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Alitalia May Soon Enter Joint Venture with Delta, Air France-KLM

Katherine Fan
Katherine Fan
Contributor
Katherine Fan is a former senior travel features reporter at The Points Guy who covered everything from personal finance to travel and aviation.
May 02, 2019
•
2 min read
Alitalia 777 Miami
Alitalia May Soon Enter Joint Venture with Delta, Air France-KLM
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Alitalia may soon join forces with Delta Air Lines and Air France-KLM. The airlines involved are negotiating terms that would grant Italy's flag carrier associate membership into the current transatlantic agreement between Air France, Delta, KLM and Virgin Atlantic.

The Italian airline is already a member of the SkyTeam alliance, meaning that Delta SkyMiles can be earned and spent on its flights, but is not a part of the closer transatlantic joint venture with Delta.

"Nothing is changing from an operational point of view – from a commercial point of view it's just changing the way we remunerate each other on our flights," said Alitalia's chief business officer, Fabio Lazzerini at an event for the launch of Alitalia's new Rome to Washington, DC route, according to FlightGlobal. For passengers, this would mean that Delta SkyMiles and Flying Blue miles will still be earned at the current rate on Alitalia flights; the only change is in the way the airlines split revenue.

In commercial aviation, joint ventures allow separate carriers to operate as a single entity within certain designated markets. Benefits include sharing revenue and splitting costs, minimizing competition on advertising, and streamlining schedules to offer better routing options for travelers. Alitalia currently flies from Milan Malpensa airport (MXP) to New York JFK, and from Rome (FCO) to JFK, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago O'Hare and now DC. It offers a well-regarded business class, premium economy and economy on all its Boeing 777s and Airbus A330s serving the US.

Delta, Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic first pursued US Department of Transportation approval for antitrust immunity in July 2018, and a new appeal will be filed to add Alitalia to the partnership once the airline's terms of associate membership are finalized, which Lazzerini anticipates by the end of May.

Meanwhile, Delta separately continues to investigate a possible investment in bankrupt Alitalia, which is kept afloat by a government loan of 900 million euros. The Atlanta-based US carrier already owns a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic, and an 8.8% stake in Air France-KLM.

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Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits.

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.