Review: ITA A330-200 Business Class Rome (FCO)-New York (JFK)
Intro
Well well, following a lovely time touring around Asia and a quick stopover in Cairo and Rome, it was time to get my skates on and head back to the USA. I was especially excited to be flying with ITA on their long-haul business class product, as it's a relatively new airline that has a lot to prove and that I have heard so much about. The A330-200 we would be on today was truly an ex-Alitalia aircraft with the interior barely changing. However, the soft product definitely did!
All in all, I have to say that this flight was just in line with the previous flight on the A321neo. Considering that I rank Thai Airways as my number one airline in the world, and the hard product was the same as the TG A350, there are no complaints on that front. The food was divine, as expected, the wines were scintillating, and the service was a bit of a step up over the previous flight. However, the cabin was showing age on these older birds, and the crew still left a bit to be desired. Let's get into it!
Route-Rome-New York (JFK)
Seat- 5J
Flight Number- AZ608
Aircraft- Airbus A330-200
Date- January 25th 2024
Flight Time: 10 Hours 2 Minutes
Check-In
Rome airport is a bit of a pain to get to compared to certain other airports I have visited in Europe. An Uber runs for about 50 euros, which is steep and takes around 35 minutes on a good day.
However, once I arrived, I realized that my boarding pass had already been issued for this flight in Cairo, and my bags had been checked in. I honestly forgot for a minute, so off I went towards the designated US flight departures.
It was a long walk over to the E gates, which is where the US flights depart from. However, once I arrived, I was greeted with some delicious pancakes inside the ITA Flagship Lounge!
Boarding
Boarding commenced a couple of minutes behind schedule, but I was thinking no worries since ITA boards their planes quite early. Well, the whole of group 1 was called, but we ended up sitting on the jetbridge for about 15 minutes...
There are certainly worse views to have.
Eventually, though, we ended up being allowed on the plane through door 2L as I made my way to my seat, 5J, for this decently long leg over to New York.
Interestingly, there was no big welcome onboard, just a flight attendant verifying boarding passes and pointing in which direction to go...
The Seat/Cabin
This cabin might look familiar to Avgeeks, as they have been around for a decent minute. The Business Class cabin is laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration, with rows 2 and 4 having so-called "more private seats" as they are closer to the window.
My seat was 5J, a window seat in the last row of the cabin on the right-hand side. Unfortunately, when I went to book this ticket, the only 4 seats that were sold were the "more private seats." Just my luck, huh?
The footwell was decently large but definitely deep. The tray table is my favorite business class-designed tray table as it doesn't occupy any personal space, and the seat controls are easy to use.
Yes, everything is old, I understand. However, it was uniquely charming in its own way. 5J also happens to be a crew rest seat, which we will explore later. Party time, woohoo.
Amenities/IFE
An area where I will give big props to ITA is their amenity kits. It's not just one amenity kit, but it's two parts that will keep you feeling fresh all flight.
Additionally, passengers in business class receive adequate bedding featuring a pillow and a blanket. Not horrible, but there are certainly much better in the sky. Slippers were provided, although also not of the utmost quality.
Ahh, the IFE... The options were decent, but the screen felt a tad unresponsive to me. Compared to the likes of the highest quality of definition found on their A350s and A330-900s, this obviously is the worst long-haul product. Unfortunately, they have only swapped the JFK route to a 339 as of last month.
Passengers seated in Wifi are provided a 50mb voucher for wifi. The though is generous, but I am not quite sure what I am going to do with 50mb. Guess it could be good when texting the person picking you up when you are nearing descent or something.
Departure
The cabin crew came around during boarding to take our meal orders. However, it was another "for you," which is what I am coming to expect more from European carriers as an American (kind of) now.
Additionally, a pre-departure beverage was offered, and I chose a glass of Ferrari.
The captain came on to announce our flight time of 9 hours and 30 minutes over to New York (I always forget how much longer Rome is than London), and moments later, we pushed back a minute ahead of schedule.
We taxied by a couple of 339s, which I oh so wish I was on at that moment, as well as a Delta A330.
It was a short taxi out to the runway, and we were airborne by 10:38 am with some beautiful views over Italy.
I mean... wow.
Meal Service
The first main event of a transatlantic flight is the meal service and boy; I was excited looking at this menu! The way ITA does its meal service is a bit different, with an appetizer, first course, second course, and a dessert. My advice: come hungry for this flight!
The pace of the service was relatively leisurely, as I only received my first drink about 50 minutes after takeoff. Considering the length of this flight and the timing, I don't mind, but if it was a red-eye in the opposite direction, a 2.5-hour meal service isn't suitable. Also... Aperol Spritz on a plane?!! Uh, yes, please!
About an hour and 15 minutes after takeoff, placemats were set. 15 minutes later, the first course came out. I decided on the Ravioli as it sounded absolutely divine. Needless to say, this was some of the best pasta I've had on a plane. Keep in mind "on a plane".
Sparkling water and a lovely glass of red made for a perfect way to sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight.
Almost a full 2 hours after takeoff, my second course was presented. I am a massive veal enthusiast and, therefore, had to go with the Veal Hock. Another fantastic dish with a tender and juicy cut of meat. My wine and sparkling water were kept topped off constantly.
To finish off the meal, I decided to end it on a high note with Limoncello and the dark chocolate thingy, haha. For those wondering what it actually is, the dessert was the Bavarian Creme.
Nap Time
By the time the first meal service was wrapped up, there were about 6.5 hours over to New York. I decided that this was the perfect time to test out the bed and have a quick nap and food coma things😅.
The bed was comfortable, but if it hadn't been for using the curtains, it wouldn't have been very private. I have to say, though, that the hard product on almost every other aircraft in their fleet is superior to this one, so I am sure we will see the A330-200s faze out.
For about 4 hours, I managed to get a decent rest. However, seeing as this flight had been exceptional food-wise, I grunted my way out of my slumber to attend the second meal service.
Second Meal Service
I pondered as to whether I could try the cheese plate right before the second meal service, and the crew obliged. While the cheese plate was delicious and well presented, the pizza and cappuccino were the highlight. Like I said, come hungry when flying with ITA Airways. The pizza is the best I have had on a plane****.
Bathrooms
Just a small note to add on, but I went over to the front bathroom by the cockpit to change my clothes and found it to be, quite frankly, falling apart. There was ITA tape trying to attach certain parts to other parts. Not the end of the world, but also not the most premium detail.
Arrival
Due to some unfavorable headwinds, we ended up touching down in New York slightly behind schedule, making the block time north of 10 hours. The crew came around to say thank you for flying with ITA, and we were on the ground by 2:28 pm EST.
Another gloomy, cold, winter day in New York.
Immigration was suprinsigly efficient at this hour, and my bags were out within 25 minutes of deplaning. Considering I don't expect much out of Terminal 1 at JFK, this was impressive.
Minutes later, I was in a taxi and on the way to the bus stop🙂.
Final Thoughts
Gosh, reading back over this report has me determined to fly ITA on their brand-new A330-900. The food that ITA offered on this flight was top-tier; considering I love Italian food, this might have helped. However, the wine list is extensive, including aperol spritz and limoncello. Sign me up! The Veal, pasta, cheese plate, and pizza were all delicious and unique to the airline. I enjoy it when airlines don't take a Western stance on food (like AM using American food instead of...).
However, I will say that this specific aircraft is hard product-wise; I would certainly avoid it if you had the option of choosing the new A339s or A350s. It's not bad, but it's certainly seen better days. Also, just keep in mind that it's not just the seats; having the toilets held together through tape isn't the most premium outlook. All in all, a solid flight!
Meal Service | 10/10 |
IFE | 8/10 |
Seat | 7/10 |
Lounge | 7/10 |
Overall Service | 7/10 |
Total | 39/50 |
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