Here’s the short answer before you keep reading: Alitalia shut down in October 2021. If you’re trying to reach “Alitalia” today, you’re almost certainly trying to reach ITA Airways — the state-owned carrier that picked up the slug, the hub in Rome, and a fair chunk of the old fleet. The US customer-service line for ITA Airways is 1-877-793-1717. In Italy, call +39 06 65640. Both lines cover reservations, changes, refunds, and baggage. If you booked under an old Alitalia ticket number pre-October 2021, keep reading — there’s a specific process for those.
In This Article
Alitalia is gone. ITA Airways is who you want.
Alitalia, founded 1946, stopped flying on 14 October 2021 after years of losses and a long administrative liquidation. On 15 October 2021, ITA Airways (Italia Trasporto Aereo) started operations as the Italian government’s replacement flag carrier. It’s a different company, with different tickets, a different frequent-flyer programme (Volare, not MilleMiglia), and — importantly — a different customer-service phone tree.
Lufthansa Group acquired a minority stake in ITA in 2024, which means the airline is gradually integrating into the Star Alliance network. If someone’s told you to call “Alitalia” for a 2024 or 2025 booking, they mean ITA. The brand confusion is genuine. Google searches for “Alitalia phone number” still outnumber “ITA Airways phone number” by a wide margin three years in.
The numbers that actually work
For ITA Airways from the United States: 1-877-793-1717. The line runs 24/7 and handles bookings, changes, refunds, and baggage claims. From Italy: +39 06 65640, also open around the clock. There’s a toll-free European line on +800 936090 that works from many EU countries — but not every carrier routes the 00800 prefix, so have the +39 number as a backup.
For specific situations, ITA publishes direct lines on its help and contact page. The special-assistance desk for wheelchair or medical requests is [email protected] — email, because the phone queue for that one genuinely takes a while. For delayed baggage, file the report at the airport first, then follow up via the reference number at [email protected].
What to do if your ticket was an old Alitalia one
Tickets issued under Alitalia stock (ticket numbers starting 055) before the October 2021 shutdown don’t roll over to ITA. They’re considered refund claims against the Alitalia estate, which is still in extraordinary administration. The process is slow — people have waited 18 to 24 months in some cases — but it’s real.
File the claim at [email protected] (the Italian certified-email address the administrators use). Include your original ticket number, passenger name, credit card statement showing the charge, and any travel-agent invoice. If you paid by credit card and the charge is recent enough, a chargeback through your card issuer is faster. Most US cards have a 120-day window from the expected service date — check yours before you go the email route, because once you file with the administrators, the card dispute path closes.
Getting past the phone tree
ITA’s US line has a light menu — press 2 for existing bookings, 1 for new ones, 0 to reach an agent directly. Hold times I’ve seen reported run 15 to 40 minutes on weekday mornings US-time (which is afternoon in Rome). Try early morning Eastern, before Rome gets hit with its own rush.
Don’t start with a generic “I need help with my flight.” Say the specific thing first: “I need to change the date on booking XYZ123 from 10 June to 15 June, same fare class if possible.” Agents authorised on the first line can reissue tickets directly; anything involving protection schemes or partner-airline segments gets escalated, and escalation adds 20 minutes. If your booking touches a codeshare with Lufthansa, Air France, or a Star Alliance carrier, you may need to call that operating carrier instead — ITA’s agents can see the ticket but often can’t change what a partner’s system controls.
Skip the phone when you can
For a lot of what people call airlines about, the app or website is faster. Seat changes, meal requests, adding miles to a Volare account, downloading a receipt — all self-serve. ITA’s website works in English and is reasonably current. The Manage Booking page lets you change flights on most fare classes without a phone call, though change fees apply outside the 24-hour post-booking window.
Live chat is buried — you have to click through the help centre and trigger it from a specific article, and it’s only available in business hours Italian time (roughly 8am–8pm CET, so 2am–2pm ET). Twitter/X works if you write in Italian; the English DM team is slower. Don’t bother with Facebook Messenger, it hasn’t been staffed properly in over a year.
The short version
- ITA Airways US: 1-877-793-1717 (24/7)
- ITA Airways Italy: +39 06 65640 (24/7)
- EU toll-free: +800 936090
- Old Alitalia ticket refunds: [email protected] or credit-card chargeback
- Baggage issue: file at airport first, follow up at [email protected]
- Best time to call US line: 6–8am ET weekdays
Numbers verified April 2026 against ITA Airways’ own contact page. Airlines do rotate lines — if a number doesn’t connect, check the official site before assuming it’s the right one.
