The President of Alitalia, Roberto Colaninno, recently met with the 280 managers and executives of Alitalia’s new organizational structure which has undergone the establishment of two Deputy General Managers: the Deputy General Manager “Corporate,” headed by Paolo Amato, and the Deputy Directorate General “Business,” headed by Giancarlo Schisano.

Roberto Colaninno confirmed that the search for the new CEO has been entrusted to the firm Korn & Ferry.

The meeting was also an opportunity to analyze the results achieved in 2012 and focus on the future, describing the strategies that Alitalia will follow in 2013.

The President confirmed and reiterated the goal of the budget that the company has been given this year to reach the break-even point at the end of 2013 with a constant attention to liquidity which must always remain sustainable. And he recalled that 2012 will be remembered as one of the worst years for air traffic in Europe and the financial crisis that has hit the Eurozone, in particular the countries of the Mediterranean basin, including Italy, which has certainly had a strong impact on the activities of Alitalia, mainly due to the considerable reduction in demand.

For this reason, concluded the president, the bonds issued by the shareholders of the company at the beginning of 2013 is a strong signal of commitment and confidence in the management of Alitalia. After obtaining positive results in terms of service and operational excellence, the company now has to improve financial performance with the goal of creating value for shareholders and to restore an adequate level of liquidity.

With the intervention of Deputy General Managers Paul Amato and Giancarlo Schisano, they first examined the economic performance of Alitalia in the first quarter of 2013, presenting the results of January and February which, although not definitive, are in line with budget expectations. According to the Deputy General Manager Corporate the situation remains complex but the management is very oriented to the achievement of the objectives with a focus on operational efficiency and maintaining an adequate level of liquidity.

The Deputy General Business, Giancarlo Schisano, presented the guidelines on which to base the new offer for Alitalia. After pointing out the successful launch of new destinations (Abu Dhabi, Fortaleza, Yerevan, Zurich, and Prague), he reminded of the expansion of the international network with the launch in the coming weeks of flights to Copenhagen, Krakow, Bilbao, Montpellier, Ekaterinburg, Podgorica, London City, and Oran, as well as new seasonal services from June to September to Antalya and Djerba, which will be added to those traditionally offered by Los Angeles, Chicago, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Rhodes, Thessaloniki, Trapani, Olbia (from Trieste), Lampedusa, and Pantelleria. For connections to New York, Alitalia will only serve the main airport John F. Kennedy and the increase of frequencies. New destinations are also in place for the affiliated Air One to Moscow (from Pisa and Catania), St. Petersburg (from Catania, Milan Malpensa and Pisa), in addition to seasonal routes from Venice to Copenhagen and from Catania to Samara and Rostov.

Mr. Schisano also presented the fleet plan for the next 3 years that will grow capacity for intercontinental travel. Schisano also added that the current composition of the Alitalia fleet, one of the youngest in Europe, and actions to reduce consumption, have enabled the company substantial savings on fuel.
Schisano finally focused on the project of “re-hubbing” at Rome Fiumicino Airport, which will see a new network design aimed at providing more connections for customers calling the hub of the company with a more efficient use of fleet and crews.

Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), Gianni Pieraccioni, summed up the meeting presenting the new marketing initiatives to support the growth of revenues provided for in the budget targets.

The CCO of Alitalia presented the plan of investments on land and onboard services aimed at improving service. The new lounge, “Dolce Vita,” recently launched at Fiumicino Airport, strictly reserved for members of the most prestigious clubs in Alitalia, is no longer just a place to relax, but a real symbol of Italian excellence in the world, thanks to the collaboration with best Italian brands such as illy, Eataly, B & B Italy, MDF Italy, Prandina, Synthesis, and FSC Group SpA Professional Show. It is an environment with a strong call for the presence of an aircraft flight simulator available to customers and recovery stylized avionics components such as furniture, said the CCO.

Onboard service, after having re-introduced a snack with a sweet and savory range of products, accompanied by soft drinks, fruit juices, tea, or coffee on domestic flights, and a warm croissant for Comfort Class passengers on the Rome-Milan, Alitalia, decided to offer Classica Plus (the premium economy for intercontinental flights) some special menus, rotating every 3 months, in collaboration with Alma, the prestigious International School of Italian Cuisine directed by Gualtiero Marchesi. Alma also produces menus for the Magnifica class, which for 3 years in a row (2010, 2011, and 2012) have allowed Alitalia to win the award, “Best Airline Cuisine,” awarded by the American magazine Global Traveller.

Pieraccioni anticipated next month’s release of the new site alitalia.com completely renovated in style and service. The digital world of the company will be presented with a refined illustrative and personalized style.

And focused on the issue of the Mille Miglia Program 2013-2015, in particular the numerous advantages for the best Alitalia customers, accessing the various exclusive clubs (Freccia Alata Plus, Freccia Alata, and Ulysses), may credit up to 3 times the miles for tickets with a higher value. Recognition is particularly advantageous for customers of the Rome-Milan route. To gain access to exclusive clubs, the new edition of the program also allows the inclusion of the previous year’s miles.

During 2013, Air France will operate the innovative project to collect media service initiatives for advertisers to communicate on their own channels (online, on the ground, on board) with the possibility to award miles, travel, or bonus for those who subscribe to the proposals of the business partners.

The CCO finally focused on “brand manifesto,” the document that defines the core values of the company and encodes visually the new brand language through which the values will grow throughout the travel experience for the customer, as well as the new marketing initiatives to support the growth of revenue foreseen in the budget objectives.

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And he recalled that 2012 will be remembered as one of the worst years for air traffic in Europe and the financial crisis that has hit the Eurozone, in particular the countries of the Mediterranean basin, including Italy, which has certainly had a strong impact on the activities of Alitalia, mainly due to the considerable reduction in demand.
After pointing out the successful launch of new destinations (Abu Dhabi, Fortaleza, Yerevan, Zurich, and Prague), he reminded of the expansion of the international network with the launch in the coming weeks of flights to Copenhagen, Krakow, Bilbao, Montpellier, Ekaterinburg, Podgorica, London City, and Oran, as well as new seasonal services from June to September to Antalya and Djerba, which will be added to those traditionally offered by Los Angeles, Chicago, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Rhodes, Thessaloniki, Trapani, Olbia (from Trieste), Lampedusa, and Pantelleria.
For this reason, concluded the president, the bonds issued by the shareholders of the company at the beginning of 2013 is a strong signal of commitment and confidence in the management of Alitalia.