British Airways, easyJet and Monarch have all expanded their winter schedules to Mallorca for 2012/13 and Ibiza now has its first direct winter service to the UK. MD of Balearics Sotheby’s International Realty, Daniel Chavarria Waschke, believes it makes sense for these year-round destinations.
Daniel comments, “There has been a big Government-led drive this year to encourage tourists to view Mallorca as more than ‘sun and beach’ and to visit in the off season. We have plenty of culture, golf, Spas, fiestas, shopping and fine cuisine to enjoy – and you’ve got a good chance of ‘sun and beach’ even in January. It’s great to see the major airlines supporting this ambition and making it easier for UK residents to reach our shores.”
British Airways was the first to show its hand back in June. Surprisingly, in winter 2011/12 the airline did not have a single direct flight from the UK to the Balearics. This year the flag carrier has made the decision to extend its twice weekly flights from London City Airport direct to both Mallorca and Ibiza throughout the winter season. With a unique minimum check-in time of 15 minutes for passengers with hand baggage and as little as 20 minutes for hold baggage (free up to 23kg with BA) London City Airport makes it possible to fly city to sunshine in little over two and a half hours – perfect for holiday home owners and city breakers.
easyJet was next to announce in August when it added a twice weekly (Wednesday and Saturday) Glasgow to Palma route to its already healthy winter flight schedule. Now travellers from London Gatwick and London Stansted can fly to the Island daily and in the regions travellers can choose from twice weekly services from Bristol, Liverpool and now Glasgow.
Meanwhile Monarch has made the decision to reintroduce Manchester to its winter 2012/13 schedule. Last season the airline flew to Palma only from London Gatwick but it will now serve non-London clients from this busy North West airport. The Monarch service will be twice a week for both Manchester and London Gatwick.
