Alitalia Shutting Down Tomorrow? (UPDATED)

[Matt Molnar]

AFP:

Alitalia 'can guarantee no flights after Sunday'
Sep 13 10:17 AM US/Eastern

Failing Italian airline Alitalia cannot guarantee any flights after Sunday because of lack of fuel, unions quoted special administrator Augusto Fantozzi as saying Saturday.

"Up to tomorrow (Sunday) we have guaranteed flights, but not on Monday because no-one will supply us with kerosene," Fantozzi reportedly said after summoning the nine unions for last-ditch talks to save the airline.

He also warned that with no agreement he would be obliged to start the procedure for dismissing the crews of aircraft currently not being used by the company.

Investors who were prepared to put up one billion euros (1.4 billion dollars) to rescue Alitalia said Friday they were pulling out of negotiations, blaming union intransigence. [Article]

[T-Bird76]

Wow good god....this really could be it for AZ. I guess pigs do fly. Vin is over there now and flew AZ. Saw this cool AZ marble sidewalk Ad when I was in Venice. I hope they continue to fly but this might be it.

[SengaB]

Wow I am glad I went out for the AZA MD-11 Cargo in (New Colors) last week.




Senga

[Matt Molnar]

It sounds like the unions are completely out of their minds, unwilling to accept any concessions despite the airline being on its last legs and that is why the takeover talks failed. The pilots union, for example, is unwilling to increase the number of hours they work despite having perhaps the most lucrative contract in the industry...their pilots work an average of 500 hours a year, which is 100 less than most other major European carriers like Lufthansa.

[Jetinder]

Senga

Thats a brilliant photo of a DC10 with "steam off wings" .......i bet when Concorde had been take off the same run way people in New York must have got a lot of stunning photos.

At Heathrow it wasn't that easy to get photos as good as yours.

The pilots union, for example, is unwilling to increase the number of hours they work despite having perhaps the most lucrative contract in the industry...their pilots work an average of 500 hours a year, which is 100 less than most other major European carriers like Lufthansa.

Those guys are idiots, they need to compromise to keep their jobs....... if they don't then they are kicking them selfs in the nuts and they will loose out big time.

Isn't the Italian government bank rolling the airline ?

[T-Bird76]

Senga

Thats a brilliant photo of a DC10 with "steam off wings" .......i bet when Concorde had been take off the same run way people in New York must have got a lot of stunning photos.

At Heathrow it wasn't that easy to get photos as good as yours.

The pilots union, for example, is unwilling to increase the number of hours they work despite having perhaps the most lucrative contract in the industry...their pilots work an average of 500 hours a year, which is 100 less than most other major European carriers like Lufthansa.

Those guys are idiots, they need to compromise to keep their jobs....... if they don't then they are kicking them selfs in the nuts and they will loose out big time.

Isn't the Italian government bank rolling the airline ?

That's not a DC-10, its an MD-11.

[Midnight Mike]

Senga

Thats a brilliant photo of a DC10 with "steam off wings" .......i bet when Concorde had been take off the same run way people in New York must have got a lot of stunning photos.

MD11 has winglets, DC10 does not

[Derf]

the question is...if an MD-11 has and a DC-10 has not....what does an MD-10 have?

[moose135]

the question is...if an MD-11 has and a DC-10 has not....what does an MD-10 have?

An MD-10 has not...it's a DC-10 with the 2-person MD-11 cockpit.

[wunaladreamin]

And the saga continues.

[kc2aqg]

Ah crap, and I booked DL Codeshared Alitalia flights for two weeks from now, JFK-FCO roundtrip on the 777. Think they'll still be flying in 2 weeks?

I hope Vinny can get home, that would be the worst to be stranded...

[Matt Molnar]

Ah crap, and I booked DL Codeshared Alitalia flights for two weeks from now, JFK-FCO roundtrip on the 777. Think they'll still be flying in 2 weeks?

Hard to say. Italy's aviation authority is threatening to revoke their operating certificate if they begin canceling flights due to their fuel supply problems, so even if they technically can keep operating JFK-FCO, they may not be legally able to do so.

[Art at ISP]

Does anyone have any updated information on the Alitalia situation? We have a cousin who is headed to Rome the same day my wife and her other cousins come back on AA. She is on AZ and is worried.

Thanks.

[Art at ISP]

No news???? Anyone????

[Matt Molnar]

40 flights were canceled today when one of the smaller unions staged a 4 hour strike.

More drama: Italian police raided Alitalia's Rome headquarters this morning and left with about 10 years of financial documents.

On the union negotiations front, the largest union has agreed to a deal, but talks with the smaller and more militant pilot and cabin crew unions seem to be barely getting off the ground.