Alitalia... the airline from hellia...
Seriously, what kind of airline doesn't allow a Nintendo Game Boy? When I sat down today on the first leg of 15 hour trip, imagine my shock and awe when the flight attendant told my and my almost 5 year old travel companion that we couldn't use his Game Boy. I actually thought she meant that we couldn't use it before take off but in fact, she meant we couldn't use it at all on the flight. Alitalia even has gone so far as to print it on their "safety" cards. (See image above.) Honestly, nothing makes me feel safer than knowing that Super Mario Brothers could crash this plane. Wait, isn't Mario Italian? You'd think we'd get some exception. The Game Boy pictured on the safety card is also a Game Boy Color which is probably circa 1999... even the card's print date is 2001. Other things banned on this airline include any CD or DVD players and laptops can only be used if the optical drive is not operated during the flight. Come on... really? Do they really think with the 50+ people using their laptops that not one of them is using their DVD drive? Or that everyone on the plane is smart enough to turn off their wireless? At what point is this airline going to get into the new millennium and not go into panic mode the moment someone's digital watch starts to beep. [Note, due to connectivity issues, this was written a week ago but posted later. The date stamp shows the original time of writing.]
Comments
That is outrageous that you can't use gameboy.
Posted by: Joshua Lowry | February 25, 2006 2:11 PM
Yep. Even to stop my 2-year-old daughter from screaming we were not allowed to use our DVD player. We even spoke to the captain, who told me it was Italian law.
And just to go off the electronics topic, but continue to bash Alitalia... At the ticket counter, they allowed us to carry the airline-approved carseat for my daughter to use. However, once we got to the gate, they told us they were not allowed. Then why did your ticket agent let me drag this monster through the airport?
Finally, in the US, we are told the keep infants outside the seatbelt when holding them on our laps. The pressure of an adult against a child into the seatbelt could severely injure a child, if not kill them. Not on an Italian airline, though. Keep 'em strapped in and hope you don't hit turbulence.
I'm stuck with Alitalia for my flight home, but that's the last time they will ever get my business.
Posted by: Allan | June 4, 2006 2:43 PM
Yep. Even to stop my 2-year-old daughter from screaming we were not allowed to use our DVD player. We even spoke to the captain, who told me it was Italian law.
And just to go off the electronics topic, but continue to bash Alitalia... At the ticket counter, they allowed us to carry the airline-approved carseat for my daughter to use. However, once we got to the gate, they told us they were not allowed. Then why did your ticket agent let me drag this monster through the airport?
Finally, in the US, we are told the keep infants outside the seatbelt when holding them on our laps. The pressure of an adult against a child into the seatbelt could severely injure a child, if not kill them. Not on an Italian airline, though. Keep 'em strapped in and hope you don't hit turbulence.
I'm stuck with Alitalia for my flight home, but that's the last time they will ever get my business.
Posted by: Allan | June 4, 2006 2:54 PM
I felt the same way Allan. It was my first and last trip ever with them. Italian law? Seriously? How about update that law.
Posted by: joshua | June 5, 2006 12:48 PM
This may be a bit late but I found your blog looking for info about Alitalia and car seats for our flight to the Philippines. I just wanted to chime in on how this place (Italy) can be backwards while majority of the world has moved forward on a lot of things. I've lived here for 2.5 years and there are still things that irritates the crap out of me.
To Allan -> I honestly think it's even Italian law that it's illegal to have car seats in the car no less :) You'll see kids standing in between the front seats jumping around and messing with the driver. Anyway, I love Italy if I just didn't have to deal with people that have authority, power or anything else for that matter. It's always a losing battle. BTW, we're only flying Alitalia for one hour flight to Rome then connect with Cathay. But since we are checking in with Alitalia first, their "no car seat" rule applies even though Cathay is okay with the car seat for our 2 year old.
Posted by: Jose | November 26, 2006 6:38 PM
What a ridiculous law, what about aircraft that have video screens built into seats, are they illegal?
Posted by: easyjet | April 15, 2012 6:47 AM