to think that Alitalia is the world's second worst airline?

[Booboostoo]

Ryanair is the world's worst airline, that's a given, but could Alitalia be the second worst?

I booked flights for DP, DD (infant) and myself online. At the end of the process the website asked me if I wanted to select seats, so I did it. The system allowed me to book emergency exit aisle seats so I got those for extra leg room.

Then DP said that they would not let us sit on emergency exit aisle seats with an infant, so I tried to go online to change the seats. So far so good, but this is where is starts going wrong.

I look at my confirmation e-mail and it was empty - no text at all.

So I called the expensive international number, waited ages for an operator, who of course did not speak English and put me on another queue to wait again. Finally an operator comes on line and I explain about the empty e-mail, she asks me for my reservation number, I explain about the empty e-mail, she asks me for my ticket number, I explain about the empty e-mail. She professes she cannot help me, but I was not willing to leave it at that and risk finding out we don't have a ticket on the day. Eventually she uses my name to produce a reference number but says she cannot send me an e-mail with the flight details - fair enough. The operator says that since the system let us book emergency aisle seats we can sit there (and she confirms which seats I booked). She suggests I go online to retreave the booking.

So I go online and the reference number does not work. Back to the phone, back to the two queues, second operator online. Takes this operator a while to find us, but he is willing to send the e-tickets by e-mail - success! However, he thinks that we do not have booked seats nor can we book any because we are travelling with an infant. He refuses to believe that I had already booked them or that his colleague had confirmed the booking. Fair enough.

So I receive my e-ticket and an e-ticket for a Mr Corvolesa traveling from Rome to Cordova - back on the phone for the third time, back in the queues. Third time lucky as I stayed on the phone until all the e-tickets had successfully arived. Now this operator thinks that we cannot sit in an emergency aisle, but also that we cannot change the booking, we have to go to the airport check in and get in sorted on the day.

What are our chances of getting from A to B with Alitalia on the day? Without actually stangling any one of their employees?

[Onlyconnect]

I had a very bad expeience with Alitalia too. They lost my bagage but it was the way it was all handled that was just beyond belief. At the end of it all they said they would send me a special gift as an apology. Guess what: never arrived. Seemed fitting in a way.

Your experience sounds just dreadful. Good luck with our journey!