Hello from Cairo! Im now well into my quick detour to Africa, and flew ITA Airways Airbus A321neo business class on the 2hr50min flight from Rome (FCO) to Cairo (CAI). Honestly, I’m kind of speechless about this flight, and this might rank in my top five flights ever, in terms of having my expectations exceeded.
Continue reading: ITA Airways A321neo Business Class: ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Would Turkish be your third best airline?! If ITA could have lie-flat beds on a narrow-body, I'm sure Turkish could do the same, no?
I can't believe this is real. I flew this exact route on a regular ITA's A320 last year and food was nowhere near what I'm seeing here. Does their food offering change with the aircraft they use?
Stunning for this level and duration of a flight. 170 minutes and the United States can't compete with this level of catering with even higher wages. Mind boggling.
Wow, a full course meal on a short haul flight??? With a flat bed??? That beats any other carriers around the world, not even some Middle Eastern airlines can beat that!
@ Tevi — I flew the same route last year, and as you mention, it was a totally different experience on the A320. Ever since the airline took delivery of A321neos, it also improved the soft product as it looks to grow in the Middle East and Africa. Frankly this almost seems too good to last on the Cairo flight, given the weak product that much of the competition offers, plus the low fares.
@ Mike O. — It sure would be nice! Turkish does have a lot of narrow body planes on order, so hopefully the airline introduces a subfleet with flat beds, as the planes increasingly fly longer distances.
While this is clearly a great product, perhaps it's an example of why ITA had to be sold-off. Maybe it isn't the smartest business move. It seems to be nicer than what any of the US-flagged airlines offer on their transcontinental flights between New York and Los Angeles or San Francisco. Certainly, it's way, way better than Delta One domestic. It might even be better than Delta One international.
How much was the airfare? I imagine at least 500 euros. I wonder who is flying Cairo to Rome in business. The premium-economy looks more than adequate for that route.
I really hope the LH takeover of ITA does not fall through, ITA is one of the few reasons I fly SkyTeam.
It seems ITA upgraded the Cairo route to basically be on par with long haul service levels. That makes them one of the only European airlines offering lie flat seats to Cairo in premium cabins (with the other being Air France as they fly A350/787s to CAI). However, AF charges a premium, while ITA Business Class is typically one of the cheapest options to/from CAI in J (at least to Europe and North America).
I can't imagine that will stick around once LH starts managing things at ITA. I also flew this route 10 months ago and the hard and soft product was the same as an intra-Europe flight.
Yes, PE is more than adequate on that route. However, ITA seems to charge just a little more for J compared to PE, to the point it becomes a no-brainer to upgrade to J if only flying between CAI and Europe. For example, CAI-FCO is $331 in PE, and $389 in J. I've seen price differences as low as $7 between these two cabins on this route since ITA started flying their A321neo to CAI.
Also, most of the people flying J and PE on this route are connecting to ITA's long-haul flights (mostly to North America, some to Asia). As a result, that cabin allows for the airline to offer a similar premium experience on all of their passengers flights who book these itineraries. That gives them a leg up compared to most of their competitors, as most European airlines offer their intra-Europe aircraft and soft product to CAI (the only exception currently is Air France, they fly A350s and occasional 787s to CAI). For someone comparing flight options between CAI and North America, ITA would be the most competitive because they offer a consistent premium experience throughout the journey, and their price point is on the lower end for these itineraries (unlike AF).
$389 is a bargain. I would have expected at least 500 euros. Who in Cairo is flying business-class to Asia or North America? Egypt' economy is a mess. Even tourism has struggled for years.
Are you listening, Lufthansa?
It really isn’t that hard in terms of a vision, cost, seat sourcing, catering and appropriately chosen, trained and supervised staff to make for delighted customers.
You are falling far behind.
It's typically $489 USD if flying from Rome to Cairo one-way in J, and in the 500s from Spain, and about $600 USD from Paris to Cairo on ITA. The prices are much cheaper when originating in Cairo. And sorry for the price points being in USD, I typically use Google Flights and living in the US, it's easier to see the prices in the currency I know most.
Flew AA from Belize to Miami in J months ago. All we received were drinks and that ridiculous snack basket. Flight left Belize mid afternoon and its length was around 2:30 hours. There was no turbulence.
Actually the ITA last year managed a small profit for the first time which is why it was rather attractive for a takeover. A lot less staff than previously Alitalia and especially a lower cost base.
I truly hope Carsten Spohr will try leave as much untouched or hopefully he won’t last long at LH group.
Damn! I flew ITA last week FCO > CDG and it was listed as this exact aircraft until about 16 hours prior to departure. And I bid for a J upgrade. Our equipment swap delivered a lovely old and worn out A320... almost as ratty as the old BA ones, gawd! Super tight seating, uncomfortable seat cushions, aggressive & rowdy pax, dismissive crew and the list goes on. I love flying but this is one of those flights I hated. My spouse is cabin crew and he agreed with me. Unfortunately this was my first ITA flight ever. Actually, I much prefer Aegean J class for short hauls.
Well, sour grapes from me but this does, indeed, look like a great flight. You win some, you lose some ♂️
Great review and delicious-looking menu choices.
Only suggestion: When in Italy, don't order any cappuccino or other coffee with milk except in the morning. Otherwise, you will be considered an uncultured American.
ITA's premium economy on A321neos is what Qantas calls business class on their A321XLR.
This is way better than domestic "first class" in the US. Transcons and Hawaii flights are often twice as long and those recliners do not cut it.
1. Nobody cares John.
2. Lucky already knows about this dumb “rule” you probably learned on IG or TikTok.
3. I’ll drink what I want to drink in Italy when I want to drink it, and who cares what some barista thinks.
4. “Uncultured” is incredibly xenophobic and otherizing of white Americans. Do better.
This seems nice, also their lounge in Rome has nice cocktails... but unfortunately ITA is not profitable by design, so hardly an example to follow... when you think about it your flight was subsidized by the italian taxpayers. This money could have helped the people in a much better way.
The interior looks high end Italian designed, but doubt it will age well. All the white used will get dirty and worn quickly. Let's see the interior in a few years. Any new plane interior is going to look great.
@Sel, D.
3. I’ll drink what I want to drink in Italy when I want to drink it, and who cares what some barista thinks.</blockquote<
That was the most American response I could ever imagine.
There's a reason why is America a sh*thole.
This is the only acceptable narrowbody longhaul business seat so far.
What ConcordeKid and MortalSynn endorse as a superior product to A350 business class is just a crap.
Herringbone seat in 2024 is innovative? Even forward-facing seats on TK A330s are better.
Good job ITA, and shame on Iberia.
Wow, finally! I wish all flights longer than three hours would have such seats, in Europe and in the US.
Turkish airlines sometimes flies wide-body aircraft on short-haul flights within Europe, but this narrow-body plane really makes a difference.
I don't think there is any chance within LH group to introduce something like this, unfortunately 🙁
We TOOK ITA from Toronto to Rome. Excellent service, great food, friendly staff.
Are there multiple versions of ita 321neo? Ie could you get a less desirable product than this review of a321neo?
I wonder why service is so much better now if many of the staff are ex Alitalia. Did ITA just keep the best of the Alitalia work force?
Bravo. It looks very nice, however a cappuccino after pasta, goulash and cheese ! Che schifo
The amount of effort to share your disdain is proportional to your anger management... I presume this response saved the dog from being kicked.
Pompous a*holes making a statement like this are the very reason I'm embarrassed for Americans when they leave their homes.
I just flew ITA buisness class to Rome. Service was slow, flight attendents not as warm and fuzzy as other buisness class airlines I have been on and food was not great. Simply, not absolutely amazing!
ITA has found an answer to Italy’s supposed inferior southern geography for medium haul flights. Give them an incredible business product to compete with Gulf and African carriers. Go ITA!
Regarding herringbone versus reverse herringbone, I understand reverse herringbone faces the window, but isn’t your head so far from the window that it’s hard to get good views?
Seems like herringbone is better for views. Yes you’re facing away from the window, but at least you’re next to the cabin wall.
Think which would be easier if you wanted to take a photo out the window. Turning your head or leaning up towards your feet.
It's a DieTeam airline on an Airpus. Someone slipped Ben some hallucinogens in the pre-flight beverage.
I am not American scum. I don't consume IG, TikTok, or podcasts.
Your reply confirms all of European's stereotypes.
Unfortunately, executives that are not visionary and customer-focused will never be able to balance these things. They only know how to lead via P&L and benchmark costs across their various brands to hit whatever metrics they need from a shareholder perspective.
This leads to an oversimplified mentality where they just look at line items like catering - say it's too expensive, and then independently gut that spend line without much thought to the 'intangible' brand impact.
Now, I will say you can cut costs to a certain level and still maintain bookings given overall network, alliance loyalty, etc. but I don't think most executives like this ever look too much into the balance or tradeoffs between destroying brand premium and the impact on booking behavior. I suspect in some cases it's very much not worth the tradeoff (people will book a sub-par product) but in some cases it does make a difference.
great for single travellers but I wouldn't take my family on business class here. For a family with kids travelling in business this configuration is not ideal. I prefer a business class which combines business friendly seats for families and seats in a 1-1 configuration for individuals travelling alone.
You realize that ITA is slated to join your beloved Star Alliance, yet here you are trashing them because you are unable to objectively analyze anything.
Ben,
Do you think ITA makes a profit per business class seat on that flight? I'm just wondering if companies level-down their soft product to save money, or do you think catering doesn't really affect business class bottom line?
What a refreshingly positive review, Ben! I do love how effusive you are with praise wherever it is deserved. There is a certain child like excitement that one feels when they read a review written like this. I'm now committed to fly ITA whenever I get a chance and I'm sure you'll deserve all my gratitude for a wonderful experience!
All right, booked!
That was a more than convincing review and the enthusiasm and excitement convinced me to try this for an upcoming trip to the sand box. Thanks for 'sacrificing' yourself by testing flights like this. 😉
Just flew this plane RUH to FCO.
Amazing staff
Front row Biz seats are absolutely vast. Felt like a Qatar Qsuite but nicer colors and a great leather smell.
The seat did feel extremely hard to sleep on however.
A fantastic place to be awake for 8 hours . They need to use better bedding
Italy does not have an inferior Southern geography. Milan is in Central Europe and way better located than Zurich, London, or Paris. Certainly better than Madrid, London, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam. I don't even count Athens.
Milan is a much better fit than Rome. Milan is Europe's third "icon" city after London and Paris. Also, ITA lost all of the charm and elegance of the Alitalia brand.
Is FCo cairo business class AZ896 seats is a flat bed ?az896 i has a flat bed in the business class