It’s been too long.
My observant readers will have probably noticed that I haven’t written in some time, which has mostly been up to the unfortunate reality of having a full-time job next to this blog. Now that things have slowed down slightly, I’m trying to get back into a more regular writing rhythm, and plan to have more reviews like this at a higher frequency.
First up, we have a review of my short but superb hop from Tel Aviv to Rome on Italy’s revamped flag carrier, ITA Airways. The seat, the service, and the food were faultless, and this was, without a doubt, the best 3-hour flight I’ve ever taken. In fact, it was the most pleasant narrow-body experience I’ve ever had. Given its quality and its competitive ticket price, this is one of the few business class tickets I wouldn’t hesitate to pay for in cash rather than miles.
Before anyone buys a Rome to Amsterdam flight, keep in mind that intra-European flights on these gorgeous A321neo will not feature the same food, drink (espressos!), amenity kits, or general level of service. That said, I’d book this flight for the hard product alone.
How I Booked My ITA Airways Business Class Ticket
I paid $559 for a one-way ticket from Tel Aviv to Amsterdam through Rome. Considering both legs were on ITA’s gorgeous new A321neo, and that a one-way economy class ticket out of Tel Aviv was around $300, I was pleased with that price.
My flight details were as follows:
- AZ807
- Tel Aviv (TLV) – Rome (FCO)
- Departure: 2:30 PM
- Arrival: 5:15 PM
- Scheduled Flight Time: 3h 45m
- Business Class, Seat 1A
Check-In, Boarding & Takeoff
Ben Gurion is among the most secure airports on the planet. Practically, that means spending more time in security lines, even if you’re flying business; in all, about an hour passed from the time I arrived at the airport to the moment I reached the boarding gate.
Amusingly, because of extensive radar jamming, my Flightradar24 app welcomed me to Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport as my train pulled into Ben Gurion.
Our departure was scheduled for 2:30 PM, but the incoming flight only arrived at the gate around 2:45. Fortunately, I was able to wait in a lounge near the boarding gate, where I was afforded an awesome view of our bird taxiing to the gate.
The plane was cleaned and restocked quickly, and we pushed back around 3:20.
ITA Airways A321neo Business Class Cabin & Seats
It’s hard to overstate just how great ITA’s new A321neos are. For one, the bright blue livery is resplendent and dazzled under the sunny Tel Aviv sky. The inside of the plane is even more impressive, and several boarding passengers were taken aback enough by the business class section that they paused to take pictures.
I too was taken aback. I’ve been on narrow bodies with lie flats before, but there’s something particularly impressive here that I can’t quite put my finger on.
The cabin contains 12 seats spread across six rows in a 1-1 reverse herringbone configuration. It’s obviously not ideal if you’re traveling as a couple, but for solo travelers, it affords a fantastic degree of privacy.
The 1-1 configuration and the fact that there are just six rows make the cabin feel quite intimate, while the white leather seats, wood surfaces, and blue lighting lend the space elegance and class. I also really love the ITA logo.
The overhead bins are just about the largest I’ve seen on a plane of this size. These are part of Airbus’s Airspace cabin concept introduced back in 2016, and they’ve done a fantastic job here.
I was in seat 1A which, along with 1F, is substantially roomier than the other 10 seats in the cabin. For reference, it felt a lot like the bulkhead business class seats on Virgin’s new A330, JetBlue’s A321, or Air France’s A350. This much room on such a small plane really impressed me.
The seat itself is 22-inch wide—making it wider than the A330 Upper Class seats that Virgin uses on far longer flights. On the left side of the seat (the window side) is a large, wood textured surface and two windows. It’s spacious and accommodated my 13-inch laptop.
A sizable storage compartment swivels out. For the vainer travelers among us, there’s a mirror on the inside of the door.
Below the storage compartment is a headphone jack, USB C, and USB A ports.
Immediately to the left of the seat is a capacitive touchpad that adjusts the seat and an IFE remote with a touch-sensitive pad that I found intuitive. Just above the remote is a dimmable reading light.
A large tray table that easily accommodated my 13-inch laptop slides out from underneath the lefthand counter.
In front of the seat was a 17″ 4K touchscreen display which was crisp and responsive.
Above the seat is an air vent, which makes getting to a comfortable sleeping temperature easy.
Since I was seated in the bulkhead, my suite was nearly a square, so I had nearly limitless foot room.
Non-bulkhead seats contain a footwell, but they’re very spacious—even more than those on many widebody lie flats I’ve seen.
Amenities
ITA’s business class amenity kit is a white fabric toiletry bag. It contained earplugs, a toothbrush, toothpaste, eye mask, socks, and something called a soothing mask. Business class passengers also received a separate pair of white slippers.
Regardless of its contents, getting a proper amenity kit and a pair of slippers on a three-and-a-half-hour flight is uncommon and impressive.
Entertainment & Wi-Fi
ITA’s IFE is okay. The hardware itself is great—I love the crisp, bright, responsive screen and the fact that I could pair my headphones to the system via Bluetooth. The selection of movies and TV shows, on the other hand, was limited. It was more than enough for a short flight, but I’d expect something more expansive on long-haul routes.
The interactive map was unavailable throughout the flight, and I was told that this was because of radar jamming in and around Israeli airspace. I’m not sure whether this is actually the case, so if any readers know more about this, I’d love to know.
All ITA’s A330neos have Wi-Fi, though it’s not cheap. The free tier, with speeds of 20kbps, is virtually unusable, even for messaging.
Lunch Service
Fortunately, unlike on an intra-European ITA flight, a full a la carte menu was offered, from which I ordered a zucchini starter and amberjack main course.
About twenty minutes after takeoff, a tablecloth was laid across my tray table and my zucchini tartare, as well as a small plate of cut fruit and bread roll, was brought out. I’m usually not a big fan of uncooked zucchini, but this dish was delicious.
Soon after I finished my appetizer, I was served my amberjack with potato and green beans. Fish on a plane is always a gamble, and this one didn’t pay off.
The fish was dry and fishy—so much so that I asked whether I could have the pasta instead. My request was granted and luckily the pasta was much, much nicer.
For dessert, I had a cheese plate comprising Asiago, Salva Cremasco, and Pecorino Sardo, all of which were excellent.
Except for the fish, the meal was superlative. It’s also worth noting that ITA served proper espresso drinks on this flight, though I chose not to partake.
Bed
This was a short flight, but a plush pillow and substantial comforter were nonetheless provided. I took a quick nap after lunch and found the seat’s bed mode to be exceptionally comfortable. I had a massive amount of room to move around and fell asleep quickly.
Bathrooms
There’s one lavatory at the front of the business class cabin, which should be sufficient for even a full flight of 12 passengers. On my flight, the cabin was around half full, so there was never a line for the toilet.
The lavatory itself looks good and was kept clean throughout the flight. Given how diminutive the A321neo is, the lavatory is surprisingly spacious.
Service
While the service wasn’t particularly warm, the flight attendants on this flight were efficient and professional. Overall, they did a great job.
Landing in Rome
We began to descend into Rome around 5:10 PM, and I was treated to a view of Italy’s west coast and the Laziale countryside. We touched down at 5:40 PM and pulled up to a remote stand 10 minutes later.
After deplaning, we were packed tightly into several unairconditioned before making the 10-minute drive to the terminal. A dedicated business class bus could really improve the ground service here.
Conclusion
I travel back and forth between Israel and Europe frequently, and this is my new favorite way to do so for two reasons.
First, business class on ITA’s A321neo is an excellent value, often priced below other business class flights between Israel and Europe. Second, its soft product (the food, drink, and service) is better than those alternatives and its hard product (the cabin and seats) is orders of magnitude better than other narrowbodies. I’d even go so far as to say that ITA’s A321neo’s seats beat out the lie flats on wide body Air France and Virgin planes that fly between Paris or London and Israel.
Overall, besides some fishy amberjack, this flight was faultless, and it ended far too quickly. I can’t wait to take it again—hopefully soon.
