I wish I could say the problems with ITA Airways happened once, but unfortunately they affected BOTH ends of our trip to Italy.
We were traveling as a group to celebrate our friends' 10-year anniversary. What should have been an exciting beginning to a special trip started with an approximately SIX-HOUR delay, followed by our flight being CANCELLED.
What made it worse was the lack of communication. The emails we received told us the flight was delayed and eventually cancelled, but did not explain why. We spent hours waiting, trying to figure out what was happening and how we were going to get to Italy.
Then came our return trip on September 12, 2026.
Once again, we experienced a significant delay and had to deal with the stress of trying to get new flight arrangements. At the airport, passengers were standing in line waiting for assistance from an ITA agent. Despite having several people already waiting in her line, the agent closed her lane.
When the agent returned, she simply announced that her lane was closed and told everyone to move to another line.
There was no attempt to keep passengers in the order they had already been waiting. People who had been at the back were suddenly able to move ahead of passengers who had been near the front.
It would have taken very little effort to handle that professionally and make sure the people who had already waited the longest kept their place.
Instead, it felt like one more example of passengers being treated as an inconvenience when we were already stressed, tired, and trying to figure out how we were going to get home.
Because of the changes to our return travel, our group was also separated and unable to sit together.
Delays and cancellations can happen. What separates a good airline from a bad experience is how the airline responds when things go wrong.
For us, ITA failed badly in that area.
The flight disruptions were frustrating enough. The lack of communication, disorganization, difficulty getting assistance, and attitude of some of the staff made the situation considerably worse.
Even trying to submit a compensation claim has been frustrating. I have a valid ticket number, yet ITA's online system says it cannot locate the ticket and will not allow me to proceed with the claim.
Our anniversary trip began with an ITA cancellation and ended with another major ITA disruption.
That is not the experience anyone should have after paying for international airfare.
At this point, I am seeking appropriate compensation for both disrupted portions of our trip. More importantly, I hope ITA looks seriously at how passengers are treated when flights are disrupted. People standing in an airport after hours of delays do not need indifference. They need information, organization, and employees willing to help.
Based on my experience, I will NOT be booking ITA Airways again. read more