"The investigation conducted on the markets for domestic routes to and from Sicily and Sardinia did not reveal any evidence of collusion in relation to the functioning of pricing algorithms or the actual dynamics of pricing (which could be linked to the possible presence of parallel behavior between carriers)."
This is stated in the final Antitrust report published today in the bulletin, after the investigation launched in November 2023 into the high cost of flights to Sicily and Sardinia around the summer and Christmas holidays was concluded on 16 December, as repeatedly denounced by consumer associations.
The Authority does not deny "problems with consumers' ability to adequately compare airfares." Users "are unable to fully benefit from the differences, even significant ones, in prices charged by different carriers operating on the routes ." "Transparency and comparability conditions influence the mobility of demand, particularly in the case of complex services, such as passenger air transport today, with effects on price levels and incentives for competitive comparison between operators," the Antitrust Authority emphasizes.
The final report, however, does not reveal any illegitimate conduct on the part of the airlines . Nor can it be said that the problem lies with the device used to search for the ticket: for none of the carriers examined did the investigation reveal significant variability in the prices offered on the different devices.
According to the Antitrust Authority, the leading carrier for flights to Sardinia is Ryanair, with a 35-40% share. Aeroitalia (20-25%) and Ita (15-20%) follow , while the other main operators are Volotea (10-15%) and easyJet (5-10%) .
The Antitrust Authority also notes regional support policies: both the Sicilian and Sardinia regions implement policies for territorial continuity that benefit a series of categories connected to the island territory.
(Unioneonline)
