The Authority has also opened an interim measures procedure to put an immediate end to the practice of unilaterally applying adjustments to flight ticket prices based on fluctuations in the price of Brent.

The Italian Competition Authority has launched an investigation into airline Volotea S.L., alongside an interim measures procedure under which the company has the opportunity to be heard (audita altera parte), with a view to requiring it to immediately cease the unfair practice of unilaterally applying adjustments to its flight ticket prices. These changes are notified to consumers only after purchase and shortly before the scheduled departure date.

In particular, Volotea introduced a new ticket sale policy, called Fair Travel Promise, in response to rising fuel costs linked to the situation in the Middle East. The policy provides for a mechanism to adjust flight ticket prices, either upwards or downwards, to reflect fluctuations in the price of Brent. Seven days before departure, the company informs consumers of the fare adjustment to be paid to use the previously purchased ticket, ranging from a minimum of 6 to a maximum of 14 euro per passenger per flight, based on the latest available data on the cost of Brent. Consumers may change their flight, free of charge, or cancel their booking and receive a full refund in the form of Volotea credit. However, if passengers do not pay the fare adjustment, their booking is cancelled and they lose the right to a refund.

In the Authority’s view, this unilateral adjustment of flight ticket prices is in breach of consumer protection rules. On the one hand, it may lead consumers to choose a flight on the basis of incomplete and misleading information – namely, the price displayed at the time of purchase. On the other hand, it may exert undue pressure when, close to departure, consumers are faced with the choice of either paying the fare adjustment or rescheduling their journey, and are therefore induced to accept the change.

Rome, 4 June 2026