The Worst Airline Prediction of the Past 15 Years

Skift Airline Weekly was never in the business of making predictions. But as you can see from this 2008 feature story, we were pretty sure Alitalia was headed toward the graveyard. More than a decade later, guess what? Alitalia is still flying. Lesson learned: Never underestimate the ability of weak airlines—especially those with supportive governments—to survive. Here's our story from September 22, 2008. Life After Alitalia Carrier unlikely to escape its latest near-death experience; who will fill the void? While Italy’s politicians just can’t seem to let go, options for saving Alitalia are running out. It may be time, finally, to say goodbye. Last week, the consortium of Italian investors behind the latest attempt to save the world’s most dysfunctional airline walked away. Some of Alitalia’s nine unions— counting on political support and perhaps emboldened by years of empty threats and ultimatums—refused to accept pay and productivity terms necessary to en