Mobility, Sardinians held hostage by timetables: ghost flights and “surreal” responses

A flight booked well in advance, three schedule changes, an unexpected cancellation and a customer service that suggests "leaving the next day" .

This is not the story of an overseas aerial adventure, but yet another short circuit in Sardinian territorial continuity. This time it was suffered by Mauro Rosella, a retired magistrate, who, in order to reach Rome, together with his wife, on May 14, had to give up plans, schedules and even a shred of certainty.

Proof that flying to and from Sardinia is confirmed to be a privilege that can be accessed through trial and error.

It all starts with a reservation made in advance: a comfortable flight, at 1:30 p.m., from Cagliari to Rome, carefully chosen to allow the Rosella family to leave without worries . But the time of certainties does not last long. A first email from the company Aeroitalia communicates that, "for organizational reasons", the flight has been brought forward to 11:10. Up to this point, a manageable inconvenience. But shortly after, a second communication moves it further: new departure at 10:30.

Mauro Rosella, caught off guard, tries to reorganize. However, moving early in the morning is complicated by "health problems", the man explains. So he contacts customer service: he asks for explanations, suggests returning to the 11.10 flight. The answer is grotesque: "That flight has been cancelled, as has the 13.30 one". And the solution proposal? "If he wants, he can leave the next day".

It is clear, however, that the trip, planned for May 14, cannot be postponed : there are appointments already set, a rental car to pick up at 3 pm and financial penalties in case of delay. "And yet I did not invent the flights, when I booked on the site there were the options I chose".

Now, therefore, the only option left – and accepted – is a flight at 6:30 pm, which throws the entire program off and forces Rosella to plan every detail again.

"They claim to sell a product that they are not able to guarantee," the former magistrate comments dryly, but sums up in one sentence the state of mind of thousands of Sardinian passengers.

For the return, paradoxically, everything goes smoothly, but the damage is already done : lost hours, inconveniences and collateral costs that remain the responsibility of the traveler. "The right to mobility transformed into a daily roulette, territorial continuity remains a promise with a variable deadline", concludes the man.