Flying has become a luxury. The times when one could make short trips abroad without spending a fortune seem to have been archived. International connections have become less viable. Is the era of low cost over? So it is feared, after Ryanair's chief executive Michael O'Leary in recent days told the BBC that in five years their minimum rate will go from 10 to 50 euros.

Costs skyrocketing

In reality today these figures make us smile: leaving soon, for example, from Cagliari to London and back costs a lot. Ryanair, one way (for Stansted airport) on 30 August: € 337.49; on September 1st, 206.19 euros. The return is cheaper: 54.99 euros on 5 September, 34.24 euros on 6 September, 104.74 euros on 10 September. Summing up: the flight to and from the British capital - net of priority boarding, seat selection and baggage fees - costs an average of 300 euros.

Let's take Easyjet, same dates, Elmas-Gatwick-Elmas, € 376.36.

Ita Airways, Cagliari-Heathrow with a stopover in Rome, in economy light (the seat if you choose you pay) is 567.14 euros.

The associations

"It's true, flying is for the rich, and for Sardinians, as always, the situation is even more difficult than for other Italians and Europeans," underlines Giorgio Vargiu, regional president of Adiconsum. "In addition to the enormously increased ticket prices, traveling by plane has become a risk these days, you don't know if you can return with the flight booked or if it will be canceled and what ups and downs you will have to pay to get home". Not only that, "such expensive tickets will keep many people away from our island, where even rental cars, accommodation facilities, all tourist services are too expensive".

The price increases

According to a ranking of the National Consumers Union, airline tickets are at the top of the thirty biggest increases in a year: European flights have soared by 168.4%, intercontinental ones by 125.7%, national ones by 27. %.

The expert