In flight ping pong, Milan-Catania? It is convenient with stopovers in Valencia and Tirana

The high cost of flights that afflicts Italians during the holidays has led in recent years to the birth of a new phenomenon, that of the "ping pong of the skies", with passengers who, to cope with the prohibitive prices of airline tickets, choose to save money by opting for flights with stopovers, even abroad, or land at secondary airports and then reach the final destination by other means.

This was stated by the company specializing in air transport RimborsoAlVolo, commenting on the report released today by Codacons.

By analyzing the air fares charged today for those who have to fly from north to south Italy during the end-of-year holiday period, we discover how, by choosing flights with national or European stopovers, the saving on the cost of the ticket is on average around 30/40% compared to the price of the direct flight and can in some cases reach over 60% - reveals RimborsoAlVolo.

For example, for the Milan-Catania connection (departure 23 December, return 6 January) the cost is halved if you opt for a stopover in Valencia on the outward journey and in Tirana on the return journey, with the ticket price dropping from 342 to 157 euros (-54%, -185 euros).

On the same dates, the cost of the Turin-Catania ticket drops by 47%, with a saving of 167 euros per passenger if you stop in Tirana on the outward journey.

Even by choosing national airports, the cost savings are significant: during the holiday period, when flying with a stopover at Fiumicino, spending drops by 40.6% on the Florence-Palermo route, by 38.3% on the Florence-Catania route, and by 32% on the Turin-Brindisi route - says RimborsoAlVolo.

"The practice of giving up direct flights and resorting to those with a stopover is an increasingly widespread reality, especially among young people and students, a strategy for surviving the high cost of flights which however is not free from dangers - warns Giuseppe Conversano, CEO of RimborsoAlVolo - such as the risk of suffering inefficiencies such as delays and cancellations".