Hard fist of the clow cost airlines against the measures adopted by the Government to remedy the decline in flights. Ryanair announced the reduction of winter routes to and from Sardinia as a reaction to the decree passed last August 7 by the Government which establishes, while also the other companies raise their tone by defining the provision "Illegal". The risk now is that the decree will be flooded with amendments during the examination phase by the Commissions.
What does the Government decree provide for the cost of flights and the price of airline tickets
Il omnibus decree, also called “Asset decree” establishes the stop the algorithm that raises rates during peak traffic periods. "The dynamic fixing of tariffs by the airlines, modulated in relation to the time of the booking, is prohibited if the following conditions are jointly met: it is applied on national routes connecting with the islands, it occurs during a period of peak demand linked to the seasonality or in conjunction with a national state of emergency; leads to a sale price of the ticket or ancillary services, 200% higher than the average flight fare”, explained the Government. The provision also identifies how “unfair” commercial practice the mechanism that allows prices to be determined according to the logic of profiling users and the device used by them, obliging companies to inform the user about the use of profiling tools.
Ryanair cuts routes to Sardinia
In response, Ryanair announced the cutting of winter routes to Sardinia. The CCO of the Irish carrier, Jason McGuinness, has communicated the reduction of connections to and from the island initially planned for the winter aviation season. According to Ryanair's commercial director the Italian government's decree would be "illegal" and its only effect will be to reduce the capacity of carriers and therefore to produce a general increase in prices for passengers. McGuinness reported that the company has proposed to the government to block the measure and remove the municipal surcharge at all airports: in this way Ryanair could bring an additional 40 aircraft based in Italy, which would translate into 20 million more passengers every year and 20 jobs in associated industries.
Which ones are they the cut routes? Cagliari-Trieste, Alghero-Treviso and Alghero-Bari. Furthermore, there will be fewer flights between Cagliari and the airports of Rome, Milan, Bergamo Orio al Serio, Naples, Venice, Catania and Brussels.
The protests of the other companies
But Ryanair is not the only low-cost company to have raised its voice. “The expensive flight decree will make flights more expensive,” he said EasyJet. During a meeting with the Minister of Business and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, the company underlined that "if the content of the decree were confirmed, this would certainly lead to a reduction in the attractiveness of the Italian market for airlines, therefore to a reduction in the offer and connectivity to and from Italian airports and to a inevitable increase in prices"
“The text of the decree in the articles of interest also conflicts with the principle of tariff freedom established by EU legislation, a principle which in recent decades has brought enormous benefits to consumers across Europe, making flights accessible to ever greater segments of the population", underlined EasyJet. And also the president of Wizz Air, Robert Carey, called the decree “illegal” and “above all wrong”.
The reaction of Europe
Previously also Airlines for Europe, the European airline association, had turned to Brussels, asking for clarification on the impact of the decree on the "free and deregulated" European air transport market. There European Commission had entered the measure with a straight leg, asking the government for "clarity" on the tightening of fares to and from Sicily and Sardinia from other Italian airports.
