Purely a personal (though shared by many Italians) point of view on this debacle...

I'm not going to apologise for saying that Alitalia, it's management, it's unions and the majority if it's staff deserve all they get (or don't get).

They have treated their paying customers like dirt for too long. Their attitude has always been "Well, if you don't like it - VFnC !!!" - Well the public didn't like it, and over the years have voted with their feet - 'off to fly with decent customer orientated airlines"!!!

This malais is inherent I'm afraid in the Italian psyche. Their belief is (and it's often TRUE) that if they are a 'State Employee' they cannot be fired. They have a job for life irrespective of how they perfom that job. The unions have supported this stance for decades by defending the 'indefensible', and now it seems that there is nowhere to go for the Alitalia employees. They've been hung by their own petard.

The choices they have are two as I see it:
1. Accept that X % will no longer have a job, but the remaining X % will.
2. Ensure that their unions do not give in[u] and that Alitalia is no more and will die NOW...

Have you never thought why the Italians began the habit of applauding when an aircraft landed safely?

It's obvious - they are thankful that at least the pilots did some work during the flight!

It seems that pragmatism is the better course here as you suggested Carole. After this morning's carnage on Wall Street, one has to suspect that the indiscriminate flow of money world wide is drying up. I'm curios about views, thoughts from the other side of the ocean.

I flew with Alitalia a few times and on my last flight I was yelled at by a steward and told that all children should remain in their seats until their parents arrived (I was 23 at the time). Needless to say I was not impressed. I thought that even if I was a child, I had only risen from my chair to get a kleenex from my bag so I wasn't doing anything wrong..is this the way they treat children when their parents aren't around? I really let them have it..and filed a personal verbal and written complain to the airline. I was so angry that I never flew with them again (there were other reasons as well).

Simy came here this time with Air Canada and she said there is no comparison over this flight and flying with Alitalia..she actually was able to enjoy a meal (the food was good) and there were personal tv's behind every chairs so you were able to choose whichever movie you wanted to watch.

Carole wrote:

Have you never thought why the Italians began the habit of applauding when an aircraft landed safely? It's obvious - they are thankful that at least the pilots did some work during the flight!

It happened also during my recent flight with Air Canada and the applauding people were not Italians.
I think that's a way to be thankful and period. Just my 2 cents.

This is an interesting article too about the imminent demise (?)

>Alitalia - off into the sunset?"<

The plot thickens... Now the Police are investigating Alitalia's past!

Quote::

"....[an article from World Aeronautical Press Agency at 3.15pm] Airlines 03:15 pm - Tuesday 16th Alitalia (4): Financial Police requests the acquisition of accounts Rome, Italy - An investigation relating to the past of the airline (WAPA) - This morning, on decision of the Rome Prosecutor’s Office, the Financial Police's tax squad has been sent at the Alitalia headquarters. The goal was to acquire the accounts of the last 10 years along with documents relating to the participations of AZ in other companies and contracts. Public Prosecutors Nello Rossi and Stefano Pesci stated the investigation is relating to the past of Alitalia. (Avionews) (050) 080916151547-1094335 (World Aeronautical Press Agency - 2008-09-16 03:15 pm)

Alitalia needs to ring up Paulson and Bernanke. It seems between the Fed and the US government (underwritten by US taxpayers, of course, and an economy that is riddled with cracks and fissures) there is plenty of cash to bail out one more failed, ill-conceived, hopelessly entrenched, self-destructive business! But, hey, I'm just an optimist an optimist at heart