Alitalia to Launch Rome-New York Covid-tested Flights

Photo source: @Alitalia

Alitalia and Aeroporti di Roma (Fiumicino) have announced that, as of Tuesday, December 8, all passengers traveling on one of the three weekly flights from and to New York must present a certification proving negativity to Covid 19, carried out within 48 hours prior to the flight, or perform the antigen test directly at the airport before embarking.

For those departing from the United States, upon arrival at Fiumicino they will be asked to perform a new antigen test – a double check that will exempt passengers from the quarantine obligation upon entry into Italy.

Also for these Covid-tested flights, passengers will always be required to wear a protective surgical mask and have a number of spare parts adequate for the duration of the trip, to replace them every four hours.

In addition, before boarding, passengers must complete a self-certification confirming that they have not had close contact with people affected by Covid-19.

Photo source: Aeroporti di Roma

The initiative responds to the needs of passengers who, in a recent market survey, expressed a growing interest in adopting these measures with increasing flight hours. Furthermore, this experimental phase aims to evaluate the effectiveness and functionality of the new travel mode, with the aim of making it more widely available in view of the upcoming summer 2021 season.

The new travel protocol is governed by the ordinance of November 23 of the Italian Minister of Health. The government measure will be in force, unless extended, until February 15, 2021. The restrictions on entry into the United States provided for by the provisions of the American administration remain valid.

With this initiative Alitalia and Aeroporti di Roma extend the Covid-tested flight option, successfully launched last September 16, on two daily domestic flights Rome-Milan and confirm the commitment undertaken, from the earliest stages of the pandemic, to implement measures to prevent and protect the health of passengers and operators.

Photo source: Aeroporti di Roma

All Alitalia aircraft are sanitized daily with highly sanitizing products.

Moreover, Alitalia has introduced a new payment option for its customers using all of the company’s online sales channels. Customers can now purchase air tickets and any additional services through the secure PayPal online payment system. The PayPal payment is available both on the airline’s website and its app for iOS and Android.