Alitalia Walz

Christmas and New Year is always a good time for a walz.

This year Alitalia has been swapping potential partners like Princess Sissi in the ballrooms of Vienna.    

As the music stops lets see who is still seeking her expensive hand.

Well, the suitors are Air France/KLM and Air One and within the next 48 hours we should all know which of the two is likely to consummate the marriage.

A business reporter on SKY television last night was asked who he thought should win. He simply stated that the profits of Air France/KLM were twice the turnover of their rival.

Yet, the political pressure in Italy to go with Air One is tremendous, with the unions and Confindustria leading the call.  The Italian PM Romano Prodi and the union of pilots (ANPAC) favor Air France.

But who else wants Air One? The answer lies somewhere between Torino and Milan and aren't they happy it's not Lufthansa.