I'm choosing between Alitalia and US Airways - which is better in Economy class?

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Flying to Italy this summer, and I'm choosing between Alitalia and US Airways. Which airline offers the better economy flight experience? Any hope for IFE on demand?

Depends where you are departing from. Alitalia has direct service from most major US gateways to Italy. With US Airways you will have to go through their hubs in Philadelphia or Baltimore. Neither airline has IFE on demand except possibly US Airways on their Airbus A330's (check their website). You can be guaranteed IFE on both British Airways & Virgin Atlantic through London or if you really want a treat fly Singapore airlines from JFK to Frankfurt and then connect to Italy using Lufthansa (both are star alliance members). Bon Voyage!

Forget IFE on AZ. My last experience was return CDG/MXP/BUE in C on a 777. The sound was very bad, the choice poor. Concerning the food, if it's in economy like the business on short haul, bring your sandwich with you!

I've flown US Airways both short and long haul and Alitalia short haul. I haven't had any problems on US and I think their coach class service is comparably to other United States carriers. You do have to pay for headsets, even on long haul, but if you have your own you can use it onboard. Alitalia was OK for short haul, but I'd take US over them. US Airways uses two different planes for flights to Italy - flights to Rome are on their fairly new Airbus 330s. These have video on-demand in every seat and are pretty comfortable overall. Milan and Venice use old 767s which are going to be retired soon, and they are showing their age. IFE is weak and the seats could be better. So if you're flying to Rome, definitely go with US, but for other airports, I'd check how Alitalia's long haul service is.

I would reluctantly choose US Airways as Alitalia has slipped even further in quality. Be sure to bring some snacks and water with you, because like most of the American carriers, you will get very little in the way of food and drink, perhaps as few as two "hydration" runs during the long flight. As for AVOD, US Airways does have that on at least some of their A330s, so you may want to check which type of aircraft is operated on your flight. Honestly, can't you fly with BA or LH and simply change planes in Europe?

Becareful of AZ, the summer is strike season, and beccomes a nightmare of epic proportion. And if you are in Rome, FCO is a disaster when AZ strikes (which can happen without warning of more than 24 hrs notice, if you get it). That being said, I would reluctantly suggest US. However, at times BA website offers cheap Club tickets (as much as 1/2 a full Y ticket on US carriers). Good luck

Agree with Nightowl - A change even at Heathrow or Frankfurt is better than spending 7+ hours on either of these poor excuses for airlines. If you want a US carrier - even United through IAD to Rome would be better (not much, but still better) and you would get US miles if you collect them.

Unusual choice, I'd connect somewhere in Europe myself, but I'd chose US Air ONLY on flights on A330s. I find IFE a major factor in choosing long haul travel. US Air A330s have individual seat back screens although you have to pay for headsets. Their B767s which they're hanging on to till they get B787s have ceiling mounted screens. Alitalia don't offer a consistant product. If it was with my money, I'd travel through London where the Atlantic is more competitive and thus a better product.

Between the two, I'd go for Alitalia. They now have some direct flights to Rome and Milan, prices are fair and quality is decent. Food is rather poor but they keep a free bar service with drinks and snacks at the rear of the plane. Plus, they usually have very good wines.

I flew Alitalia from Toronto to Tel Aviv through Milan, last month. Since I do not have big demands the flight was OK. The food was good, as long as you do not order a special meal. Limited selection of drinks. No real juices, only Italian orange drinks and maybe 2 kinds of pop. The cabin was clean, the seats were comfy with good legroom. Entertainment system did not work on the way back (audio). I chose Alitalia because it was the cheapest airline for my trip, and for all its shortcomings it was a good choice. As a bonus, I stayed in Rome on the way back with no extra stop over fee. Bottom line. Alitalia provides air travel without bells and whistles. If their airfares are significantly cheaper than US go with Alitalia.

Despite European airlines having a generally better reputation, I would in this case select US Airways. Alitalia has deteriorated significantly in quality and service. Recently I flew long haul with Alitalia from Amsterdam to Miami and on the sector from MXP to Miami the crew only came by twice with drinks during the 10-hr flight. IFE on the 777 was ok, if you were lucky to sit in a row where it worked. On the 767 it's non-existent; you're limited to screens in the aisles. Oh, and don't expect to get anything to eat between meal services as they have NOTHING, no joke. Not even rolls left oer from the meal services. US Airways has more comfortable seats and the AVOD is nice on the 330 aircraft. Yes, the crew may be a bit flighty and unprofessional, but they're miles ahead of their Italian counterparts. So I would recommend selecting the lesser of two evils: US. Others have even recommended flying with LH; but watch out, they do not offer any individual IFE and they fly through Frankfurt, which also means very high airport taxes. So open up your options and shop around rather than limiting yourself to US and AZ.

Have a look at Eurofly - fairly decent airline and goes to the smaller cities such as Bologna and Venice from New York. They are a lot better than US or Alitalia. Fairly expensive but new aircraft and seats. Otherwise go with another airline via, Zurich, London and Frankfurt.

I regularly fly USAir to/from Charlotte and it's certainly not the best airline but based on my Alitalia experiences it's vastly superior. In four trips with Alitalia they have lost luggage three times. I've found the flight crews to be completely uninterested in anything other than sitting in the rear of the plane with the curtain to the passenger cabin closed.