
Alitalia
filed for bankruptcy yesterday after decades of financial struggles. The airline will continue operating, although its losses are now at €2 million per day. The company is proposing to split the company in two, cut thousands of jobs, and bring in a foreign airline to take over. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi insists that Alitalia remain in Italian hands (likely meaning a merger with Air One), a condition that led to
the collapse of Air France-KLM plans to take over earlier this year.
What does this mean for Alitalia Virtual? Earlier this year
I discussed our position, which has not changed: we will continue to offer Alitalia Virtual. To add on to what I said back in March though, the exact form will be decided in the future—it could be the present with Discontinued Flights, or we might opt to revert to a historical version a la Varig Virtual.