The Italian government is set to consider a law that would impose limits on domestic flights to the country’s islands.
According to the agenda of the 47th Council of Ministers meeting, the Italian government will examine the decree/law called ‘Urgent provisions to protect users and in the field of economic activities and strategic investments’.
If the Italian Ministers approve the law, it will ban dynamic pricing practices by airlines if these conditions are met:
- It is a domestic route connecting mainland Italy with its islands
- The tickets are sold during peak-demand seasons and in conjunction with a national state of emergency
- Results in the price of the ticket or ancillary services growing by 200% compared to the average price on the route
Furthermore, the Italian government is looking to ban “the use of automated procedures for determining the rates based on the user’s web profiling activities or on the type of electronic devices used for bookings”, something that is considered an “unfair commercial practice” in the case of a traveler experiencing adverse economic effects.
Currently, Italy runs regular domestic flights to five of its islands, namely Elba, Lampedusa, Pantelleria, Sardinia and Sicily.