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2 Brindisi Airport is rather poorly served by public transport . Early in the morning , the only viable options are arriving by taxi or being dropped off by family or friends .
3 The gates area is quite stylish and features some seating space at the end . The few shops available only began opening as our boarding process started .
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THE ITALIAN AVIATION landscape has always been a turbulent field in which to play . Regional subsidies , ferocious low-cost competition , and political instability are just some of the causes of the recent failure of airlines like Alitalia , Air Italy , Meridiana , and Air One .
Born from the ashes of Alitalia , ITA Airways ( AZ ) was established at the end of 2021 , when the COVID-19 pandemic was
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reshaping air travel . ITA stands for Italia Trasporto Aereo , or Italian Air Transport , and prides itself on being a new airline . Unfortunately , that is far from the truth .
While ITA ’ s blue livery was intended to highlight its new brand identity , some of its aircraft still wear Alitalia ’ s oldest livery three years later . ITA Airways early on signed a vital partnership to fly a 100 % Airbus fleet . At the 2022 Farnborough Airshow , the airline
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showcased its beautiful A350- 900XWB , basically the direct replacement of Alitalia ’ s Boeing 777-200ER . The fleet renewal process revolves around Airbus , with the Italian carrier flying all of the European OEMs ’ families .
The airline introduced the A220 and A321neo , the A330-900 , and the A350-900XWB to the fleet . With this next generation of airliners , ITA has reopened some of the historic routes previously served by Alitalia and inaugurated new ones to Africa and the Middle East .
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I took my first flight with ITAmonboard its latest product , the Airbus A220-300 , from Brindisi ( BDS ) to Amsterdam ( AMS ) via Milan Linate ( LIN ). The experience turned out to be a rollercoaster of highs and lows . |
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WELCOME TO BRINDISI |
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Brindisi Airport is the gateway to the Salento peninsula , the ‘ heel ’ of Italy ’ s ‘ boot ’ and one of the country ’ s most beautiful , remote , and underrated areas . In 2023 , the airport welcomed over 3 million passengers , This traffic volume is due mainly to a sizeable low-cost presence . |
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Flight AZ1626 , scheduled at 06:20 , was ITA ’ s first ever connection to its Milan Linate hub . I arrived at the airport almost two hours early and was among the first to check in . Here , my hand luggage was weighed , as any carry-ons heavier than 8kg ( 17.6lb ), would have been checked-in free of charge . |
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Security was a breeze , and I reached the gate area in less than five minutes . The area features a few stores , a dutyfree shop , and a bar . Here , I ate an overpriced breakfast before |