INTRODUCTION
Hello FlightReporters
On the 13rd July I went to Rome to sign the final papers to buy a house
I decided to get a flat and put it on-rent while living in northern Italy in a house rented by my company
For a lucky coincidence, my uncle turned 60 on the 10th July, meaning I could also attend the party
I got the confirmation from the sellers in the last week of June
Therefore I proceeded immediately to book the flight
Being the party in the Francavilla, the town where we've our house-by-the-sea, the first plan was to land in Pescara-PSR and fly back from Rome-FCO
However, the schedules were not suitable for my needs
I ended up booking these flights
The total amount of 197 euros was lowered thanks to a discount by ITA
Final price was 170 euros
ROUTING
ITA Airways - Milan Linate LIN > Rome Fiumicino FCO - Airbus A319
ITA Airways - Rome Fiumicino FCO > Milan Linate LIN - Airbus A320neo
Some stats:
13rd flight of 2026 (as of July)
Overall great-circle distance flown in 2026 (as of the reported flight): 10.010 km|5.405 nm
15th time on LIN-FCO route
THE FLIGHT
The morning of the flight I checked-in
Unfortunately I was assigned a central seat
I'll give a try at the desk
Late that afternoon I left my home in San Pellegrino around 18
I had booked a different parking from usual, I ended up there almost one hour later
The process was pretty quick, at 19:20 I was left by the shuttle at Milan-Linate Airport
ITA Airways counters were empty
The lady was very kind changing the seat
She told me it was the last window available
I was also invited to check my luggage since the plane was full
After a coffee and a cigarette I made my way to the inspection area
The control was empty, I got airside in four minutes
Gate A19 for me
Some spotting before reaching the gate
Austrian Airlines Embraer and easyJet A320neo
British Airways A319 and Embraer with an Eurowings A320 in the background
The first English bird was bound to London-LHR, the second one to Manchester-MAN
Flying with style
At 19:54, more than one hour before the scheduled flight, my plane landed from Reggio Calabria-REG
A storm was approaching Milan apparently
The gate was ready
My today's plane came out of history
ITA Airways Airbus A319 EI-IMF
First flight on 11st November 2003 (22.7 years old at the moment of the flight)
Delivered to Alitalia the same month and now part of ITA Airways fleet
Equipped with 144 seats in C-Y mixed configuration, it still carries the last Alitalia's livery
It's dedicated to Isole Tremiti, an archipelago in front of Apulia's coast
According to PlaneSpotters, it's the last plane carrying Alitalia's livery
Docking one hour before the scheduled departure of my flight
Disembark from the previous flight was very quick
Boarding operations started 20 minutes after
Sitting next to an Air France A220
The plane was definitely showing its age
Legroom was a bit tighter than newer AZ's fleet
Doors were closed ten minutes before departure
Moments after we left the stand
I cannot describe how much the plane was barking…
A Piper PA-42 Cheyenne was laying on the apron
Meanwhile, the A319 to the British capital was taxiing too
Lowered lights for take-off
Reaching the runway in a bunch of minutes
At 21:04, just four minutes on delay, the engines
Milan downtown in the background
Banking southward
While climbing the crew announced an upcoming turbulence
We spent almost 10 minutes passing through a thick layer of clouds
Some thunders were also visible
A bit impressing, but not scary for me
After the turbulence a drink service was delivered
I got a sugar-free coke
Clouds getting lighter and lighter as we proceeded southward
Half a hour into the flight the cabin was prepared for landing
The sky turned darker as we approached the Roman airspace
City lights were visible in the distance
At 21:49, twenty-one minutes in advance, we roughly touched down at Rome-Fiumicino "Leonardo da Vinci" Airport
Quite a Ryanair-style landing tbh…
While approaching our stand, I spotted Aeroitalia Boeing 737 carrying "McDonald's World Menu Heist" livery
Blocking minutes before 22
I felt lucky disembarking by stairs
Considering how unlikely I'll fly again on this plane in the next months, I took the moment as a farewell to Alitalia
The bus unload us at the terminal at 22:16
As I got at the belt, the scheduled delivery time was 22:29
At 22:28, it switched to 22:39
At 22:38, it switched again to 22:49
Meanwhile, a couple of agents started checking some technical stuff, one of them also entered inside the conveyor…
Finally, at 22:49, my bag appeared on the belt
One hour after putting the wheels on the runway
Pretty shameful for a 45-minute flight…
I got outside the terminal, where my dad was waiting for me
Since the kiss&ride allows 15 minutes, he had to "revolve" around the airport roadways four times…
Considering we had to show at my uncle's party in Francavilla the day after, we immediately drove to there
The 180-km ride took almost two hours, we arrived at the house at 1:15
Stay tuned for the return!
