Alitalia wants to dominate in Milan

Alitalia Group intends to strengthen its position at both Milan Linate and Malpensa with a three-year development plan calling for a “dual-brand and customer hub model” at MXP, including a repositioni

Alitalia Group intends to strengthen its position at both Milan Linate and Malpensa with a three-year development plan calling for a “dual-brand and customer hub model” at MXP, including a repositioning of Air One as a Smart Carrier offering low fares on short- and medium-haul routes while reinforcing the Alitalia brand and offering on intercontinental flights.

AZ will base two new A330s featuring its new business class at Malpensa and launch flights to Miami in June, adding to its current five intercontinental destinations. The three-year plan confirms the group’s intention “to maintain its dominant position in the Milan market with new offerings, articulated on the basis of different demand profiles and strongly oriented towards growth,” it said.

The company is aiming to grow passenger traffic at both Milan airports from 6.9 million in 2009 to 9 million in 2012 and increase the number of destinations from 39 to 47. At Linate, it foresees an 11 percent rise in passengers to 6 million in 2012 and at MXP it plans to double passengers to 3 million in 2012, with 20 percent of that growth this year. Destinations will lift from 20 to 32 and the number of flights will increase nearly 50 percent from 16,770 in 2009 to almost 25,000 in 2012.

From MXP, the group “will offer a thoroughly renewed product, tailored both to the business and leisure passenger, according to a dual brand and customer hub model, with the possibility for the customer to create, within the same airport, the ideal combination of flights, fares and connections.” It added that the approach will start March 28 with “inauguration of the new Smart Carrier Air One flights from the Malpensa hub to 14 destinations in Italy and the Mediterranean basin.”

In 2011, Air One plans to start service to 10 new international destinations including Munich, Warsaw, Budapest, Istanbul, and Sofia. While Air One will offer flights at “particularly advantageous fares,” passengers “will not have to forgo the advantages offered by traditional companies,” it said. AZ emphasized that “differently from low-cost companies, Air One will in fact provide, without additional cost, seating assignment, baggage transport, MilleMiglia miles, and airport check-in.” Its new business model from MXP also will allow passengers to buy tickets both directly through the Internet or dedicated call centers and indirectly through travel agencies.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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