Italy’s newest international airline has arrived.
Air Italy made its maiden voyage between Milan and New York in June, marking the beginning of a new airline that brings high-quality travel in true Italian style.
TravelPulse went one-on-one with Ron Glickman, the USA Sales Manager for Air Italy.
Glickman very recently joined Air Italy and its commercial team in this role, but he has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the travel industry.
“I am excited to take on this new challenge. I am bringing with me over 10 years of industry experience to a completely renewed Italian carrier and spearheading our commercial strategy in the US as it pertains to the travel trade. To achieve this, we have contracted APG as our GSA to provide us with a faster entrance to the market,” Glickman said.
MORE Airlines & Airports
APG is the world’s largest and most successful GSA airline representation network, partnering with over 200 valued airline clients.
Glickman tells TravelPulse what travelers should know about Air Italy:
TravelPulse: What are the key flight destinations for Air Italy? What types of aircraft does Air Italy operate?
Ron Glickman: Air Italy has chosen Milan Malpensa as its hub. The key flights of the carrier will be concentrated in Milan.
Regarding the USA, at the beginning of June, we launched a daily non-stop service from New York JFK to Milan Malpensa and four weekly flights from Miami to Milan.
These new Air Italy routes are operated with an Airbus A330-200, equipped with 24 seats in Business Class and 236 seats in Economy Class. We offer a new travel experience to our passengers, thanks to an exclusive service in business class and a comfortable environment in economy class.
Both the intercontinental routes from the US connect with our domestic flights to Central and Southern Italy, operated with new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. Thus our customers can fly from New York or Miami to the most famous and picturesque locations in Italy such as Rome, Naples (Campania), Palermo and Catania (Sicily), Lamezia Terme (Calabria) and Olbia (Sardinia), with a high level of comfort for the entire duration of their trip.
TP: What makes Air Italy stand out from other airlines?
RG: The new Air Italy aims to redefine the Italian airline, based on excellence and high standards, being fresh and sophisticated, international and innovative and offering a premium enhanced travel experience in a true Italian style, both in Economy and in Business class.
Economy Class travelers can enjoy state of the art audio/video entertainment on demand, Wi-Fi and USB charge ports at their comfortable 31-inch pitch seats that also feature individual neck rests. We have crafted menu with different options for the intercontinental flights, including pizza and gelato.
For Business Class travelers on our intercontinental flights, we provide a very high standard of service starting with our flatbed seats with USB charge ports, Wi-Fi and state of the art audio/video entertainment on demand. Our Italian hospitality features one of a kind a la carte dining including gourmet gelato and Italian espresso. When you’re ready to go to sleep, we also offer a turndown service featuring an Italian mattress, pajamas and slippers for overnight flights, as well as our unique amenity kits by Fedon.
TP: How does Air Italy work with Travel Agents?
RG: We recognize the important role that the travel agent community has in North America, not just in regards to sales but also their ability to play a role in marketing our product to the public. Working with APG, we have developed an expansive product offering for the travel agent community based on market segment and needs. Because we are operating in a travel market that is as mature as the US and a network of diverse markets with different cultures such as Italy, India, Egypt, Cuba, Thailand, Russia, Senegal, Ghana, and Nigeria we really need to ensure that we have the appropriate products available to be successful here.
TP: Who is the target market for Air Italy? Who would be your ideal guest?
RG: The largest market we serve currently is that of Italy, for obvious reasons. Around our hub of Milan-Malpensa, the Lombardy region contains one-sixth of Italy’s population and nearly a fifth of Italy’s GDP is produced in the region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country. The region is known as one of “The Four Motors” of Europe for these reasons.
But there is no ideal guest for us. We see our role as boosting tourism to Italy as well as serving the world as a high-quality Italian carrier that provides safe and seamless connectivity through Milan-Malpensa.
TP: What is Air Italy’s ultimate goal in the travel industry?
RG: First and foremost, our immediate goal is to provide the industry with a safe and reliable product to offer to their clients. Second is together with APG, establish ourselves in the local trade community and work with them in promotion of our destinations to the travel public.
Long-term, we look forward to providing the industry with new and exciting destinations to experience and sell via our Milan-Malpensa hub all with our Italian sophistication and service.
In the United States, Air Italy is represented by APG USA and their General Sales Agents (GSA). They are located in NYC and Miami, with a staff of 8 highly experienced Sales and Inside Sales Managers. For questions related to Air Italy and other airlines they represent, please contact APG at 1-800-380-6541 or visit their website www.apg-ga.us
|
