Word: alitalia
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...towards the right by his biggest ally, the anti-immigrant Northern League party, which garnered an impressive 8% to 9% of the vote, as of late polling Monday. The most immediate outcome of the vote may be to scuttle negotiations for Air France-KLM to takeover ailing national carrier Alitalia, which both Berlusconi and the Northern League had openly opposed...
...electorate showed up at the polls. A Roman taxi driver, Filippo, who'd voted for Berlusconi, was listening to the radio, just as Veltroni was about to concede defeat. "We Italians always go to vote," he said. "But by now we're sick of all them." Before rescuing Alitalia or turning around the economy or reforming the country's crippled justice system, Berlusconi's toughest task will be saving the Italian citizen from dying a cynic's death...
...based airline industry consultant, with regular business in Europe, says Alitalia is the victim of its country's broken politics - and the complacency of ordinary Italians. "Alitalia doesn't know how to get out of this situation," he says. "It has never been anything but a state-owned and operated - and subsidized - airline. And the taxpayers have continued to put up with...
Losing more than $1.6 million a day, Alitalia said in February that its cash reserves had dropped to $263 million. With money rapidly running out, and no good offers on the table, the board may well opt for filing bankruptcy to stave off creditors and force lay-offs and an organizational overhaul. Italian officials say most service would likely continue while the financial restructuring is underway...
Ultimately, the cards still rest in Rome. Indeed, Alitalia continues to be a political hot potato, which has helped make it a lemon of 21st century airline company. Italy is on the eve of national elections, and the man leading in the polls - former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi - announced in the middle of the campaign that he is dead set against the Air France takeover. The billionaire media mogul at first hinted that he would personally back an alternative deal, but has since retreated from that stance. He is, however, still publicly opposed to the Air France proposal...