Alitalia paints over crashed plane's markings Giancarlo Schisano, Alitalia's director of operations, said that painting over the plane's markings was "a routine practice that is used all over the world when things like this happen. Blocking out a carrier's livery is a normal way of protecting a company's reputation, and even more in this case, because it is not an Alitalia plane. An Alitalia spokesman told The Daily Telegraph: "This is something that is done by airline companies in many countries and we are surprised that such a fuss is being made. It is a matter of brand protection. Carpatair operates some domestic flights in Italy on behalf of Alitalia. Passengers said the fact that the plane bore Alitalia livery but was operated by a foreign company was misleading and confusing. "I thought I was on an Alitalia plane," one female passenger told the Italian press. I bought the ticket online from the Alitalia website. And all the markings on the plane are Alitalia. What happened is shameful. Carpatair flights within Italy have been suspended while the accident is investigated. Unions representing Alitalia aircrew and pilots called for the company to cancel its contract with the Romanian airline. The plane was hit by strong winds when it came into land late on Saturday, but the exact cause of the crash is still to be determined.