Easyjet wins seven slots on Milano to Roma route

ITALY (eTN) – Competition on the Linate-Fiumicino route is at the eve of a hot reaction from the side of Alitalia that is threatening to start a war if so required.

ITALY (eTN) – Competition on the Linate-Fiumicino route is at the eve of a hot reaction from the side of Alitalia that is threatening to start a war if so required. In a decision that has caused some controversy, the Antitrust Authority (AA) has awarded seven slots, so far granted to Alitalia-Cai and that the former national airline was forced to yield to the British low-cost airline. Out of pure motivation, according to the AA, Easyjet, in the bid participated also with Meridiana Fly, Blue Panorama, and Livingstone, and both Italian private airlines have offered the best guarantee of satisfaction in service.

The air services of the British company that actually enters strongly in competition with Alitalia on the route Linate Fiumicino, should result in a economically significant advantage for Italian travelers.

Frances Ouseley, Director of Italy for Easyjet, stated: “I think that there is room for more than one carrier on the Linate-Fiumicino route, and this is the spirit in which we will offer an alternative to those who until now did not have a choice. Where there is competition, the victory is always and only for the consumer. Our only goal is to offer a product of high convenience and satisfaction for customers, the ones who have the right to judge these changes.”

The reaction of Alitalia
On the sidelines of the Forum BizTravel, Andrea Ragnetti, CEO of Az, has thrown down the gauntlet saying bluntly: “If they (Easyjet) ask for war, we’ll make them war.” And added, โ€œThe position on the issue of [the] Alitalia Milan-Rome route has always been clear: Alitalia management [has] continuously contested their operation in a monopoly position,โ€ taking as an argument the fact that the real competitor is FS-the Italian State Railaways Trenitalia, whose low-fare promotion plan is continuously eroding Alitaliaโ€™s market share.

“Alitalia reviewed its fares policy very aggressively to fight Trenitalia on equal terms competition. The entrance of EasyJet on the route, which will consist of 7 peak times slots, is a further threat. It will be difficult to enter this route with service and quality equal to ours,โ€ said Ragnetti.

The choice of AA has been contested also by Meridianafly-Air Italy, with a note that says it believes that the choice is “baseless and totally detrimental to their rights and interests,” which is why the airline announced that will take appropriate steps to ascertain the legitimacy of the criteria and procedures for allocating the slots to Easyjet and reserves all action to protect its interests in the relevant fora.

To strengthen its position, Alitalia is also preparing for a future that will see massive investment in online and offline communications, plus the quintupled financial investments on foreign markets as well as the implementation of ancillary services to include insurance.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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