Posts Tagged ‘Spain’

Jet2 ramps up summer holiday departures

Wednesday, February 9th, 2011

Jet2, the low-cost airline, has increased the number of flights it will be offering to customers wishing to take off for popular holiday destinations across Portugal and Spain this summer from airports in Northern England and Scotland. The decision was made after the budget carrier saw a significant increase in demand for services to tourist hotspots like Alicante and Majorca.

Travellers departing from Scotland will have access to a timetable of six flights each week to Majorca from Glasgow Airport as Jet2 increases the number of departures to Spain. Those preferring Alicante will be able to fly out of Newcastle Airport on two additional weekly flights.

Four flights a week will be available to passengers choosing to fly out of Leeds Bradford Airport to the Canary Islands as services are increased to summer holiday favourite - Tenerife. The additional service departs ever Thursday. Customers will also have the opportunity of taking off on Sundays for Murcia in Spain as extra seats are laid on.

From Manchester Airport, those wishing to fly to Majorca and Alicante will now have a better chance of doing so on a Friday or a Sunday as additional services will mean two departures on these days. A Saturday service to Tenerife has also been added from Manchester bringing the total number of departures each week to three.

Additional seats are also available from the airport to the extremely popular summer hotspots of Malaga and Ibiza. Jet2 has warned that it expects the extra capacity to sell quickly and advises customers to book as soon as they know their holiday dates.

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Spanish airports return to normal after wildcat strikes

Monday, December 6th, 2010

Air traffic controllers in Spain have caused travel misery for thousands by staging a wildcat strike over one of the country’s busiest weekends. Although authorities claim things are returning to normal some 650,000 travellers found themselves stranded after the controllers decided to stage a walkout at 5pm on Friday.

However, public anger has not just been directed at the air traffic controllers but at the country’s Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. Many have been wondering where he got to during the chaos as he failed to appear in front of the media or at any of Spain’s airports. The situation was left in the hands of Mr Zapatero’s deputy, Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba.

The strikes were sparked after the government announced it intends to sell 49 per cent of Spain’s airports authority, Aena. According to the air traffic controllers’ union, Usca, this will be done at less than the stake is worth. If Aena is privatised then the controllers will lose earnings as well as their monopoly over Spanish airspace.

Mr Rubalcaba hit out at the controllers for choosing a weekend which was extremely popular with families wanting to get away. He said Spain’s reputation had been damaged and its businesses hurt. He added that there would have to be accountability and that he would initiate plans to make sure that the situation was not repeated.

There have been reports that some controllers were persuaded back to work at the point of a gun and under the treat of being arrested on charges of sedition.

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Car hire shortage continues in Spain for Christmas holidaymakers

Monday, December 21st, 2009

2009 was a tough year for the car hire industry, especially in Europe during the peak summer holiday period when many companies struggled to cope with restructuring by reducing their fleet sizes and by closing branches.  Many car hire outlets, especially in Spain, decided to cut spending on new vehicles this year and retain their fleet from the previous year as they predicted a slow year, but during the months of July and August, many holidaymakers were left stranded as the volume of cars available was well under the demand.

Those fortunate enough to hire a car at the last minute were often charged remarkably high fees for daily car rental, with many having to pay for higher insurance costs and increased extras as they searched for the best deal for a hire car.  Some reports claimed that many consumers had to pay over three times as they did in 2008 as agents struggled with the unexpected need for rental cars.

Months on from the peak summer period, Festive seasons travel is now upon us, and it appears that car rental companies are back to their old tricks.  With the demand for vehicles during the winter season far less than in July and August, many firms have decided to upgrade their old fleets and wait until the New Year to purchase new cars.  This has led to the prospect of a new car hire shortage with reports of consumers not being able to secure hire cars over the festive season, with those who already have saying that they have been charged excessive amounts and being stung with high insurance premiums.

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Iberia to cancel 440 flights due to strike

Monday, October 26th, 2009

Spain’s national carrier Iberia Airlines has cancelled 440 flights due to a two-day strike by cabin crew in support of wage demands.

A statement on the airline’s web site said that the 48-hour stoppage started on midnight last night, and would affect domestic, European and trans-Atlantic services, and equates to about a quarter of all Iberia’s flights.

Labor union’s representing some 4,300 staff have called the strike, who want an end to a four-year pay freeze, and say that other workers, including pilots, have had wage increases over the last few years.

Strike action has also been planned for November 10 and 11.

The airline has said that affected passengers would be entitled to a refund or replacement ticket.

Iberia has said that it regrets that unions should call strikes for pay rises when the aviation sector is so badly hit by the international crisis.

Iberia Airlines is Spain’s largest carrier and currently flies to 38 domestic destinations and 82 international destinations in 44 countries across Africa, Americas, Asia and Europe.

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TUI to pay of debt and plan further takeovers

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

The owner of tour operator Thomson, TUI Travel, is raising £350 million in convertible bond issues and has agreed to borrow another £140 million from five various banks.

Peter Long, chief executive of the travel firm, is focussing on expansion plans in Russia, where a growing middle class would like to take package holidays to destinations such as Egypt and Turkey, and by increasing TUI’s market share in areas where it does not have much strong competition.

He aims to build TUI’s position in Russia from fourth-largest tour operator through takeovers and organic growth, which has so far seen Russians preferring holiday spots like Turkey over usual European destinations such as Greece and Spain due to visa requirements.

He said that as Russians become more secure with travelling, the market to Greece and Spain would grow.

Long hopes to spend between £100 and £150 million per year on acquisitions compared with £120 million this year.

The company also plans to repay a loan from German company TUI AG, which owns 51.6 percent of the company as earlier planned.  The company already owes TUI about £900 million after the company lent it £1.8 billion at the time of the merger between TUI and UK travel operator First Choice in 2007.

TUI Travel said that sales results over the summer have met its forecasts, and it hopes results for the end of September to be in line with current expectations.

Mr Long was positive about the 2010 summer compared to the winter holiday season, but said that TUI was prepared to cut the number of package holidays on offer if the consumer confidence was to take another fall.

He went on to say that summer was the primary holiday season, whereas the winter season takes a back seat.

Mr Long believes that the poor weather in Britain this summer would help bookings for warmer climes next year.

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Bomb blast rocks Majorca

Friday, July 31st, 2009

A powerful car bomb exploded yesterday in front of a police station in the popular tourist destination of Majorca killing two people. The bombing comes just a day after a similar bombing at a police barracks in Burgos in northern Spain which left sixty officers injured. Police suspect that the Basque separatist organization ETA is responsible

The police station is located right down the street from a popular hotel where British holiday makers were staying. Right after the explosion, that hotel was roped off along with others. The blast was heard a half mile away at the beach.

Immediately following the bombing, sea ports were shut down and the airport was closed in an attempt to prevent the escape of the perpetrators. So far no one has been caught.

In spite of the bombing, Spanish authorities are claiming that the island is safe and are urging holidaymakers not to over react. “We are emphasising that the areas that are popular with tourists are safe. The target of these attacks has never been holidaymakers but the Guardia Civil. Majorca has always been a safe destination to visit and we do not envisage that these attacks will happen again in Majorca” commented a spokesperson from the Spanish Tourist office.

The British Foreign Office, on the other hand, considers the area to have a high threat of terrorist attack.

Thanks to www.telegraph.co.uk for the above quote. For more information on this article please visit their website.

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Shark attacks holidaymaker in Spain

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

British holidaymakers are being warned to stay out of the water when visiting the coast of Tarragon, Spain after a shark attack has left one eleven-year-old girl hospitalized.

“She was lucky her foot wasn’t severed,” reported an eyewitness to the incident.

The girl suffered severe lacerations to one leg. The shark’s teeth left a two inch gouge on her leg which was promptly stitched up by emergency room personnel. She has since been released and is in satisfactory condition. No permanent injuries were sustained.

Sant Salvador de El Vendrell beach where the attack occurred over the weekend, as well as two adjacent beaches, have been closed in a precautionary measure while the shark is being hunted by Marine police patrolling in boats. The attack happened at 10 am local time and the beach was immediately closed.

Experts think the culprit was a blue shark, a species common in the waters off the coast of Spain, and known to be a man eater. There are approximately 20 species of shark that have been known to attack humans. The Blue shark has been blamed for attacks in the past in this region of Spain.

The attack comes at the height of the tourist season on the Spanish coast with hundreds of British holidaymakers in the area.

Thanks to www.dailymail.co.uk for the above quote. For more information about this story please visit their website.

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Summer jazz festival in Almunecar, Spain

Monday, July 20th, 2009

The annual summer jazz festival in Almunecar, Spain on the Costa Tropical is happening this week. This is the 21st year for the event and musicians from all over the world are gathering in an impressive lineup.  Musicians are featured from New York, Brazil, New Orleans, Cadiz, as well as the Mediterranean and Caribbean.

One out of the most well-known musicians being featured is acoustic bass player, Ron Carter and his quintet from the United States.  Ron Carter has become a jazz icon in his own right ever since playing with Miles Davis over 25 years ago.

Another highlight performance in the festival is sure to be that of Jimmy Cobb’s So What Band. The list of outstanding performers goes on and on and includes John Scofield, Larry Willis, Vince Benedetti, and Esperanza Spalding among others.

The festival takes place at the foot of the San Miguel Castle on the grounds of what is called El Majuelo, a botanical park. The castle provides a picturesque setting for the festival with its architecture dating back 1489 when Christians undertook to remodel it.

The Costa Tropical is located in Andalusia and is much more laid-back than its counterpart, Costa del Sol. It’s bounded on one side by the majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains and on the other side, by the Mediterranean Sea.

Thanks to www.examiner.com for the above information. For more about this article visit their website.

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Car hire on the increase in Spain

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

www.hertz.com

If you’re heading to Spain in the next few months and plan to rent a car, make sure you book in advance. This summer, finding car hire in popular areas might be more difficult than usual.

Victoria Rent a Car have been telling their customers that car hire might be in short supply in areas such as Madrid, Murcia and Alicante. (more…)

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