Summary
- ITA Airways and Saudia passengers now enjoy enhanced benefits and loyalty program perks through their deepened codeshare partnership.
- Travelers can book single tickets with connecting flights, earn and redeem points, and enjoy priority services, including baggage allowances.
- ITA Airways is expanding its network, with new direct flights to Riyadh using Airbus A321neos, emphasizing growth in the Middle East and North America.
The flag carriers of Italy and Saudi Arabia have announced they are deepening their existing codeshare partnership to include frequent flyer benefits. Passengers can now earn and redeem points and experience airline status perks across both carriers.
Rome to Riyadh
The announcement comes as ITA Airways launches flights from Rome to Riyadh. The first flight landed yesterday (Sunday, June 2nd) and will be followed by routes to Kuwait City, Jeddah, and Dubai, arriving in July, August, and October, respectively. According to the airlines, the partnership between their loyalty programs, ‘AlFursan’ and ‘Volare,’ will provide enhanced benefits, increased travel options, and a broader network of connections for guests traveling between Saudi Arabia and Italy.
Travelers on both airlines will benefit from booking a single ticket for itineraries with connecting flights, checking their luggage into the final destination, and earning and redeeming points for class upgrades and other frequent flyer benefits. Emiliana Limosani, Chief Commercial Officer of ITA Airways and CEO of Volare noted how the change will benefit travelers:
“The collaboration with Saudia marks a significant milestone further expanding Volare’s partnership portfolio and the offering for Members of both programs, who can accumulate and redeem points with ITA Airways and Saudia flights as well as access the benefits of the respective programs”.
Photo: SimoneAmi | Shutterstock
This is especially helpful for SkyTeam Elite and Elite Plus members, who will receive priority check-in and boarding, preferential baggage drop-off counters, and additional baggage allowances on the Saudia flights.
For passengers looking to add an extra destination to the trip, travelers can also benefit from a transit visa that can be issued through digital channels in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia and stop over for up to 96 hours to enjoy the many events in the Kingdom’s regions.
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Saudia has launched a “Your Ticket Your Visa” service, allowing passengers to obtain a stopover transit visa instantly during flight booking.
The move is part of a more extensive expansion in Saudia and across the Kingdom, which is aiming to increase air connectivity to more than 250 destinations and reach 150 million visits by 2030. Speaking on the announcement, Amr Bakor, Head of Program Design and Airline Loyalty at Saudia, expressed excitement for the increased cooperation:
“This partnership is designed to enhance the travel experience for our guests by offering increased connectivity and a wider range of destinations. AlFursan’s members will also enjoy reciprocal benefits, allowing them to earn and redeem miles seamlessly across both airlines.”
“We are thrilled about this partnership and confident that it will bring significant value to our guests, and we look forward to serving them better together with ITA Airways.”
A codeshare agreement between the airlines is already operational and covers destinations across the carrier’s respective networks.
ITA Airways is on the move
The Italian carrier is continuing to expand significantly in the long-haul market. Launching its new direct flight from Rome Fiumicino to Riyadh marks the company’s first connection to the Middle East. The flights, along with those to Jeddah and Kuwait, will be operated by the carrier’s fleet of Airbus A321neos, which seats 12 passengers in business class, 12 in premium economy, and 141 in economy (including 12 dedicated to Comfort Economy).
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Passengers as young as two can now collect points on Skyteam flights and with partners of the Volare program.
The agreement follows the news that ITA has signed codeshare agreements with Aeromexico and Emirates as it continues to increase the offerings available to passengers. Andrea Benassi, General Manager of ITA Airways, noted just how significant the airline’s growth has been over the past several years:
“We are pleased to extend our codeshare agreement with Saudia Airlines. This partnership enhances ITA Airways’ commercial strategy of growth and increases connectivity for our passengers. With this agreement, ITA Airways now boasts 37 codeshare agreements, achieved in less than three years since beginning of our operations.
“This collaboration underscores the importance of Saudi Arabia as a strategic market for ITA Airways, particularly for business travel, as highlighted by the recent launch of our Rome-Riyadh nonstop flight and the upcoming Rome-Jeddah flight in August.”
Photo: Davide Calabresi I Shutterstock
In addition to the Middle Eastern growth, ITA is investing heavily in its North American network, with flights to Toronto and Chicago coming online earlier this spring.