Hello everyone
As Christmas time approached I investigated the best solution to visit my family in Rome
Being out-of-office from 24rd Dicember to 2nd January I searched for flights or trains from the 23rd evening to the 30th evening. This was done in order to celebrate NYE with my friends in northern Italy
I checked Aeroitalia from BGY (my current home airport) and the flight schedule was not feasable with my needs, also considering each leg was around 100 euros with bag only
ITA offers hourly flights from LIN (50 km from my home) but for 120 euros one way
Trenitalia and Italo train operators had the same prices
I asked a dear friend of mine who works for AZ and he found me a good solution for 110 euros in total
23rd Dic LIN-FCO 20:00-21:10
30th Dic FCO-LIN 19:00-20:10
Leaving Milan at 20 would give me enough time to leave my office near Bergamo at 17, drive to Milan, leave the car and get to LIN in time
Arriving in LIN at 20.10 would mean be home around 22
Both tickets came with checked luggage
THE FLIGHT
After a pleasant week at home celebrating holidays it’s time to come back to northern Italy for NYE
With the flight scheduled for 19 I set to leave my family’s house around 17
Being Monday and with many people already left the day before traffic didn’t pose a great issue
The short-term parking was a bit crowded and we had some issues to find a spot
Getting insider Terminal 1 around 17:45
Despite the crowd ITA’s desk were almost empty
I was able to check my luggage in no time
Since the system had assigned me 24C I asked the lady if a window seat available
She told me a few windows were available in the last rows, but due to weight-and-balance she wasn’t able to change it
By the way she invited me to ask the crew once onboard
After greeting my parents I took my way straight to the security area
Half of the lane were closed and this made the process slower than usual
In 10 minutes I was airside
The boarding lounge was quite busy
This Christmas themed signage is very funny in my opinion
My gate appeared on the screen: A31, at the beginning of the pier
The internal lighting made spotting quite difficult, however I was able to get a couple of shots of my aircraft
ITA Airways Airbus A320, EI-EIE
First flight on 9th December 2010 (14 years old at the moment of the flight) and delivered to AZ in the same month
It's dedicated to Italian alpine skier Gustav Thöni
The gate was ready to open
Ten minutes before scheduled BPs started to be scanned
As passengers were called for groups and I was in the 3rd one I was able to get onboard without a big queue
Mandatory pics
I asked to the cabin crew member at the door if any window seat was available
He directed me to 5A
Fifteen minutes before scheduled departure boarding was completed
Doors were armed and closed moments later
Minutes before 19 we left the stand
Lufthansa A321 pulling into a gate
Taxi was quite fast and in a few minutes we reached runway 25
Taking off eight minutes after planned
Being on the port side on FCO LIN route means facing the sea for the first half of the flight
Total darkness at this time
I take advantage of this to relax
15 minutes into the flight a drink service was delivered
35 minutes after leaving Rome the cabin was prepared for landing
Meanwhile Lombardy appeared below
A1 (Milan-Naples) and A50 (Milan West Ring Road) motorway interchange
San Giuliano and San Donato Milanese, two suburbs south of Milan
At 19:56, fourteen minutes before scheduled, we gently touched down in Milano-Linate Airport
Taxi was quick and we stopped moments later into a remote stand
Perfect to enjoy this stunning blue fuselage
Spotting an Aeroitalia Boeing 737 and an Air France A320 getting to the Terminal
Stepping inside the building at the exact moment of the scheduled arrival
As I was waiting the baggage I booked a car using Enjoy’s app, one of the two car sharing operators I use most
The reservation gives 20 minutes free before starting the rent
The baggage came out immediately and I went straight to the multi storey car park
Unfortunately the app and the car weren’t able to communicate to start the rent
I had to call the costumer service to block the reservation since the app was not working
Luckily three cars from another service I use (Free2Move) were available and I get one in no time
I drove to Udine square, where I had left my car, had a light dinner and ride back to San Pellegrino
I arrived home around 22.30
Wish everyone a 2025 full of flights
