On Friday 27 April, I urgently needed to book a return flight to Brussels for two nights. Seats were available but the fare I was charged for an economy class seat was €844. Doesn’t the company think this is exorbitant?

At the airport sales desk I asked if I could at least be upgraded to club class. The lady at the desk said I would be if I paid for it (sic), but assumed that the plane was full. When I checked the club class compartment it transpired that out of the 12 available seats only two were occupied.

On the way back, this compartment was again empty, except for one seat. It seems that ‘The National Airline of the Maltese Islands’ in its newly-branded fancy safari costume makes no allowance for emergency, humanitarian, frequent travel or Flypass holders if these happen to be ordinary tax-paying Maltese citizens.

As this is an evidently profitable direct flight monopoly route (especially for the well-funded EU and 'official' classes) I wonder how the EU regards it.

Professor Henry Frendo

ATTARD