Agents upbeat about Alitalia’s return

ALITALIA’S plan to launch
four weekly flights
between Rome and
Johannesburg from April 8
has been welcomed by the
trade. The airline withdrew
from the SA market about
16 years ago.
The A330-200-operated
flight will leave Rome
at 22h10 on Tuesdays,
Thursdays, Saturdays
and Sundays to arrive in
Johannesburg at 08h20 the
following day. Return flights
will depart Johannesburg on
Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays
and Mondays at 21h00 to
arrive in Rome at 07h25 the
following day.
Spokesperson for
Thompsons Holidays, John
Ridler, says an additional
carrier into South Africa will
improve competition and
could result in attractive
promotional fares. This in turn
could boost numbers to Italy,
especially with discounted
fares in the low seasons.
Theresa Szejwallo, md of
The Travel Corporation, says
whether or not the route will
be successful will depend
on whether the fare is
competitive as South Africa
is a price-sensitive market.
“The fare TAAG introduced
on the route to Spain, turned
our business around to
bring Spain into a top-three
position. We’re selling Spain,
Portugal and Morocco like
hotcakes. Let’s see if the
new flights to Italy can
match this.”
Annemarie Lexow, sales
and marketing manager of
Travel Vision, points out that,
although there is no shortage
of connections to Italy, a
direct flight is attractive
because time is a valuable
commodity for long-haul
travellers.
The timing of the new flight
will also appeal to cruise
passengers, as most of the
Middle Eastern carriers only
arrive in Italy in the afternoon,
adds Vicky Steinhardt,
land product manager for
Pentravel. She says Italy has
always been one of the most
popular European countries
for South Africans.