This year I seem to be having no luck with flying. After this incident I decided to avoid problems in future and to only book direct with the airline. Hence for long weekend bread to Rome over Whitsun I decided to fly Alitalia.
The flight there was uneventful enough. Though you can't get a beer on board which already gave me doubts as to whether I'd fly with them in future. The return journey experience however left me in now doubt.
We arrived at Rome airport to be informed due to a strike our afternoon return flight had been cancelled. Why they couldn't have contacted us before we arrived at the airport I guess can be put down to their being Italian.
We were directed to the ticketing desk to rebook the flights. 4 hours we stood in a queue with no offer of refreshments or even water. Eventually we arrived at the desk to be told the earliest they could get us back to Zürich would be in 36 hours’ time including a 3 hour layover in Paris.
Using the 4 hours productively I'd found there was a last train out of Milan which we could make as a last resort. Work commitments meant a 36 hour extended stay wasn't possible so I asked to be rebooked to Milan instead. Upon landing we hightailed it across town in a taxi and made the last train to Zürich with minutes to spare, eventually arriving home at 1:30 in the morning, just the 11 hours later than planned.
A few days later I wrote to Alitalia, highlighting what happened (no notice of cancellation, long queuing, lack of refreshments, no rebooking possible for 36 hours etc.). I also said I understood it was strike action, so if they would be so kind as to reimburse my train ticket costs (about €100) we could forget about the matter and move on.
The monster that is Italian efficiency roared into action and 3 MONTHS LATER I received a reply. Basically, I was blamed for rebooking the flights to Milan and told no reimbursement would be given. The fact this €100 Euro is a lot cheaper hotels and meals for a day plus rebooking on a rival airline seemed lost on them.
You do really have to scratch you head at how utterly thick these people must be. Anyhow, my advice is to avoid these shits. Next time I'll fly Squeezyjet. At least you know what you're getting with them.
Alitalia: another flock of bwastards
The flight there was uneventful enough. Though you can't get a beer on board which already gave me doubts as to whether I'd fly with them in future. The return journey experience however left me in now doubt.
We arrived at Rome airport to be informed due to a strike our afternoon return flight had been cancelled. Why they couldn't have contacted us before we arrived at the airport I guess can be put down to their being Italian.
We were directed to the ticketing desk to rebook the flights. 4 hours we stood in a queue with no offer of refreshments or even water. Eventually we arrived at the desk to be told the earliest they could get us back to Zürich would be in 36 hours’ time including a 3 hour layover in Paris.
Using the 4 hours productively I'd found there was a last train out of Milan which we could make as a last resort. Work commitments meant a 36 hour extended stay wasn't possible so I asked to be rebooked to Milan instead. Upon landing we hightailed it across town in a taxi and made the last train to Zürich with minutes to spare, eventually arriving home at 1:30 in the morning, just the 11 hours later than planned.
A few days later I wrote to Alitalia, highlighting what happened (no notice of cancellation, long queuing, lack of refreshments, no rebooking possible for 36 hours etc.). I also said I understood it was strike action, so if they would be so kind as to reimburse my train ticket costs (about €100) we could forget about the matter and move on.
The monster that is Italian efficiency roared into action and 3 MONTHS LATER I received a reply. Basically, I was blamed for rebooking the flights to Milan and told no reimbursement would be given. The fact this €100 Euro is a lot cheaper hotels and meals for a day plus rebooking on a rival airline seemed lost on them.
You do really have to scratch you head at how utterly thick these people must be. Anyhow, my advice is to avoid these shits. Next time I'll fly Squeezyjet. At least you know what you're getting with them.
