It’s not just Naples that’s getting all the attention. This time it’s Palermo, and Sicily, with a new transatlantic route. Another prized piece of that Southern Italy which has always been - this year even more so - on the bucket list of overseas visitors. And this time Neos is moving in, ready to bring back direct flights between New York and the Sicilian capital where, this year from January to September, international traffic topped 30% of total transits. 

The Alpitour group's airline is not the first to try its hand at the route; the first seasonal flights were introduced by Eurofly in 2005 and kept going with excellent results for over ten years, until 2018 - when the carrier had already entered Meridiana’s orbit, but that's another, very Italian, story! Now the bet is on Neos, which sees this as an important opportunity for the whole of Sicily, both for inbound and outbound traffic. 

"We are waiting to hear from Palermo airport," said Carlo Stradiotti, the carrier's managing director last week, emphasising the urgency of an answer to give concrete form to the project. The airline, which already operates direct flights from New York JFK to Milan Malpensa (inaugurated in the summer of 2021) is preparing to close the 2022-23 financial year on 31 October with a turnover "of €750 million" compared to the €573 million of the previous financial year "thanks chiefly to the increase in the offer of 30-40% over 2019."

Mariella Cattaneo
Journalist

For Delta Air Lines the Italian market is of prime importance and this is a record-breaking year, buoyed by unprecedented travel demand.

Italy is a priority market for Delta Air Lines?

This demand has pushed the airlines’ capacity on the Atlantic to the highest levels ever. Particularly significant is the commitment to Italy, which confirms it is a priority market for the Atlanta-based carrier, says Frederic Schenk,  Delta Air Lines’ sales manager Southern Europe.

What does Delta's season look like on transatlantic routes?

"In 2023 we have the largest ever operating schedule, including 650 weekly flights across the Atlantic and a 30% increase in capacity compared to 2022. That is 77 routes to 32 destinations in Europe. This season in Italy is also a record one: we are the US company with most flights, operating 12 daily flights from our four US hubs to Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa and Venice."

Delta Air Lines A350

What is the trend in demand?

'Demand on Italian routes has never been so high. Bookings for Delta Air Lines are going extremely well: between January and April we already surpassed 2022 levels, and we are also very close to2019 results. People have been waiting a long time to travel and have also saved money to do so. This positive trend will continue until 2024 and probably even beyond.”

So Italy is greatly relevant for Delta Air Lines....

"The Italian market is undoubtedly a priority: it is among the top three or four most important. Moreover, the capacity offered this year demonstrates this positioning well. The passenger mix depends on the routes and the time of year. This summer there is strong demand on both routes: roughly speaking I would say that a 60 per cent share is American and the remaining 40 per cent Italian.”

Is there room in the future for the opening of new destinations in Italy?

"Today Delta Air Lines operates out of three major Italian airports and work closely with our partners Air France and KLM to offer the widest range of options on transatlantic routes, including through their hubs in Paris and Amsterdam. However, we continue to evaluate the situation in Italy and we could possibly make adjustments when new opportunities arise.”

Has corporate traffic also resumed?

“After lagging behind, it has really picked up again, and we are on track to recover well.”

How do you see the entry of the Lufthansa Group into Ita Airways, which has been your partner for years?

"The agreement is sealed, but not approved. A lot depends on what the European Commission will decide. As I said Italy is a priority market for Delta: just consider the capacity we offer, regardless of whether Ita is our partner or not. You ask if the solution will be the right one? Time will tell. All I can say is that, personally, it saddens me because we had a very good relationship. But...business is business.”

A Sky full of Italy is the message behind Italian carrier ITA Airway’s new Search Bar brand campaign.

The new campaign is costing close to €10 million

The Italian airline’s campaign is in cooperation with Vmly&R and although the investment has not been disclosed, "it is close to double digits in millions of euro," said Giovanni Perosino, the carrier’s chief marketing officer. Of this approximate €10 million, “50% is destined for foreign markets. A little less than the figure for the first half of the year, which was strongly focused on the promotion of our intercontinental destinations, our strategic focus for 2023.”

 “We are counting a lot on advance bookings”

ITA Airway’s campaign is aimed at boosting bookings for the winter season, but also anticipates summer 2024 “which is already on sale. We are counting a lot on advance bookings.” Regarding this summer’s figures: “We carried 4.2 million passengers, of which some 533,000 on intercontinental routes, which with 12 destinations, are our backbone. The average load factor was 84%, with peaks of 87% on long-haul flights, a new record high.”

Giovanni Perosino e Simona Maggini

A campaign that reaches out to intercontinental markets

The partnership with Google was decisive for the campaign – the search bar is the campaign's most distinctive and recognisable feature - with the web giant providing fundamental insight into the main foreign search trends for Italy. The campaign will be on a wide range of media, “mainly prime time television” for six weeks and focuses on long-haul markets. "The challenge is to conquer the world. We are already on air in Argentina and Brazil, and on 29 October we will launch new direct flights from Rio de Janiero to Rome Fiumicino; ITA’s twelfth intercontinental destination.”

Campaign launches in US and European cities

"From the end of September it will be the turn of the United States with campaign launches in New York, Boston, Washington, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Miami. In Europe, the markets involved will be Spain, France, London, Israel and Japan.” A second wave of the campaign is set for 15 October and a third for Christmas. 

A total of 2.7 billion global gross contacts

"We researched what the essence of Italianness means to the world, be it food and wine, style, design or hospitality," said Simona Maggini, ceo Vmly&R Italy.  The target of the campaign is "300 million gross contacts in Italy, with 2,000 TV spots of which 60% on prime time; web and press planning and digital out-of-home with over 2,500 video clips. Globally, we are talking about 2.7 billion gross contacts, of which 300 million in Europe, 930 million in the USA and 600 million in South America as well as 520 million in Japan."

September: summer is a memory and autumn is a promise, but there is still no trace of the EU Antitrust Authority's go-ahead for the Lufthansa Group's entry into ITA Airways - with a 41% stake.

Brussels' approval of the agreement, reached between the Germans and the Italian Ministry for Economy and Finance (officially signed on 25 May 2023) is actually expected in October, or at the latest by the end of 2023. Certainly, there would still be enough time, but currently “This transaction has not been formally notified to the European Commission,” says a spokesperson for the EU executive, who added: “If a transaction constitutes a concentration and has a European dimension, it is always up to the companies to notify the Commission.” This has still not happened, but it could be that Lufthansa is still hammering out every detail. Or does it still have doubts?

In the middle of August there was even a flashback between the Italian government (to be precise, prime minister Giorgia Meloni) and the MSC group, a protagonist during the initial phase of the sale of the Italian carrier that then withdrew in November 2022, leaving the field open to the Germans

On the other hand, last July it was the Lufthansa Group's senior director of sales Southern Europe, Gabrielle Galantis, who declared that the operation to enter ITA's capital would be “a long journey, starting (precisely, Ed.) with getting the OK from the European Commission.”

In any case a Lufthansa spokesperson reportedly told La Presse that they were “in the process of notifying the transaction” to Brussels, and confident of “obtaining timely authorisation”. We can only wait to see how long it will take for ITA’s livery to join Lufthansa’s.

Mariella Cattaneo
Journalist

For Delta Air Lines this is a record-breaking year, as unprecedented travel demand has pushed the company's Atlantic capacity to its highest levels ever. 

“This positive trend will continue until 2024 and probably beyond”

“We are entering 2023 with the largest operational commitment ever of 650 weekly flights from one side of the Atlantic to the other and a 30% increase in capacity compared to 2022”, says Frederic Schenk, Delta’s Southern Europe sales manager. “These are 77 routes to 32 destinations in Europe. It is a record season for Italy, we are the US airline with the highest number of flights to Italy, operating 12 daily flights from Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa and Venice to our four US hubs. Demand on Italian routes has never been so high. From January to April Delta already surpassed 2022 levels, and we are also very close to 2019’s results. People have been waiting to be able to travel for a long time have also saved up money to do so. This positive trend will continue into 2024 and probably beyond.” 

Delta, with partners Air France and KLM, offer the widest range of options on US routes

“The Italian market is undoubtedly a priority, being among our top three or four markets. The passenger mix depends on the routes and the time of year. This summer there has been strong demand in both directions: roughly I would say that a 60% share is American and the remaining 40% Italian. Delta operates from three of the main Italian airports and we work closely with our partners Air France and KLM to offer the widest range of options on transatlantic routes also through their hubs in Paris and Amsterdam. "

Italo is focusing on its new Going to Italy project with packages going on sale from 1 August.  

In partnership with ITA Airways and Starhotels

Aimed at a new customer segment with special attention to the United States, but also with an eye to South America and Brazil, the agreement between the railway company and the Bluvacanze Group (owned by MSC) is in partnership with ITA Airways and Starhotels. "This is a real first for us,” says Italo’s sales director Marco De Angelis. 

Marco De Angelis

“An experience tailored to high-spending travellers”

“Overseas visitors arriving on ITA Airways flights will be able to continue their travels in Italy on board Italo trains - exclusively in Club Executive and Prima classes - and stay in Starhotels properties. This is an experience tailored to the needs of high-spending travellers. We have great expectations, and results will be tangible by the end of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024."

Presented at international trade fairs and in the US

Going to Italy is a result of the pandemic and of how foreign markets have reacted since then: before Covid 40% of Italo’s foreign passengers were Asian, mainly from Japan, South Korea and China. But these markets still have to recover, while much of Europe has rediscovered train travel in Italy  and there is high demand from Ireland, Holland, England and France, as well as a  massive return of the American market. “In the last six to eight months we have been at trade fairs in Dubai, Berlin and London, and in April we were in the United States to present the project to leading travel advisors - BCD Travel, Frosch, Amex just to name a few - in Miami, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington and New York.” 

New stricter traffic measures for short-stay users at Naples Capodichino airport include automatic fines

A 15-minute window for cars in front of the terminal

To "ensure greater vehicular fluidity" the airport will implement penalties for users who exceed the time allowed in the ZTC (Controlled Traffic Zone).  The ZTC - explains a note from Capodichino airport - is a computerized system that allows users to travel for 15 minutes in their own car in the areas immediately in front of the terminal. The camera system electronically detects the time taken to enter and exit the two access roads to the airport.

A further 15 minutes allowance in the Pick-up Area

In addition to the 15 minutes allowed on the road, it is possible to take advantage of an additional 15 free minutes in Capodichino’s Pick-up Area, which has 80 spaces, located near the arrivals area, by entering your vehicles number plate in the parking meters located in the area itself. Parking in the Pick-up Area is only allowed once a day, in order to encourage high turnover, to the benefit of the largest possible number of users.

Fines are issued by the  local police at Capodichino Airport

For longer stays, both paid parking and the P1 car park are available, where you can park for free for the first 45 minutes. In case of non-compliance with both the rules governing the ZTC and the Pick-up Area, a fine will be issued by the local police, the proceeds of which will go entirely to the city of Naples.

Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate are winners of the 2023 ACI Europe Awards, with Bologna Airport also receiving a prestigious award.

Rome Fiumicino tops the European ranking

Rome Fiumicino was honored with the ACI Europe Best Airport Award 2023 in the category of hubs with over 40 million passengers, marking its fifth win in the past six years. This accolade adds to the airport's excellence, as it has topped the European ranking for passenger service quality for six consecutive years, and received a 5-star Skytrax rating for operational excellence and service quality earlier in the year.

“This is an extraordinary achievement”

Marco Troncone, CEO of Aeroporti di Roma said, “Being confirmed as the best European airport for the fifth time is an extraordinary achievement. It reflects the daily commitment and immense passion of all our staff and partners to whom we extend a special thanks. It confirms our company's dedication to our passengers and to stakeholders.”

Milan Linate best for 5-10 million passenger category

Milan Linate was recognised as the best European airport in the category of airports handling between 5 and 10 million passengers. The award highlighted the airport's significant efforts in sustainability and decarbonization in recent years.. Milan Linate has achieved level 4+ of the Airport Carbon Accreditation and is committed to achieving Net Zero Emissions by 2030, surpassing the European airport sector's target by twenty years. The judges also praised the airport's innovative and technological projects, such as the new Eds-Cb security checks and FaceBoarding, which enhance the passenger experience in terms of efficiency and safety.

Bologna’s Marconi Airport wins for human resources excellence

In a special category focusing on excellence in human resources, Bologna’s Marconi Airport was the winner. The award recognizes the airport's human resources department for implementing world-class practices and processes to develop the industry's workforce, with a specific emphasis on the social pillar of sustainability. Overall, these awards showcase the achievements and commitments of Italian airports in providing exceptional services, advancing sustainability efforts, and prioritizing the well-being of passengers and staff.

For how long? Yes, that is the question. For how long will travellers be willing to pay sky-high fares to fly from one side of the Atlantic to the other? Or, simply, to go from London to Milan for a business meeting? Or from Rome to Catania to enjoy a day at the sea in Sicily?

Granted that the joys of the first low-cost fares (those at less than €10 on European routes) are and will remain a memory (Mr. O'Leary, CEO of Ryanair, docet), the upward surge is practically the order of the day. From any departure point, to as many different final destinations you can think of. In Italy, of course. And on transatlantic routes too, where the capacity on offer in 2023 has increased more than ever.

According to data from Airports Council International Europe, global airfares in May were 36% higher than in 2019. So be it. The same organization reports that global air traffic will reach 92% of 2019 levels this year, with 8.4 billion passengers. Who are evidently still willing to pay high fares. Even when, faced with increased competition and seat supply, one would expect fares to fall. This is the case of the Milan Malpensa-New York route, where seven airlines are currently competing against the six of 2019, but ticket prices are 46% higher. And fare growth is also double-digit towards major European markets such as France and Spain, and even more so in the case of the UK.

IATA estimates that passenger traffic next year will be just above 2019 levels. The longed-for recovery from the pandemic has led to a veritable upward curve: being able to travel, and first and foremost to fly, ranks among people's must-dos in spite of rising fares, global economic uncertainty, and inflation. So again, how long will there be travellers willing to spend this kind of money? And what will airlines do to somehow anticipate a future turnaround?

Mariella Cattaneo
Journalist