Airline continuity under pressure, flights sold out and passengers stranded.

For many, the holiday is over. It's time to head home or back to work, but even before leaving, the trip doesn't look promising. As the return exodus gathers pace at Sardinian airports, finding a ticket proves to be a challenge: flights are sold out, availability is zero, and waiting lists are extending the return journey by up to four days. The outcome is already written: thousands of people with their bags packed, but without a seat on the plane.

And the problem doesn't just affect tourists returning home; once again, the ones who suffer are the Sardinians, who see their right to mobility eroded day by day. No urgent visits, work appointments, or family commitments matter: today, for many destinations, travel is grounded; perhaps the issue will be discussed over the weekend .

Waiting list nightmare. No seats on the Olbia-Linate route until Saturday. This is the result of a simulation run on Aeroitalia's platform. While until yesterday morning some tickets, at least for Thursday, still seemed available, shortly after 6:00 PM all flights through the weekend were sold out. And the situation isn't resolved even when looking ahead to Saturday and Sunday: the only flights where seats are still guaranteed are those at dawn, at 6:00 AM and 7:00 AM. All others are placed on a waiting list: no guarantee, no assignment . It must be said that this situation could change at any moment, should airlines make new aircraft available to fill the gap.

Things are a little better from Cagliari, but the problem persists: the train departs today, even though yesterday at 6:30 PM there were already many aspiring passengers on the waiting list. To reach Bologna, however, you have to wait at least until Friday: a route that, not being part of the regional network, is even more affected by the shortage of seats. The situation towards the capital is calmer, at least for now. After yesterday's sold-out, the situation has eased again today: the latest simulation showed no waiting lists from either Alghero or Cagliari, but the situation is worse from Gallura.

A steep price. And when a seat is found, the price can be steep. On routes not covered by territorial continuity, prices for the return flight are rising rapidly: for a Cagliari-Bergamo flight, the price reaches 430 euros, while from Olbia to Bergamo, the last seat booked last night, reached 400 euros. From Alghero to Malpensa, the price approaches 430 euros, while for the direct Olbia-Genoa flight, the price reaches 500 euros . On the routes covered by territorial continuity, non-residents, in a best-case scenario, will spend no less than 120 euros to leave the island. The search results for those wishing to reach the island, however, are decidedly better, at least for now. Seats are being found, and waiting lists on the main routes are not an obstacle: it is especially those who must leave the island who have to deal with full seats.

Unions are furious. Meanwhile, the unions are calling for action to address demand peaks, which they consider far from unpredictable. "The data is now consolidated, accessible to everyone, and easily analyzed," observes Arnaldo Boeddu , general secretary of Filt Cgil Sardegna. "Despite this, even at the end of August, it's practically impossible to find a seat on a plane to depart from or arrive on this beautiful island. We can and must do more and better." The union leader is calling for immediate action: "It would be sufficient to call together the airlines, first and foremost the one that won almost the entire territorial continuity package, and require them to guarantee an additional number of flights." Nicola Contini, regional secretary of Ugl–Ta, also weighs in on the need to rethink the system, calling the current territorial continuity "anachronistic": "It is absolutely necessary," says Contini, "that territorial continuity be remodeled based on demand and the season, summer or winter." And regarding low-cost airlines, he adds: "Although they are an important driver of the island's economy, they require more precise and stringent regulations."