Review: ITA Airways Business Class Airbus A320neo (CDG-FCO)

For the next segment of my quick trip to Paris and Cairo, I flew ITA Airways’ Airbus A320neo business class on the short 95-minute early morning flight from Paris (CDG) to Rome (FCO). I’m a huge fan of ITA Airways, and have had incredible experiences on the carrier’s long haul aircraft, including on the Airbus A350-900 and Airbus A330-900neo.

So I was curious to see what the short haul product would be like. Well, I have to say, it was a mixed bag. There were things I really liked, like the super friendly crew. However, for a new jet, I was surprised by the lack of Wi-Fi and power outlets, and also thought the food could’ve been better… especially for an airline from Italy!

How I booked my ITA Airways business class ticket

I booked a ticket on ITA Airways from Paris to Rome to Cairo in business class, and paid with cash. Specifically, I booked the following for $907.09 (and then I also paid an extra $107 to assign the front row business class seat on the connecting flight):

11/10 AZ317 Paris to Rome departing 6:10AM arriving 8:10AM
11/10 AZ896 Rome to Cairo departing 12:40PM arriving 4:55PM

I actually paid more for this ticket than I had to, as there was a less flexible ticket that would’ve been $200 cheaper. The reason I booked this is because there was an Amex Offers deal for 17,500 bonus Membership Rewards points when spending $1,000 with the airline, and this ticket plus the seat assignment fee triggered that.

I credited this itinerary to Air France-KLM Flying Blue, and it helped me qualify for Platinum status (though ITA Airways is now leaving SkyTeam and joining Star Alliance).

ITA Airways business class lounge & boarding

I had spent the night at the Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, given my 6:10AM flight departure. My ITA Airways flight was departing from Terminal 2D, and I arrived there around 5AM. I had already checked in online, and security was super quick, and took just five minutes.

Ordinarily, ITA Airways business class passengers would get access to the Extime Lounge. However, unfortunately the lounge only opens at 6AM, so it was of no use to me for this flight. So I headed straight to the gate — my flight was departing from D50, with boarding scheduled for 5:30AM, 40 minutes before departure.

Sure enough, boarding started right on schedule. Italians give Americans a run for their money when it comes to crowding the gate area and turning boarding chaos into a sport, though the gate agents did a good job of enforcing the boarding order.

ITA Airways A320neo business class cabin & seats

At the door, I was greeted by the super friendly crew. It took my eyes a second to adjust, because the mood lighting in the cabin was extreme (so my apologies for the pictures, because the lighting made it hard to photograph).

The aircraft I was flying was a less than two-year-old Airbus A320neo with the registration code EI-INA. The plane is configured with 180 seats, spread across 30 rows, in a 3-3 configuration.

As is standard on intra-Europe flights, the size of the business class cabin be adjusted with each flight, simply by moving the curtain forward or back. Business class consists of economy seats with blocked middles and more service. On this flight, there were a total of four rows of business class, and only four passengers in the cabin.

Legroom was not great, but also not the worst I’ve had. I’d estimate pitch was somewhere around 30″. I assigned myself seat 4A, the window seat on the left side in the last row of business class.

The seats were as basic as they come — the tray tables were even a bit smaller than you’ll find on other airlines.

To my surprise, there were no power ports. You’d think the airline would be installing those on newly delivered jets, so I wonder what exactly happened there? Does this have something to do with ITA Airways having partly picked up jets intended for other airlines, or…?

On the plus side, I was happy to see that the overhead consoles had individual air nozzles, in addition to reading lights.

I also appreciated that the plane had the new larger Airbus overhead bins, so that all luggage could easily be accommodated (then again, that’s not as much of an issue in Europe as in the United States).

So yeah, intra-Europe business class is rarely much to get excited about, but this felt especially bare bones, given that this was basically a new jet.

ITA Airways A320neo business class entertainment & Wi-Fi

I was expecting this ITA Airways A320neo to have Wi-Fi, but it wasn’t actually available. Interestingly, there was a “Cabin-Wifi” network, but it didn’t connect, and the crew said the plane didn’t have Wi-Fi. There was no streaming entertainment either.

Suffice it to say that the tech on this plane wasn’t great, between the lack of power ports and lack of Wi-Fi. Of course that’s not a huge issue for such a short flight, but still, it’s increasingly an area where airlines are competing.

ITA Airways A320neo departure from Paris

As boarding wrapped up, the lead flight attendant came around to offer pre-departure drinks, with the choice of water or orange juice. I chose the former, which was promptly served, with a cup. As he served me (and others) a drink, he introduced himself by name, and said “if you need anything during the flight, I’m here for you.” Very impressive on both fronts! Personal introductions and pre-departure drinks are rare on regional flights within Europe.

At 6AM the main cabin door closed, so it looked like we were ready for an early departure. However, a few minutes later, the captain was on the PA to announce a delay. He explained that due to weather, we’d have a departure delay, and could only take off at 6:55AM. So he expected we’d be at the gate for another 40 minutes, and we’d then start taxiing.

The great service then continued. A few minutes later, the lead flight attendant asked if he could get business class passengers anything else to drink. I ordered an espresso, which was served with some tasty little chocolate wafer treats.

Honestly, the kindness of the crew and general friendliness exceeded my expectations. I’ve been on so many intra-Europe flights with lengthy ground delays where the crew doesn’t offer any refreshments (and I realize they’re just following policies, so I’m not blaming the individuals).

There was a further positive update. At 6:25AM, the captain announced that our slot was moved up a bit, and that we’d be pushing back shortly. A minute later we began our pushback, and at 6:30AM we began our taxi. From there, it was around 10 minutes to our departure runway, 8L, where we were cleared for takeoff at 6:40AM.

We had a smooth climb out, and the seatbelt sign was turned off around five minutes after takeoff. At that point the crew closed the curtains, both between the galley and business class, and between business class and economy.

ITA Airways business class snack service

Around 10 minutes after takeoff, the lead flight attendant rolled a cart down the aisle with a snack service. The breakfast snack consisted of a side of fruit (pear and pineapple), a plate with two types of carbs (a croissant and a ham sandwich), and a bottled yogurt smoothie to drink. On top of that, I had a coffee and a pear juice.

It’s not like you’ll usually get some amazing gourmet meal on flights within Europe, but I found this to be a bit below average. Perhaps that’s partly because I don’t eat pork, but still, you’d hope for a bit better for an airline from Italy.

This seems to be pretty consistent. On long haul flights, ITA Airways has among the best food of any airline in business class. It’s a different story on short haul flights, though, where I’ve heard a lot of complaints.

Honestly, the best part of the breakfast was the gorgeous sunrise I was treated to while eating…

ITA Airways A320neo business class lavatory

Toward the end of the flight, I checked out the lavatory at the front of the cabin, reserved for business class. It was pretty no frills, but was at least clean, and the crew did a good job of enforcing the policy of this lavatory being reserved for business class passengers.

ITA Airways business class service

The service was really what impressed me most about this ITA Airways flight (as I think y’all can tell, based on what I’ve written above). The lead flight attendant couldn’t have been more professional, and also had such a big personality. He engaged with each passenger, and he must’ve spent a good 10 minutes chatting to the people in the front row, giving them tips for their trip, etc.

He was a class act. Frankly, I find ITA Airways to consistently have above average crews, so they’re a huge asset to the airline.

ITA Airways A320neo arrival in Rome

A little over an hour after takeoff, at 7:50AM, the captain was back on the PA to announce that we’d be landing in around 25 minutes. About 10 minutes later, the seatbelt sign was turned on.

The views when flying to and from Rome are amazing, so I spent the rest of the flight gazing out the window…

As expected, we touched down in Rome at 8:15AM.

From there, we had a high speed but quick taxi to our arrival gate. It really is amazing how quickly the ITA Airways fleet has grown, and I was surprised by the number of planes on the ground.

We ended up arriving at our gate at 8:20AM, pulling in next to a Lufthansa Airbus A321. We were only 10 minutes behind schedule, despite our significantly delayed departure.

When we got to the gate, I couldn’t help but snap a picture of the A320neo I just flew on… ITA’s livery has grown on me so much, and I really do love it!

Bottom line

I had a pleasant early morning business class flight on ITA Airways’ A320neo. I was underwhelmed by the cabin as such, and the lack of power ports and Wi-Fi. I also didn’t think the snack was great.

But honestly, what was most memorable to me about the flight was the service, and in particular, the exceptional lead flight attendant. He was so kind and engaging with each passenger, even offering two sets of pre-departure beverages. At the end of the day, great service can make up for an otherwise lackluster product, and this is one of those situations.

What do you make of ITA Airways’ A320neo business class?