After only five months of service, Alitalia will temporarily suspend flights between Rome and Los Angeles International Airport beginning Nov. 7, airline officials announced.
The five weekly, round-trip flights aboard Boeing 777 planes were touted as the only nonstop route linking California and Italy when service began on June 1. Alitalia is scheduled to resume flights between LAX and Rome on March 26.
An anticipated drop in US travelers headed to Europe during the winter months, combined with the national recession, prompted Alitalia to suspend the service, according to airline officials.
This was not the Italian carrier's first foray into LAX. Alitalia was the only carrier offering direct flights from LAX to Italy from 1985 to 2002, but the service stopped when airlines saw fewer passengers in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
LAX officials said they were told about Alitalia's suspended service last week.
"We look forward to Alitalia's return in March," airport spokesman Tom Winfrey said, declining to comment further.
The news comes as LAX is projected to lose nearly 20 percent of its flights and 13 percent of available airline seats this month, compared with a year ago.
LAX saw a 7.35 percent drop in international travelers in September, raising concerns because overseas flights generated more than $82 million for the regional economy in 2006, according to the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.
