Alitalia

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Former Flight Attendants Strip In Protest of Job Losses

About 50 women were also protesting colleagues' working conditions

(Newser) - About 50 women who until recently were flight attendants for Alitalia staged a protest in Rome on Wednesday in which they stripped off their uniforms and stood chanting in their undergarments. The women chanted “We are Alitalia,” protesting the loss of their jobs, and the working conditions for...

Hundreds Stranded as Italian Airline Shuts Down

Wind Jet stops flights as Alitalia takeover talks fail

(Newser) - Hundreds of travelers have been stranded in Rome after the cash-strapped discount airline Wind Jet stopped all flights over the weekend. Many passengers are camping in the airport until they can find alternative transportation, reports the BBC . The Sicily-based firm is now close to losing its license after takeover talks...

US Fighter Jets Ordered to Shoot Down UFO

Aircraft carrier-sized ship darted off; pilot ordered to keep silent

(Newser) - US fighter jets were ordered to shoot down a UFO over England during the Cold War, newly released files reveal. What appeared to be a massive "aircraft carrier" in the sky hovered before darting off undamaged, said one of the military pilots, who was later threatened by a well-dressed...

Alitalia Gets Reprieve as Pilots Back Takeover Deal

Unions support gov't-backed plan to dodge collapse

(Newser) - Alitalia, the bankrupt Italian air carrier on the brink of collapse, got a reprieve today when its pilots agreed to a government-backed takeover bid by a team of business executives, Bloomberg reports. Pilots’ unions joined ground staff in approving the plan, which calls for 3,000 job cuts and longer...

Italy's National Airline Could Shut Down Within Week

Balky unions have hampered efforts to find buyer for bankrupt Alitalia

(Newser) - Italy’s aviation authority is poised to ground Alitalia permanently if the bankrupt national carrier doesn’t present a credible reorganization plan by Thursday, ANSA reports. The airline is laden with debt and flying under a provisional license, one the aviation authority will revoke if it doesn’t get an...

Italians Impatient With Alitalia Rescue Efforts

Berlusconi's pleas for patriotism fall on deaf ears

(Newser) - Fed up with government efforts to resuscitate Alitalia, many Italians think Rome needs to face reality and let the airline die, Bloomberg reports. PM Silvio Berluconi characterizes Alitalia’s survival as “a matter of national security,” but it hasn't turned a profit in nearly a decade. The latest...

Air France-KLM Pulls Offer for Alitalia

Berlusconi scrambles as bankruptcy looms for Italian carrier

(Newser) - Air France-KLM has withdrawn its offer to buy Alitalia, leaving the cash-poor Italian carrier with few options. In a tersely worded statement, the world's largest airline said its Alitalia overture—which had been opposed by Alitalia's unions—was "no longer valid." With no suitors forthcoming and cash reserves...

Chaos Continues at Heathrow
 Chaos Continues at Heathrow 
Mar 31, 2008 3:33 AM CDT

Chaos Continues at Heathrow

Hundreds of volunteer staffers work to sort out baggage crisis

(Newser) - Hundreds of volunteer British Airways staffers spent their day off yesterday helping to return some of the 15,000 pieces of luggage lost when the state-of-the-art baggage system failed at the airline's new terminal at London's Heathrow airport last week. Scores of tech specialists have also been deployed to fix...

Air France Buys Alitalia in Cut-Rate Deal

Struggling Italian carrier sells for 81% below market value

(Newser) - Embattled Italian airline Alitalia has accepted a severely discounted buyout from Air France, the BBC reports. The $1.17-billion deal, which includes both the airline and its debt, sees Air France take over the Italian carrier at 81% below company's current share price. Alitalia has been in the red for...

Italians Fuss Over Airline Takeover
Italians Fuss Over Airline Takeover
Dec 23, 2007 2:20 PM CST

Italians Fuss Over Airline Takeover

Lobbyists take nationalist stance against deal with Air France-KLM

(Newser) - News that Italy's national airline, Alitalia, is in danger of being taken over by Air France-KLM, the world's biggest airline by revenue, has sparked outrage among Italian interests who fear their local carrier will be stripped of major routes. The government promises to decide Alitalia's fate by mid-January, as politicians...

Air France Offers Alitalia $1B Boost

Struggling Italian airline weighs competing bids from Air France, Air One

(Newser) - Air France-KLM Group sweetened its bid for troubled Italian airline Alitalia today with a plan to raise $1.08 billion to upgrade aircraft and relaunch the brand, and a vow not to cut jobs. Air France is competing with Italy's No. 2 air carrier, Air One, to buy out the...

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