20 minutes from Los Angeles!

Lake levels are good

We're approaching this sprawling city

Soft landing at 13:17 local time on runway 25L

We'll go to the end of the runway, I think

We pass the cargo area

an array of 747s

Less common airlines in our neck of the woods

Our neighbor

LAX

A single gangway for the exit, being at the back of the Business, we'll be the first out.

Having in the past wasted a lot of time going through immigration, thanks to Valérie's advice, I had installed the MPC application and pre-filled our files before finalizing them as we taxied to our gate.

when we arrived in the hall, hardly anyone was there, and the agent directed us to the classic passageway. In less than 5 minutes, we were at the baggage carousel, where all our baggage was delivered in the first baggage carousel (including the stroller).

I found a baggage cart very easily, without having to pay a single dollar.

Less than an hour after touching down on the tarmac, we were on the shuttle to the hotel.

A pleasant surprise when I checked my Air France account: I already had the miles and XP credited to my account for the previous day's ITA flight.

in the lobby of our hotel, surprising to find a Concorde model here