It’s been far too long since I’ve written about the worst airline ever, but now seemed like the right time to jump back in and check on ITA, or Alitalia in disguise.
ITA and the Italian government had dreamed of having one of the big airline groups take a stake for years, but they were never able to nail down a suitor. That’s what happens when you are a sustained train wreck.
When we last left off in May of 2023, Lufthansa Group (LHG) agreed to buy a 41 percent stake in the airline for €325 million which would bring ITA into the LHG stable of airlines. The deal was done, pending regulatory approval.
Naturally, it couldn’t be just a simple transaction. Now, the European Commission has told LHG that the “preliminary” view is that this acquisition “may restrict competition.”
This is probably true. When you have a mess of an airline like ITA that is run more for the employees than anyone else, putting a competent management team from another airline…
#featured #travelnews
