Alitalia: rebirth after near bankruptcy

[regi]

Yes Euroflyer, that is a big problem and learning from the past we may see the same procedure as with Sabena. First let that company go bankrupt, fire everybody, start a new company and continue with the people who agree to underwrite the new contract.
With a bankrupty all contracts become obsolete. A guardian is appointed by the court to clean up running operations and prepare to sell the assets.
For AZ personnel it will mean that they will loose all overtime, extra holidays, just all kind of benefits especially under their AZ contract.
At the first year many people will complain. But later on it will smoothen up. When the employees see that they have better conditions - if they work appropiately.
Going on strike will have no effect at all on the appointed guardian. It will simply mean that he will have to buy less fuel.
Oh yes, I guess that ticket sales for AZ are dropping now very fast because when the company is officially bankrupt and restarted under another name, well, bye bye ticket validity.

[LX-LGX]

A more symbolic date isn't possible: on Thursday 11th September, the government-appointed administrator will begin procedures to cut workers at the airline before a deadline for an agreement with unions expires tomorrow. The negociations with the (nine) AZ-unions broke up on Monday.

more:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... 5amVwCoyUY

[Vexje]

today some rumours manifested that Toto (AirOne owner) was backing out of the "concordato".

If this proves to be true this would mean trouble as the AP fleet of A320 was foreseen as the backbone of the NewCo's fleet to reduce operating cost.

Will keep you posted

[BrightCedars]

Le Soir says the Italian investors have withdrawn from the negociations!

[LX-LGX]

Le Soir says the Italian investors have withdrawn from the negociations!

Indeed: the unions have refused the rescue plan (with lots of job cuts), so it will be over and out one of the following days (Flemish business newspaper De Tijd says probably already today).

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... refer=home

[galaxy]

Pope asked to pray for Alitalia :
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/453a32c2-80b3 ... 07658.html

Alitalia needs an exorcist to save the airline from bankruptcy as the chairman of Air France-KLM said .
His words make sense now.

[euroflyer]

There are media reports around (here is one in German (SORRY) http://www.n-tv.de/Treibstoff_reicht_bi ... 23028.html) claiming

(1) another meeting with trade unions is taking place today (Saturday)

(2) if no solution will be found by tomorrow morning (Sunday) this will be the end for AZ because fuel can only be paid for until Sunday evening without the fresh money from the group of investors; so no solution with the unions tonight, no AZ flights anymore on Monday

But of course you should never trust media reports too much

[Airbus330lover]

Bad news for the Pope.

He comes back with AZ on monday......

[BelgianBoy]

No sir,

The pope is usually if not always leaving Italy with Alitalia and flying back home with the national carrier of the visited country.

Regards

Willy

[Outsync]

Bad news for the Pope.

He comes back with AZ on monday......

Bummer

[galaxy]

Bad news for the Pope.

He comes back with AZ on monday......

That will be a great miracle after his visit at Lourdes.

[regi]

As a real enemy of what Alitalia stands for, I burn all my candles and essence sticks that not 1 AZ will be in the air on Monday. The pope won't mind to stay an extra day in Lourdes, nice place by the way.

I am sitting in front of all my crucifixes, Buddha's, Shiva's and Jim Morrison pictures ( This is the End...), praying, in trance, that it will be over.
But...maybe, some secret holy priest of the Alitalia sect can counter attack my destructive mind waves and play the old Frank Zapp's record " The torture never stops"

[LX-LGX]

As a real enemy of what Alitalia stands for, I burn all my candles and essence sticks that not 1 AZ will be in the air on Monday. The pope won't mind to stay an extra day in Lourdes, nice place by the way.

Monday ? Guess you are right, altough it won't be as from Monday 00h01 a.m. The decision is up to an Italian trade court, and I guess they don't work during weekends. So trust the final decision will be something for Monday around noon. At this very moment, AZ is still boarding / flying. A flight from Rome to Sao Paolo from tonight has been delayed till Monday morning - perhaps the crew doens't want to get stuck there?

Guess the only people still flying AZ nowadays have booked themselves on code-sharing airlines. These airlines then have to make sure the pax can fly.

[regi]

Just looked at the website of Brussels Airport and it seems that the AZ airplanes are arriving one after the other this morning.

[LX-LGX]

Just looked at the website of Brussels Airport and it seems that the AZ airplanes are arriving one after the other this morning.

Indeed, "Alitalia has enough fuel for today", the VRT radio news has just announced. So it's back to the roots of aviation: all a plane needs, is fuel".

(Rumours: 4 of the 9 unions have accepted the recovery plan).

[Devon Rex]

My sister in law is flying with Alitalia to Miami via Rome... Now, what will happen if Alitalia goes bankrupt? Will she be booked on other available flights, with other companies? Or does this depend on the kind of annulation assurances she took?

I have no clue what will happen in such a case...

[carambole]

My sister in law is flying with Alitalia to Miami via Rome... Now, what will happen if Alitalia goes bankrupt? Will she be booked on other available flights, with other companies? Or does this depend on the kind of annulation assurances she took?

I have no clue what will happen in such a case...

She will have to come back on her own means i'm afraid, and buy a new one way ticket.

[LX-LGX]

My sister in law is flying with Alitalia to Miami via Rome... Now, what will happen if Alitalia goes bankrupt? Will she be booked on other available flights, with other companies? Or does this depend on the kind of annulation assurances she took? I have no clue what will happen in such a case...

As carambole said: she will have to buy a new ticket. Normally a one way will do, but many times a return flight with restrictions is cheaper then a one way. So advise her to ask both fares, where ever she strands: one way and excursion fare (from which she will never use the return flight).

Insurance doesn't cover costs caused by bankruptcy.

If AZ ends, other airlines will launch special fares to bring stranded pax back home - like most British carriers did last Friday, when XL Airways suddenly stopped. It's hen important to take a quick decision and book - before the yield managers rise their voice and the special fares are withdrawn.

If she has booked her ticket through a travel agent, this one will try to recover part of the trip through a bond that Alitalia has with IATA/BSP. Will the travel agent succeed and how much will your sister recover? Depends on the bond itself / last payment IATA-AZ / number of bookings / outstanding amounts / other refund requests / etc enz

If your sister has booked her ticket direct and very recently and if she has paid with a credit card, she can ask the issuing bank card company to block the payment to AZ, stating that the service hasn't been delivered. It's a common practice for credit card issuers, and their help desk will assist her. But off course, this can only be done once AZ is bankrupt.

She can cancel at any moment, but I suggest she only does so if she knows what the cancellation costs are for her ticket. Could be 100% ... And off course, if it's f.e. 20% cancellation costs, she must agree with AZ on an immediate refund. Because once liquidators or administrators take over at AZ, it's finished with refunds to passengers.

[regi]

checked quickly again
XM5984 ( Alitalia express has landed )
But AZ7048 would be reviewed
AZ160 and AZ 7434 are still on the arrival's list.

So, all as usual?

[BrightCedars]

But AZ7048 would be reviewed
So, all as usual?

AZ7048 is actually SN3140 operated by SN so I doubt it would have a problem.

I think the impact of the strike remains limited, but what is sure is that the situation at AZ needs to go one way or another soon or else there won't be anybody to fly them in any case. I wouldn't want to see their forward booking stats.