Did you miss your outbound flight? Not bad: from today you can still use the return ticket. This was established by the Council of State, which in recent days rejected the so-called "no show rules” adopted by many airlines. In essence, this is the rule according to which passengers who do not show up at the gate for the outward journey also lose the possibility of boarding the return flight or any subsequent legs.
In the past, the "no show rule" was adopted by companies such as Lufthansa and Air France Klm, but the case that ended up before the judges of Palazzo Spada concerns Alitalia Sai. Unlike its competitors, the Italian-Arab carrier has preferred to continue the legal battle - which began before the Antitrust and continued before the TAR - above all to avoid extending the more lenient procedures to international flights, which according to the company would cost 8 million l 'year.
In reality, the Council of State explains that the Antitrust "did not consider the 'rule' illegitimate, but limited itself to deeming incorrect the lack of adequate information to consumers on the existence of limitations on the use of the ticket in the event use of one of the return journeys".
On the other hand, last May Alitalia itself tried to close the affair by signing an agreement with the Competition Guarantor. In fact, for five months now, passengers who miss their outward flight can obtain a new return ticket free of charge by calling the Alitalia call center before missing departure or within the following 24 hours.
