ITA Airways has formally unveiled its Volare loyalty programme, alongside the opening of a new lounge at Rome Fuimicino airport.
The Volare scheme has been running in beta phase since the carrier began flights back in October 2021, but the carrier has now outlined more details of the programme, which has been designed around the four core values of Freedom, Personalisation, Choice and Connection.
The Freedom pillar refers to what ITA says is the scheme’s “ maximum flexibility in the accumulation and use of points”.
Volare is a revenue-based programme, with points earning linked to expenditure rather than distance travelled – customers earn between 10 and 23 points for every Euro spent depending on membership level, route, class of travel and the type of ticket purchased.
Points can be redeemed against all flights in any class, with no blackout dates, with the number of points required “varying according to the value of the ticket at that time”. There is also a cash plus points redemption option.
Personalisation refers to the four levels of membership, from the entry level Club Smart, through Club Plus (30,000 points threshold) which offers a 10 per cent bonus on points earning as well as “extra baggage services, priority benefits on baggage tags, boarding, check-in, transfer desk, and Priority lost and found, as well as a dedicated customer service”.
Club Premium has a threshold of 60,000 points and offers a 20 per cent bonus on points earning, as well as additional benefits including lounge access, fast track security and a free assigned seat. Finally Club Executive has a threshold of 90,000 points and offers a 30 per cent bonus on points earning, as well as all the above benefits and a welcome gift.
Choice refers to ITA’s membership of the wider Skyteam alliance, and Connection highlights the digital nature of the Volare programme, with access 24/7 via either the website or an app.
ITA Airways says that the Volare programme currently has around 275,000 members, with 40,000 of these having either Club Plus, Premium or Executive status.
Meanwhile the carrier has also opened its 1,000 sqm Piazza di Spagna lounge in the Boarding area E of Rome Fiumicinio airport, with features including seating for 200 guests, bookable meeting areas, a bar offering “fine Italian wines”, and a breakfast and all-day catering service, with an additional hot meal option for passengers taking morning flights to New York, Miami, and Boston.
In other news ITA has unveiled the names of its 22 aircraft which now feature the carrier’s blue livery, with choices including former footballers Roberto Baggio and Alessandro Del Piero, former tennis player Flavia Pennetta, swimmer Federica Pellegrini, and former motorcycle champion Valentino Rossi.
ITA will offer flights to a total of 64 destinations this summer – 23 domestic and 34 international, with intercontinental destinations including Miami, Boston, New York JFK, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo and Tokyo Haneda.
