ITA Airways has announced a temporary shutdown of all booking and distribution channels this weekend due to an “important update” to its sales systems.
The Italian carrier, which is currently undergoing integration with the Lufthansa Group following Lufthansa’s acquisition of a 41 per cent stake in ITA earlier this year, said its booking channels will be unavailable from 12:01 CET on Saturday 22 November for a period of 24 hours.
Italian travel management company Cisalpina Tours International (CTI) confirmed to BTN Europe that the temporary shutdown will affect both direct and GDS-based booking platforms for ITA Airways. The TMC has already launched a "proactive communication campaign" to inform its clients of the shutdown.
During this maintenance window, travellers and travel bookers will be unable to make new bookings or modify existing reservations. In addition, changes to ancillary services, flight availability display and the issuance of travel documents will not be possible except through ITA Airways’ airport ticketing offices.
Access to the carrier’s ‘Smart Group’ tool will also be suspended during this 24-hour period.
Web check-in and airport check-in operations will remain available for flights scheduled between Saturday 22 November and Tuesday, 25 November.
Following the system upgrade, ITA Airways is expected to introduce new fare classes from Wednesday 26 November, according to an email to industry partners seen by BTN Europe.
In a statement on its website, ITA Airways said the system upgrade reflects its “ongoing commitment to offer customers an increasingly innovative and efficient service and purchasing experience, leveraging strong synergies with a strategic partner such as the Lufthansa Group”.
CTI said it expects the upgrade will result in "concrete technological improvements", with a smoother user experience for bookings and changes.