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Alitalia Magnifica Class looks amazing on a Long Haul. But, what is Alitalia Business class from London to Rome like?
Alitalia Business Class intra Europe is really Econ on steroids…er rather a flip down tray table. Ya you get some champagne and a hot meal, but the seat is EXACTLY the same. There is no way I’d ever have paid normal business class prices for this ticket. I’d say typically to sit up front on an intra-euro ticket it’d set you back a few hundred more than econ. In my situation I paid 20 euros more to fly the LHR-FCO in business and then the return in economy than I would have a r/t econ. This premium was less than than I would have paid to check my bag: which business allows free. It was a good deal for us. Miles and I both don’t see the value in spending a premium on fares that with marginal value.
The Deets:
- When: May 2016
- Where: LHR-FCO
- Alliance: SkyTeam
- Cabin: Magnifica
- Seat: 2C
Miles clearly had fun on the pull down tray. Part of me thought he might thrown a tantrum at the lack of a lie flat seat, but he and I had had a pretty serious discussion about attitude and behavior, and he was great! Just look at how he transformed the tray into a means of modeling his newest moves and looks.
Miles clearly had a lot of fun on the
The crew was so impressed with his moves that they gave him multiple bottles of Prosecco. I mean…it’s the same size as him. No wonder he was having a great time!
Service
Super nice. We were given a couple of rounds of drinks prior to take off and both of the attendants were genial and struck up conversations. They said they’d follow Miles on his future journeys! We shoved away from the gate on time but ran into traffic on the tarmac.
HEY THERE BIG BOY! BA strutting the 380
Within 30 mins we were eating
The food was good. I don’t eat meat and had forgotten to request another option which proved to be a mistake. I would HIGHLY request doing this ahead of the flight as they did not have any other replacements. As far as airline lasagna goes…it was pretty good and I was able to push the meat out of the way – not the ideal situation, but I made do. It certainly doesn’t look nice, but was quite flavorful. I find these meals to be far superior when compared to similar meals served on the American legacy carriers.
Flight path:
Upon take off we were informed that we would be flying over the Swiss Alps. I was really hoping that we would make it by sundown…and we did. What a view!
Verdict:
It was a uneventful flight for the most part. I did some work, had dinner, and enjoyed my economy seat with a fold down table business class seat. Obviously, Miles passed out. He had two bottles of Prosecco as big as he is…I wasn’t even mad, I was just impressed. In all seriousness tho, if you can score a business class seat for a small premium then do it. You get some more space, lounge access, and a checked bag. Value is a personal proposition, but I wouldn’t pay more than $100 roundtrip.
Italy/England 2016 Trip Report
- One World Business Class Lounge Los Angeles Review – Tom Bradley
- SkyTeam Korean Air Lounge Los Angeles Review
- LAX-LHR American Business Class 777-300ER
- London Terminal 4 SkyTeam Business Class Lounge Review
- LHR -FCO Alitalia Business Class A330
- Marriott Rome Park Hotel
- Viator private tour Vatican
- Boscolo Rome Exedra
- NUN Assisi Relais and Spa
- Le Anfore (business class) Lounge
- London Radisson Blu Edwardian New Providence Wharf Review:
- London Terminal 3 British Airways Galleries Lounge Review
- London Terminal 3 Admiral’s Club Review
- LHR-LAX American Business Class 777-300ER – mini cabin
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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