Can an airline increase the price of a ticket after it has been purchased? This is the question that thousands of Volotea passengers have asked themselves in recent months, after receiving notification of a supplement to be paid a few days before departure.
Now the Competition and Market Authority has decided to intervene by starting an investigation against the Spanish company for possible unfair commercial practice and ordering the immediate suspension of the system that allowed these increases to be applied.
A decision that could also have important consequences for those who have already paid the requested amounts, paving the way for possible refund requests.
What was Volotea’s “Fair Travel Promise”.
The contested measure was introduced by Volotea in the spring of 2026 under the name of Fair Travel Promise (“Fair Travel Promise”). According to the company, it was a tool designed to cope with strong fluctuations in fuel prices, aggravated by international geopolitical tensions and the instability of energy markets.
In practice, the price of the flight was not considered final at the time of purchase. Up to seven days before departure it could in fact be modified based on the trend in oil prices. If the cost of fuel had increased, the passenger would have been asked for a supplement of between 6 and 14 euros per person and per route. In theory, if the price of oil had fallen, the company could have applied an equivalent reduction.
The mechanism concerned all bookings made starting from 16 March 2026.
According to the Authority, the main problem concerns price transparency: the consumer, in fact, purchased the ticket on the basis of a fare which could then be modified later, when the trip had already been organized and was difficult to replace with other solutions.
Any adjustment was communicated only close to departure. At that point the passenger could choose whether to accept the supplement, change the flight for free or cancel the booking and request a refund. However, anyone who did not pay the surcharge risked having their reservation cancelled.
For the Antitrust, this method may have influenced consumers’ economic choices, inducing them to accept additional costs in order not to compromise an already planned trip. Pending the conclusion of the investigation, the Authority has ordered the immediate suspension of the Fair Travel Promise as a precaution.
The investigation will now have to ascertain whether the system adopted by Volotea actually violated Italian regulations for the protection of consumers and correct commercial information.
Possible refunds
The opening of the proceedings could also have effects on the compensation front. The case was raised by various consumer associations, including Codacons and the National Consumers Union. Codacons itself, which had presented a complaint to the Antitrust last April, announced that it had also referred the matter to the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Rome to verify any further profiles of offence.
According to the association, if the Authority were to ascertain the illegitimacy of the surcharge applied by Volotea, the company could be called upon to return the sums collected to passengers, including legal interest.
