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Italy’s new flag carrier ITA Airways has joined the SkyTeam alliance, replacing the void left by the exit of its predecessor Alitalia.
ITA Airways took over operations from Alitalia on 15 October 2021. At the time, it wasn’t yet clear whether ITA Airways would take Alitalia’s place in the SkyTeam alliance. But it was widely expected that this could happen, so this announcement didn’t come as a surprise to many people.
“Joining SkyTeam is a natural step, enabling us to continue to deliver a global network and seamless experience that customers flying to and from Italy expect. We look forward to close cooperation with our SkyTeam partners to support the start-up of our company, the Italian flag carrier,” ITA Airways Executive Chairman Alfredo Altavilla said.
Although Alitalia has ceased operations, it seems Alitalia’s MilleMiglia frequent flyer program continues to exist (albeit with a new website). At this stage, the only way to redeem MilleMiglia miles appears to be for Lastminute.com vouchers. However, the press release from SkyTeam made the following interesting comment:
SkyTeam has agreed with Alitalia Loyalty to continue the partnership that will enable the six million members of the MilleMiglia frequent flyer program to earn and redeem miles on selected SkyTeam members’ flights, offering a wealth of opportunities and exclusive services.
The SkyTeam alliance now has 19 member airlines including Delta, Vietnam Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Korean Air, Kenya Airways, Air France and KLM.
Given ITA Airways has already launched its own new loyalty program, Volare, it’s not entirely clear where this leaves MilleMiglia. Due to European Union bankruptcy rules, ITA Airways is not allowed to buy MilleMiglia directly from the estate of Alitalia. However, a third party could purchase what’s left of MilleMiglia and then on-sell that to ITA Airways. Perhaps this is the long-term plan for ITA Airways, and the Volare program could eventually be merged with a rehashed MilleMiglia program – the latter of which still has six million members.
Although ITA Airways is now joining the SkyTeam alliance, it doesn’t look like Virgin Australia has any plans to resurrect its partnership with the Italian flag carrier.
SkyTeam status match opportunity with ITA Airways
The announcement of ITA Airways joining the SkyTeam alliance makes the current ITA Airways Volare status match considerably more interesting. (This promotion has been extended multiple times.)
Read more: SkyTeam Status Match with ITA Airways Volare
Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: SkyTeam Status Match – ITA Airways
