Dear Voli, complaint lodged with the Competition Authority: fares to and from Sicily under scrutiny

In the height of summer, as demand for flights to and from Sicily rises, the issue of high airfares is once again before the Competition and Market Authority. The Centre for International Development (CID), a Palermo-based association active in the protection of consumers and citizens, represented and assisted by the law firm Palmigiano e Associati, has lodged a complaint with the Competition and Market Authority, asking it to shed light on the mechanisms by which airfares are determined during periods of peak travel. The aim is not to claim, a priori, that there are cartels or anti-competitive behaviour on the part of the airlines. Rather, the request is to enable the Competition Authority to verify, using data held by the airlines, whether price increases can be fully explained by normal supply and demand dynamics or whether there are factors that warrant further investigation.

The crux of the complaint concerns information that consumers do not normally have access to. The CID is, in fact, asking the Authority to obtain data from the airlines on the prices actually charged, the capacity offered, the number of seats available and the load factors of the aircraft, as well as the criteria used in their fare-setting systems. The price of an air ticket can, in fact, vary depending on numerous factors: the time at which the booking is made, the number of seats still available, the flight’s load factor, the capacity scheduled by the airline, trends in demand and the commercial strategies adopted by individual operators. For this very reason, the association argues, only access to comprehensive data can provide an understanding of what actually happens during periods of increased demand. The requested analysis also covers the structure of the main routes to and from the island: the actual level of competition, the possible presence of operators with significant market power, and the way in which prices are set during periods of peak travel.

In support of the request, reference is also made to a survey published in February 2026 on trends in domestic flight prices at different times of the year. For a family of three travelling from Milan to Catania, the total cost rose from around €144 to around €1,427 between the Carnival and Christmas periods, representing an increase of 892 per cent. On the Milan–Palermo route, by contrast, the comparison was between around €238 and €1,235, representing an increase of 419 per cent. These are significant figures, but the CID itself sets a clear limit on how they should be interpreted: they represent a snapshot of the fares available at specific times and not necessarily the prices paid by the majority of travellers. The data, therefore, are not being used as evidence of anti-competitive behaviour, but as a factor which, given Sicily’s particular circumstances, the association believes justifies launching an in-depth investigation. ““We do not claim that a price increase, however substantial, automatically proves the existence of a cartel or abusive conduct,” explains lawyer Alessandro Palmigiano. “However, we are calling for variations of this magnitude to be examined using the investigative tools at the Authority’s disposal.”

One section of the complaint concerns the automated systems used by airlines to manage fares. The CID is asking the Competition Authority to investigate whether these mechanisms operate in accordance with standard economic optimisation principles or whether, under certain conditions, they may have adverse effects on the competitive functioning of the market or on the transparency of offers. Then there is the issue of the price actually visible to the consumer. The association emphasises the need for passengers to be able to clearly ascertain, before making a purchase, the total amount to be paid, including any additional costs and optional services.

The issue takes on particular significance for Sicily. For residents, students and workers living away from home, air travel is often a service that is difficult to replace: particularly at times of peak travel, the available alternatives take considerably longer and are not, in practical terms, equivalent. In this context, Palmigiano refers to the regional programme ‘Sicilia Vola’, which, through grants and concessions for residents, aims to reduce the financial burden of air travel on the budgets of households, students and workers. He describes it as a measure of social and economic significance, but one that simultaneously raises a challenge: ensuring that public resources are not merely used to offset particularly high prices without addressing the underlying causes. ‘It is essential, at the same time, to understand how prices are formed in the air transport market,’ concludes Palmigiano, ‘so that public interventions support a system that is truly transparent, competitive and efficient, ensuring lasting benefits for citizens and the region.’