Of Nicolo Fagone La Zita
And the increases are not limited to Italy: to go to Lisbon you spend no less than 550 euros, while Madrid requires at least 330
A return flight from Turin to Reggio Calabria (with a stopover) for 324 euros. Or a plane to Brindisi (always starting from the Piedmontese capital) for 260 euros. Not to mention Sicily: 360 euros to go and return from Palermo, or 220 to go to Catania. Inflation does not spare the Christmas holidays of Turinese or Italians who want to return to the south, in some cases with staggering price increases. So much so that the Antitrust has launched an investigation against Ryanair, Wizz Air, EasyJet and Ita to establish whether they have distorted competition by increasing ticket prices on the routes connecting the main Italian cities (from Rome to Turin) and Sicily.
The authority has decided to follow up on a complaint presented by Codacons on 13 Decemberdeeming that any price distortions “would be particularly serious, especially in the current phase of crisis, with difficulties for consumers and a reduction in the purchasing power” of households. But the trend does not only concern Sicily.
Things are no better, for example, for non-residents, students and workers heading to Puglia to spend the holidays with their families: for a return flight, in fact, you get to spend, at least, 250 euros. The same rate, to be clear, as in Prague and Barcelona, while it would cost less to go to Berlin or Amsterdam. Prices calculated, of course, with the «Economy» fare, and therefore 8 kilos of hand luggage and no possibility of changing the booking or requesting a refund. The theme of “expensive flights” between December and January is an eternal problem (mirroring that of the summer period)which year after year reappears and confronts students and workers with the paradox of seeing that the ticket to the south costs as much as the one to foreign capitals. And there will always be someone who, reluctantly, decides to spend crazy sums to go home for Christmas or New Year’s Eve, knowing that the same trip, in February, would cost half as much.
The costs are more stable, however, for those who have to go to Naples (120 euros), Cagliari (130) and Rome (160). Another good news is that no destination is already sold out, it’s just a matter of figuring out how willing you are to open your wallet for a last minute trip. In fact, the price increases are not limited to Italy, but also to other European destinations. To go to Lisbon you spend no less than 550 euros, while Madrid requires at least 330. But the higher costs also concern the trains. And so for a ticket from Turin to Paris you can find yourself shelling out up to 160 euros.
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