What’s It Like To Fly ITA Airways Business Class Between NYC and Palermo?

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We recently flew ITA Airways Business Class departing from JFK in New York (through Rome) to Palermo, Italy, and returned home to New York from Milan, with a change in planes in Rome. 

ITA’s predecessor, Alitalia, had a reputation for being somewhat unreliable, so we were a bit reluctant to fly the “newish” ITA but were persuaded by the substantial savings in Business Class fares compared to the competition. 

What is ITA Airways?

ITA (pronounced ee-tah) Airways is the successor to the debt-ridden Alitalia Airlines, which was taken over by the Italian government in 2020. However, the airline’s financial woes persisted and worsened after the pandemic, leading to the lengthy process of ITA purchasing Alitalia’s assets.

Lufthansa was once a competitor to ITA, but in January 2025, the German airline finalized a deal with Italy,  acquiring a 41% minority stake in ITA that will gradually increase to 100%. Lufthansa now has operational control over ITA.

ITA has a fleet of 99 aircraft (22 wide and 77 narrow-body). Although the planes have been repainted blue, ITA planes still fly with the familiar red, white, and green colors on their tails.

The airline flies to cities across Italy and also has direct flights to other European capitals and other countries.

ITA is a member of the SkyTeam Alliance, which ensures transfers to 19 other international carriers. ITA Airway also has its own loyalty program called Volare. But the airline announced in February 2025, that it will be leaving SkyTeam and will join the Star Alliance, which includes United and Air Canada.

Also in February, the airline paid homage to its heritage by introducing an “Inspired by Alitalia” branding on the bodies of three of its latest-generation aircraft. In the future, the initiative will be expanded to other aircraft to elevate ITA’s global recognition. 

Flying Business Class on ITA

Flying Business Class is always costly, but given the length of the flight and the chance to sleep in a lie-flat seat, we decided to bite the bullet. 

ITA Airway’s Business Class long-haul flights include some perks, such as:

• Priority check-in and boarding
• Expedited security
• Lounge access
• Two free bags plus a carry-on and accessory
• Dine anytime food ordering in-flight
• Amenity kits
• Quicker disembarkation

More spacious seating is another clear advantage, given the post-COVID upsurge in respiratory viruses.

Because no no-stop ITA flights were offered, we flew from New York City JFK to Rome Fiumicino Airport, where we changed planes for the approximately one-hour flight to Palermo. After our trip to Sicily, we wanted to spend some time in Milan, so we flew from Palermo to Milan Linate. We returned home from Milan Linate to Rome Fiumicino, where we boarded a non-stop flight back to JFK. 

ITA operated all five flights.

The ITA Airways Experience

Priority Boarding 

The process was smooth and efficient. Despite a few people ahead, the line moved swiftly, unlike the daunting lines for economy class.

ITA Airways Lounge Access

ITA Lounge at New York JFK

Our ITA flight departed from the very antiquated Terminal 1 at JFK. ITA had no lounge of its own, so, at check-in, we were given a pass to use the Lufthansa Lounge, which was comfortable enough. 

The lounge offered immediate access but was a bit crowded, making it hard to find seating. It also wasn’t easy to find outlets to charge devices. There were hot and cold options at the buffet food bar. Don’t miss the warm German pretzels.

ITA Lounge at Rome Fiumicino

The appealing ITA lounge in Terminal 3 in Rome features a large central bar offering Italian pastries, salumi, homemade pizza, cocktails, and more. On our return flight, we spent time in the ITA lounge in Terminal 1, which was also comfortable.

One glaring omission was outlets to charge US (as opposed to European) appliances, like our cell phones, but we had brought our own adapter.

Both lounges had adequate lavatory facilities. 

The airline announced that in March 2025, ITA passengers will have access to some 130 Lufthansa Group lounges and its partners worldwide.

“Living Room” (as it’s called in the trade)

Our long-haul non-stop flight to Rome was on an older Alitalia aircraft, an A330. The cabin configuration in Business Class was 1-2-1 (the middle seats are sometimes called loveseats), with four seats abreast. 

Although the plane had been renovated and reconfigured, there were remnants of the past. We estimate that our plane was more than 20 years old, and it wasn’t pristine. With turbulence, you could hear a lot of clattering noises.

Our transatlantic flight from Rome to New York was on a newer, more visutally appealing A320neo with a quieter engine, smoother flight, and more comfortable seats.

Seating

From New York to Rome, we sat in seats 1J and 2L, right behind each other, one seat next to the window and the other next to the aisle. The window seat offers more privacy. Had loveseats been available, we would have been able to communicate with each other, which was challenging with our seat configuration.

On the flight home, we sat in seats 1A and 2C. We would highly discourage sitting in 1A because it is close to the galley and bathroom, and there is constant movement and noise nearby.

Although adjustments weren’t intuitive, the seats were comfortable and were definitely a step above Premium Economy. You can fully extend your legs, the seats lie flat, and you are given a pillow, comforter, and slippers.

Every seat has direct aisle access, so no one will disturb or climb over another passenger or wake them when they catch some Zs. 

Storage Space

In Business Class, overhead cabins were not only sizable but also plentiful. 

The seat pods offered ample room to stow carry-ons, overcoats, and bags. Upon entering the cabin, bottled water was already placed at each seat, which had a convenient reading light (in addition to the overhead one) and a USB port.

Each passenger is also given an eco-friendly amenity kit with sleep socks, an eye mask, a dental kit, earplugs, and another travel wellness pouch with 7 different creams, including shower gel. Although functional, the amenity kit wasn’t one you would necessarily want to keep after your flight. 

On-Board Entertainment

Touch-screen entertainment offered a limited number of Italian and international movies and TV series. One could also play games or listen to music with comfortable headphones hung at each seat. However, why stay awake when you can recline your seat and sleep?

The entertaining safety message on the screen before takeoff featured a series of Italian Olympic stars.

An onscreen flight tracker allows passengers to follow their flights and see how much longer they will be in the air. 

Lavatory Check

The lavatory was located adjacent to the galley at the front of the plane and was better attended to than on most other flights. One advantage of an older plane is slightly larger lavatories, which are constantly shrinking in size.

Food and Beverages

The opportunity to dine on an Italian carrier on your way to Italy raises expectations.

Each passenger in our cabin received a wine list (with white, red, and rose wines) and a menu organized like one in Italy. Dinner included an aperitivo, two options of antipasti, two primi choices of pasta, two secondi (main courses) and three desserts.

The meal service included a white napkin covering the tray table and real dinnerware and utensils. Although the menu looked nice on paper, the quality and preparation of the food was disappointing. 

Both main courses on our outbound flight, described below, were too complicated and almost inedible:

Pork Fillet with Prunes and Balsamic Vinegar Sauce

Pork tenderloin medallion, wrapped with pancetta, served with balsamic vinegar sauce and prunes, accompanied by roast potatoes and sauteed swiss chard.

“Stuffed “Calamaro”

“Calamaro” stuffed with breadcrumbs, pecorino cheese, sultana raisins, and field herbs, accompanied by sauteed fresh Swiss chard and champignon mushrooms.

With so many courses, you may decline one or two, but our advice is to not miss the pasta.

The Italian breakfast included juice, yogurt, warmed bakery selections, a fruit plate, and espresso or way-too-strong Italian instant coffee (in addition to tea or milk).  A light snack was also served on both flights.

The bilingual cabin crew was well-trained and accommodating.

Is it Worthwhile to Fly ITA Airways Roundtrip between New York and Palermo?

Yes.

We appreciated that we were able to catch some shuteye on both long-distance flights. Our trip was reasonably comfortable and all five flights had minimal delays. In addition, we saved about $1500 per Business Class ticket over an alternative carrier, a substantial saving. 

However, we would definitely fly ITA Airways again and would try to book flights on one of the newer aircraft. ITA offers a mini-immersion in Italian culture before you arrive in Italy, and we suspect that flights will even get better as the airline fleet grows. 

Learn more about ITA Airways

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