CANADA: Air Transat To Start Toronto And Montreal To Athens Flights

Air Transat, Canada’s leading leisure airline, this season has increased capacity from Athens by 14 percent in comparison to last year, making over 43,800 seats available to Canada until October.

Flights connecting Athens to Toronto and Montreal for the 2018 peak spring/summer season launched recently and are available through the GDS.

The Athens market has high demand and Canadians know what the Greek capital is all about, that it is a wonderful destination, Gilles Martin, Air Transat Director Sales and Distribution, said.

Air Transat is interested in increasing flights between the two countries in the future.

During a recent event in Athens organized by the airline’s general sales agent (GSA) in Greece, Gold Star Aviation, Martin gave a full presentation of the airline to a group of Greek travel agencies.

Air Transat recently launched its seasonal service from Athens to Toronto and Montreal for the 2018 peak spring/summer season with up to six direct flights per week.

3 flights per week to Montreal every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and three flights per week to Toronto every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

Connecting flights from Athens to Vancouver and Calgary are available every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

The airline’s flight program from Athens to Toronto and Montreal will run until October.

Despite the popularity of the Greece-Canada link via Air Transat, according to Martin, the issue of establishing all year round flights are not included in the company’s future plans at the moment.

Although there is demand from the ethnic market in Canada, it is not enough to operate flights during the winter, he said, adding that if and when the time comes.

Air Transat would reconsider operating the service also from November until April.

Michael Flerianos, the general manager of Gold Star Aviation, echoed this statement.

Establishing a year round service between Greece and Canada is something that we are concerned about and have discussed, but it must be profitable.

The demand of the Greek community in Canada is not enough to keep the line running in the winter. Canadians in the winter season do not travel to Europe but prefer the warm waters of the Caribbean, Flerianos said.

Moreover, Air Transat this season is promoting domestic travel in Canada from Greece as it offers the possibility of stopover to three Canadian cities for bookings through the GDS.

The offer gives passengers from Athens the opportunity to travel to Toronto and Montreal and also fly to three Canadian cities at no extra cost.

This offer is expected to create a new trend, especially to young travelers from Greece who want to experience the journey and explore Canada, Flerianos said.

In addition, during the presentation, Greek travel agents were informed that Air Transat is planning fleet upgrades.

The company’s fleet for winter 2018 will include 6 Airbus A310, 18 Airbus A330 and 23 Boeing 737 aircraft.

In May 2019, the newer A321neo LR will be introduced.

Based in Montreal, Air Transat flies to some 60 destinations in the Americas, Europe and the Middle East, offers domestic and feeder flights within Canada and carries nearly 4.5 million passengers every year.


Tourism Observer

GREECE: Ellinair Commences Flights From Athens To Rhodes

Greek airline Ellinair, a member of the Mouzenidis Group, is expanding its domestic network of destinations by adding three new weekly flights connecting Athens with the island of Rhodes in the Dodecanese.

Our aim is to meet the needs of visitors and the residents of Rhodes as the local authorities and the travel community have requested for the improvement of the island’s air connectivity, Ellinair CEO Ioannis Mouzenidis said in an announcement.

The flights will be conducted every Monday, Wednesday and Friday by an Airbus A319, for the period of June 4 – October 1, 2018, while the airline is considering to increase the frequency in the future.

We will continue to expand our itineraries and fleet, according to the business plan announced recently by the group’s President Boris Mouzenidis,” Ioannis Mouzenidis underlined.

Ellinair also connects Rhodes with Thessaloniki for a second year, with two weekly flights on Fridays and Sundays.

Launched in 2013, Ellinair is based in Thessaloniki and operates scheduled and charter flights to Greece.

Ellinair network of destinations today includes more than 40 cities, many of them in Russia.

Ellinair operates a fleet of 10 aircraft and plans to add two more next year.

Ellinair has been collaborating with Hahn Air and has signed interlining agreements with more than 250 carriers globally.

The Mouzenidis Group offers specialized tourism services, products and solutions and today consists of five companies – including Mouzenidis Travel, Ellinair and BOMO Hotels and 18 brand names.


Tourism Observer

UAE: Flydubai To Commence Direct Flights To Helsinki From 11 October 2018

Flydubai has announced the launch of direct flights to Helsinki.

The daily service will start from 11 October 2018. Flydubai becomes the first airline to offer a year-round service between Dubai and Helsinki.

The carrier will operate the new route on its brand-new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft with flat-bed in Business Class and enhanced Economy Class offering.

The Helsinki route will be code shared with Emirates as part of the Emirates’ and Flydubai’s partnership.

Dubai airlines reveal strong passenger numbers for first six months of tie-up.

Emirates and flydubai revealed on Monday strong passenger numbers for the first six months of their partnership.

The first codeshare flights began at the end of October and between November 2017 and this March, over 400,000 passengers have taken advantage of the partnership and more than 250,000 passengers have already planned their trip for the year ahead, a statement said.

The partnership initially began with codeshare flights to 29 cities, and this has since expanded to meet growing demand.

Emirates currently flies to 141 passenger destinations.

Last year, the airline launched new passenger routes to Newark via Athens, Zagreb and Phnom Penh, and later this year, Emirates will begin services to London Stansted and Santiago de Chile.

flydubai currently flies to a total of 97 destinations, 80 of which are not served by Emirates, bringing the total combined network offering to 206 unique destinations.

Both Dubai-based airlines said they will continue to offer customers greater choice and flexibility across their networks, with codeshares to more than 90 destinations today.

New codeshare flights recently launched include Krakow, Dubrovnik and Kinshasa with more destinations expected in the coming months such as Catania from June 13, Thessaloniki from June 15 and Helsinki from October 11.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saaed Al Maktoum, chairman and CEO of Emirates Group and chairman of flydubai, said: We’re really pleased with how well the Emirates and flydubai partnership is going – based on bookings and the feedback from our customers and trade partners.

We have seen a strong demand for travel on combined Emirates-flydubai itineraries from Europe and the United States to the Middle East and West Asian destinations.


Tourism Observer

SAUDI ARABIA: Flynas To Buy Wide body Jets, Expand To Far East, West And Africa

Saudi Arabian low-cost carrier Flynas plans to operate wide-body aircraft for the first time in its 10-year history as part of a network expansion strategy that could see the airline service long-haul destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Europe and Africa, its group chief executive said.

The airline is to commence talks with plane manufacturers Boeing and Airbus within the next two months with a view to placing a sizeable order for either Boeing 777s or Airbus A330s, plus Airbus’ long-range A321-ER neo, Bander Almohanna told The National on Monday.

We are starting now to study long-range A321-ER neos and wide-body jets, we’ll either go with A330 or B777, Mr Almohanna said.

We will launch in the next couple of months a campaign for wide-body jets, targeting destinations that cannot be reached by the existing equipment or fleet.

So this would be mainly the Far East – Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur –the far West, and Africa.

If a deal is reached, it is expected to be for a similar number of aircraft as Flynas’ order placed at the end of 2016 for 120 A320neos, which is due for delivery between the fourth quarter of 2018 and 2026 and intended to replace its outdated fleet of 30 aircraft, predominantly A320s.

We always think big, Mr Almohanna said at the ATM travel conference in Dubai.

Operating wide-body aircraft would be a wholly new strategy for the low-cost carrier as it seeks to grow its network in line with the kingdom’s plans to develop its nascent tourism sector.

The market size of Saudi Arabia is more than the airline so we are not competing with the national carrier Saudia, we are complementing it by trying to reach markets not served well by any Saudi airline, and to get people to come direct instead of through connecting traffic, Mr Almohanna said.

The discussions with Airbus and Boeing is a new project, he said, but our whole strategy is to get aligned with Vision 2030, which sets a target to attract 15 million pilgrims by 2020, and 30 million by 2030.

Those pilgrims will not be able to come in a convenient way without having an airline like Flynas pushing a strategy, frankly, to have wide-body aircraft and long-range 777-ER Max or the A321neo.

Pilgrims are only one segment of Flynas’ target market, he said.

Boeing’s under-development mid-size jet is another option.

Flynas, which is partly owned by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s Kingdom Holding, forecasts 10 per cent earnings growth this year after a flat 2016/17 due to sluggish conditions in the regional economy and the wider aviation industry, according to Mr Almohanna.

He said the market is starting to pick up.

The airline is targeting an increase in passenger numbers to 7.5 million in 2018 from 6.4 million in 2017, helped by an anticipated 5 per cent rise in Umrah and Haj pilgrims to the kingdom this year.

This summer it will launch five new destinations – Tbilisi in Georgia, Baku in Azebaijan, Vienna in Austria, Athens in Greece and Trabzon in Turkey. Flights will commence for sale this week.

To facilitate the network expansion, the carrier is in discussions with Airbus to fast-track a portion of its A320neo order, Mr Almohanna said.

He plans to add five new aircraft to Flynas’ fleet this year, including two A320s and three Boeing 737s.

We are negotiating with Airbus to advance more than what the slot has given to us, he said. “

We are also in talks with other lessors to maybe swap their slot with ours to accelerate the planned replacement and support our growth strategy.

Mr Almohanna declined to comment on the planned initial public offering of around 30 per cent of the company, reportedly targeted for early 2019.

The plans are still on the table, he said. Flynas was reported in February to have appointed Citigroup to advise on a potential IPO, alongside Morgan Stanley and NCB Capital.


Tourism Observer

GREECE: Athens Attracts More Hotel Investments In 2018

A number of new hotels are expected to open in the Greek capital and Attica the wider Athens region this year, according to the latest report on Greece’s hospitality industry by GBR Consulting.

Starting from the center of Athens, the former 314-room Athens Ledra hotel and formerly the Ledra Marriott is expected to re-open in 2018 as the Athens Hyatt Regency, following an eight million euros renovation.

This will be Hyatt’s first presence in Athens as currently it only operates the Hyatt Regency in Thessaloniki.

The Athens Ledra was acquired in June 2017 by the international real estate firm Hines and the European real estate investment platform Henderson Park.

The Yiannis Daskalandonakis Group will manage the hotel.

A new boutique hotel is expected to open in the upscale district of Kolonaki, at the corner of Irodotou & Ipsilantou Streets, by the real estate entity of the Efmorfidis family (Coco Mat).

Press reports have mentioned a total investment of 2.5 million euros.

Meanwhile, opposite the Wyndham Grand Athens, the US chain Wyndham is currently renovating a property for the opening of the 94-suites Wyndham Grand Residences & Suites in cooperation with Zeus International.

The group will also launch its brand Dolce Hotels & Resorts in Attica through the opening of the 346-room Dolce Attica Riviera hotel at the former Mare Nostrum hotel in Vravrona, which will mainly target the MICE segment.

This year, Wyndham will also introduce its second Ramada Hotel in Greece with the 129-room Ramada Attica Riviera hotel at the former Aquamarina hotel in Mati, on the east coast of Attica.

All three units are planned to open in the spring of 2018.

Moreover, it was announced in 2016 that Marriott International will transform the 366-room Metropolitan Hotel Athens to the new Marriott Hotel Athens and open by 2018.

Also, following the opening of two new hotels in Athens,NHLFIX and NLHGERANI in 2017, the Neighborhood Lifestyle Hotels chain is said to be planning to further expand their presence in the Greek capital by the end of 2018.

There seems interest to further develop the hotel sector in Piraeus, Greece’s biggest and busiest port.

Currently, only 42 hotels are officially registered in Piraeus, of which one 4-star and one 5-star unit.

A master plan by the Cosco managed Piraeus Port Authority (OLP) revealed the expansion of its cruise facilities, creation of a large shipping and repairs yard servicing up to 450 vessels including mega yachts and the construction of new hotels within the port premises.

In addition, the Douzoglou family has applied for subsidy under the development law to upgrade the Mistral Hotel in Kastela in Piraeus.

According to GBR Consulting, there are other large hotel projects in Piraeus are also rumored in the market.



Tourism Observer

GREECE: Metropolitan Park, Residentials, Business And Trade Center To Feature In Hellinikon Project

The 7-billion-euro project to develop Hellinikon, Athens’ former airport complex in Glyfada, into a metropolitan park, residential area, business and trade center will include the construction of six 200-meter-tall buildings, according to the Integrated Development Plan tabled for public consultation this week.

According to the developers, the aim is to improve the quality of life of residents at the urban complex by developing an extensive metropolitan area that will also include green and recreational spaces.

The six towers will include the metropolitan park arena, the marina residential tower, the office tower, the hotel tower, the integrated resort tower and the promenade residential tower, all of which are set to serve as landmarks of the area thanks to their unique design.

According to the plans, the area marked Α-Α1 will host the Tourism, Leisure and Business Park to be divided into the Health & Wellness area and the resort area including 5-star hotel, conference halls and casino,both of which will have views to the coast, Athens and Piraeus.

Other tourism facilities will be constructed along the Agios Kosmas marina.

Despite its massive potential and benefits for the Athens Riviera and the Greek economy overall, the Hellinikon project has been running into hurdles and construction has yet to begin.

The project is expected to create 10,000 permanent jobs during construction and 75,000 jobs upon completion.




Tourism Observer
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LATVIA: airBaltic Planning Eight CS300 Aircraft By End 2017

airBaltic has received the fourth of its 20 Bombardier CS300 jets on firm order. By the end of this year, airBaltic is planning to have eight CS300 aircraft.

The modernized fleet is ensuring growth of airBaltic with at least 13 additional routes and +15% more tickets on sale in 2017.

The fourth airBaltic CS300 aircraft, registered as YL-CSD, arrived in Riga on June 2, 2017. The flight time was 7 hours and 58 minutes and the aircraft covered 6 410 km non-stop distance between the Canadian and Latvian airports.

Thus far, airBaltic has completed more than 1 296 flights and flown over 3 130 block hours with the brand new Bombardier CS300 aircraft.

By the end of 2019 airBaltic is planning to have 20 Bombardier CS300 aircraft on its fleet. With an average jet fleet age of only 2 years, airBaltic, as an all-Bombardier operator, will have one of the youngest jet fleets in Europe.

airBaltic CS300 aircraft currently operates on such popular routes as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Rome, Moscow, London, Paris, Vienna, Athens, Madrid and others.

The new Bombardier CS300 aircraft, with a total of 145 seats, offers excellent flying experience with such benefits for passengers as wider seats, larger windows, more hand luggage space in the cabin, improved lavatories and more.

New aircraft is also much quieter – with four times smaller noise footprint.

Moreover, at the moment, it is the greenest commercial aircraft in the world, as it is the first aircraft to have a transparent declaration of the life-cycle environmental impact, helping to reduce CO2 and NOX emissions by 20% and 50% respectively.

airBaltic serves over 60 destinations from its home base in Riga, Latvia. From every one of these locations, airBaltic offers convenient connections via Riga to its network spanning Europe, Scandinavia, the CIS and the Middle East.

In addition, airBaltic also offers direct flights from Tallinn and Vilnius.

GREECE: Wyndham Hotel Group Opens In Greece

Wyndham Hotel Group announced that accessible luxury is coming to Athens when the Wyndham Grand Athens, the first Wyndham Hotel Group hotel in Greece, opens in the city centre early next year. Travel is the best excuse to enjoy the grand things in life, and Wyndham Grand hotels and resorts offer truly unforgettable travel experiences.

Wyndham Grand is decidedly not pretentious, but approachable by design, featuring pristine guestrooms, relaxing spas, one-of-a kind dining experiences, and more. The Wyndham Grand Athens will be situated on Karaiskaki Place (2, Meg. Alexandrou St.), where Zeus International, a company that operates nine hotels across Eastern Europe, is transforming the building owned by VIOHALCO which formerly housed the Hotel Athens Imperial.

When renovations are complete, the Wyndham Grand Athens will boast 273 rooms, 2,500 sq. m. of conference and event space, a restaurant, a bar, a spa and an amazing roof-garden of 450 sq. m. with a pool and a 360° view of the city skyline. In addition, the hotel’s proximity to the Metro and many of Athens’ cultural points of interest will make it a destination for business and leisure travellers alike.

Dan Ruff, President and Managing Director EMEA, for Wyndham Hotel Group, said: “Wyndham Grand hotels are located in some of the world’s most sought after destinations, including Shanghai, Istanbul, Doha, Salzburg, Chicago, Orlando and now Athens. This is only our first stop in Greece, as we see opportunities for many of our brands across the country, from city centres such as Athens and Thessaloniki to resort destinations in the Greek islands and mainland.”

Haris Siganos, Founder of Zeus International, noted: “Our Company is engaged in a variety of consulting and advisory projects from hotel management and development to turnaround management. We have been monitoring the Greek market for the right hospitality investment opportunity.

We believe that Athens has been missing a flagship hotel offering a one-of-a-kind experience with a compelling local flavour, and we intend to change this when the Wyndham Grand Athens opens next year.”

All Wyndham Grand hotels in the region participate in Wyndham Rewards®, the simple-to-use, revolutionary loyalty programme from Wyndham Hotel Group that offers members a generous points earning structure along with a flat, free-night redemption rate in 73 countries across the world – the first of its kind for a major hotel rewards programme. To learn more or to join for free, guests should visit

SOUTH AFRICA: Emirates To Make More International Flights To Cape Town

Emirates Airline has announced a third daily flight between Cape Town and Dubai, starting July 4.

Flight EK778 departs Dubai at 10h50 and arrives in Cape Town at 18h30.

Flight EK779 departs Cape Town at 20h05 and arrives in Dubai at 07h30.

The airline now has connections to New York, London, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Rome, Sydney, Athens, Mumbai, Shanghai, Milan, Beijing, Munich, Hong Kong, Phuket, Bangkok, Singapore, Medina, Deli, Male and more.

POLAND: LOT Polish Airlines To Link Ljubljana And Warsaw With Six Weekly Flights

On March the first Ljubljana Airport will welcome a new carrier, LOT Polish Airlines that will connect Ljubljana and Warsaw with up to six weekly flights. Through its hub in the Polish capital, passengers will be able to take advantage of LOT's onward flights to numerous destinations in Europe, North America and Asia. To present the new route, LOT Polish Airlines and Aerodrom Ljubljana held a press conference on Wednesday 10 February.

Starting from the beginning of March LOT will be operating as much as 6 flights weekly from Ljubljana to Warsaw. With frequent flights and a convenient schedule the Polish national airline will enable passengers traveling form Ljubljana access to the worldwide network, including all major European destinations as well as Beijing, China and 3 major destinations in North America.

“Due to its excellent service and individual approach to the need of passengers, LOT has the greatest potential to become one the best alternative for travels to Toronto, New York, Chicago or Beijing for thousands of passengers starting their journey in Ljubljana. Flight to Warsaw last less than 2 hours, and total travel time to North America is only 13 hours including very convenient and short transfer at our hub, Warsaw Chopin Airport. Up to this moment Slovenian passengers had to travel via other crowded and complicated giant hubs in Western Europe” – says Adrian Kubicki, Corporate Communications Director.

On Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays flights to Warsaw will take off at 13:35; on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 17:05. Late afternoon flights give passengers access to the evening wave of domestic and European flights, i.e. to Krakow, Gdansk, Riga, Amsterdam, London or Brussels and many others. More accurate schedule is available here.

“For example transfer time to Copenhagen is 45 minutes only! This is not something we promise. This is something we deliver. Passengers traveling from Ljubljana deserve an airline, which will bring them closer to dozens destinations worldwide. Right now opportunities are limited, and we raise the bar of service and bring to the completely new level of travel experience” – Kubicki adds.

The commencement of LOT's flights to Slovenia was welcomed by his excellency, the ambassador of Poland to Slovenia, Mr. Paweł Czerwiński: “Direct flights are of key importance for relations between the two countries, that are almost neighbouring, considering the small distance between them. Polish and Slovene people still know too little about each other, even though the cooperation between their countries is strengthening on different levels each year. The trading of goods has already surpassed 1,3 billion euros and still growing. Warsaw is an attractive tourist destination, also for a weekend trip. The city offers renowned theatres, concerts, historic-cultural monuments, modern interactive museums, rich culinary experiences, disco clubs and many more.

All flights between Warsaw and Ljubljana are operated by modern and technologically advanced Bombardier turboprop aircrafts. They are appreciated by passengers for spacious cabin, no middle seat and quiet cabin. All long haul flights are operated by the state-of-art aircraft Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Mr. Janez Krašnja, Head of Airline Management at Aerodrom Ljubljana, welcomed the arrival of the new carrier with the following words: “Even before the summer timetable the flight network of Ljubljana Airport is expanding. We are looking forward to LOT arriving in March and greatly complementing the offer of scheduled flights from Ljubljana. We believe the service will be interesting for business and tourist passengers. Besides frequent direct flights to Warsaw, they will be able to take advantage of their onward flights to other European destinations and their transatlantic flights. Aerodrom Ljubljana expects the service to generate around 30,000 extra passengers on a yearly basis.”

Ljubljana is one of the first destinations to open by LOT after formal completing the successful restructuring process. The airline says that Slovenia is a very important market for both business, as well as rising number of leisure passengers. Together with Ljubljana LOT launched several other exciting routes, such as Luxemburg, Ljubljana, Athens, Beirut, Nice and many others.

Tickets for flights are already available on www.lot.com, via their mobile app, LOT’s Contact Centre and through other sales channels.

Photographs of LOT’s fleet, products and services available for download under this link: http://corporate.lot.com/pl/en/media-library

UAE: Emirates To Increase Flights To Africa And Europe

Emirates is set to enhance its on-board experience and increase capacity on its Zambia and Zimbabwe route with the deployment of a larger Boeing 777-300ER aircraft from February 1 2016.

The Boeing 777-300ER will replace the current Airbus A340-300 and offer an additional 97 Economy Class seats per flight. The aircraft will have eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 310 spacious seats in Economy Class.

“As Emirates we are constantly seeking ways to enhance our services, and the upgauge to the Boeing 777-300ER on the Lusaka-Harare route is part of our commitment to offer Zambian and Zimbabwean travellers even more comfort and entertainment on our daily service,” said Orhan Abbas, Emirates Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Latin America, Central and Southern Africa.

EK713 departs Dubai every day at 0925hrs, arriving in Lusaka at 1440hrs. The flight then departs Lusaka at 1610hrs, arriving in Harare at 1715hrs. The return flight, EK714 leaves Harare at 1850hrs, arriving Lusaka at 1955hrs. It departs Lusaka at 2140hrs and lands in Dubai at 0650hrs the next day.

Emirates has also announced an addition of a second daily flight to the Greek capital Athens from March 1 2016. The addition of a second daily service will take the total weekly Emirates flights serving Athens to 14. The flight will be linked to the existing Dubai-Larnaca route, allowing travellers to book tickets between the Cypriot city and Athens.

The Dubai-Larnaca-Athens service will be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a three-class configuration, with eight Private Suites in First Class, 42 lie flat seats in Business Class, and 310 spacious seats in Economy Class.

“Emirates started serving Athens in June 1996; since then we have carried over 2.2 million passengers on the route. Boasting a rich history and picturesque islands, Greece is a popular destination for travellers from the UAE, Australia, China and South Africa. The expanded schedule will also enable more seamless connections for business and leisure passengers travelling from Athens to key destinations like Dubai, Manila, Johannesburg, Dhaka, Melbourne, and Hong Kong,” commented Thierry Aucoc, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Europe and Russia.

EK 107 will depart Dubai at 0750hrs, arriving in Larnaca at 1020hrs. It will then depart Larnaca at 1150hrs, arriving in Athens at 1335hrs. The return flight, EK 108, will leave Athens at 1615hrs, arriving in Larnaca at 1800hrs. It will then depart Larnaca at 1930hrs, and land in Dubai at 0125hrs the next day.

GERMANY: Intersky And Minoan Air Stop Flying

Two European regional airlines have stopped flying this week as the summer peak demand turns into winter over supply of flights.

Intersky the German carrier, which flew domestic scheduled services from Friedrichshafen Airport to Cologne/Bonn, Dusseldorf, Berlin Tegel and Hamburg Fuhlsbühl and international flights from Zurich to Graz and Salzburg has decided to call it a day and grounded its fleet of two ATR72-600s and three Dash 8-300s

In a similar story, Minoan Air based in Heraklion in Greece, has suspended operations but hopefully this is only temporary with its fleet of four four Fokker 50s aircraft which had operated scheduled services between Athens, Heraklion, Alexandroupolis, Rhodes, Thessaloniki, Kos, Mytilene, Mykonos, and Santorini grounded for the timebeing pending a corporate reorganisation.

Alternative Airlines can provide alternative ways of flying between all these destinations and we specialise in helping passengers book and travel on less well known carriers throughout the world. As a specialist we can guide passengers with access to up to date information on what is happening in the comlex world of airlines, we are our your experts in air travel.

With our new, exciting subsidary site, self connect.flights we have a unique service - on-line and telephone bookings for the discerning traveller.

IRELAND: Ryanair Kicks Off Athens Winter 2015 Schedule

New route to Berlin, Bratislava, Budapest, Santorini and Warsaw. More flights on 3 other routes including Paphos 2X daily, Rhodes 2X daily, and Thessaloniki 8 X daily.

Ryanair kicked off its Athens winter 2015 schedule, which includes 5 new routes to/from Berlin, Bratislava, Budapest, Santorini & Warsaw as well as increased frequencies on 3 other routes (including Thessaloniki 8 x daily), which will deliver over 2.4 m customers p.a. and support 1,800* “on-site” jobs at Athens Airport.

Ryanair’s Athens winter 2015 schedule will deliver:

5 new routes: Berlin, Bratislava, Budapest, Santorini & Warsaw
13 Athens routes in total
More flights & improved schedules on 3 other routes
2.4 m customers p.a. in total
1,800 “on-site” jobs p.a.

Greek customers and visitors can choose from 13 routes from Athens this winter, while enjoying allocated seating, a free second carry-on bag, reduced fees, a new website, a brand new app with mobile boarding passes, Family Extra and Business Plus, making Ryanair the ideal choice for families, business and leisure travellers.


Ryanair’s Dimitra Apatsidou said: “The winter season is almost here and Ryanair is pleased to celebrate our biggest ever Athens schedule, with 13 exciting routes in total, including our new routes to Berlin, Bratislava, Budapest, Santorini and Warsaw. We’ve also added extra flights on 3 routes, including Thessaloniki, with an eight-time daily service from November and we continue to connect Athens with Europe’s major centres of business.

Greek consumers already choose Ryanair for our low fares, industry leading customer service and great route choice. Now they can also book their summer and winter flights on our improved website and great new app, carry a free small 2nd carry-on bag and avail of our new Family Extra and Business Plus services, as Ryanair continues to deliver so much more than just the lowest fares – with more improvements to come in 2016.

To celebrate the beginning of our Athens winter 2015 schedule and 5 new routes, we are releasing seats on sale from €29.99 from Athens to Berlin, Budapest, Bratislava and Warsaw for travel from November to January 2016 which are available for booking until midnight Friday (6 November). Since these amazing low prices will be snapped up quickly, customers should log onto ryanair.com and avoid missing out.”

Athens Airport spokesperson, Ioanna Papapadopoulou said: "We are indeed delighted with Ryanair's decision to continue its dynamic expansion in the Athens aviation market, during the current winter season, with the establishment of new services and the increase of frequencies. The Athens market has been developing rapidly within the last two years, demonstrating double-digit traffic increases and Ryanair has substantially contributed to this success. On our part, we remain firmly committed to continue supporting Ryanair, as well as all our airline partners, in order to further enhance their very successful presence in our market”.

SOUTH KOREA: Seoul Is Preferable Destination For Wealthy Travellers

THE BUSTLING metropolis of Seoul, South Korea has topped a new survey ranking the luxury travel destinations that attract – and retain – wealthy tourists the longest.

For the 2015 Luxury Travel Index, prepared by technology and booking company Switchfly, analysts looked at the average length of stay that affluent travelers spend at top destinations around the world.

And while the list of 15 destinations is dominated by European cities and islands, the top spot goes to the South Korean capital, where wealthy travelers spend an average of 13 days shopping, eating and sightseeing – and dropping their money.

After Seoul, Dubai and Milan round out the top three spots.

The list, which is meant to serve as a snapshot into the traveling habits of tourists who fly first class and sleep in five-star hotels, also shows that interest in the Americas for deep-pocketed travelers is weak: The only two destinations to crack the list are Sao Paulo and Miami.

Here are the luxury destinations where wealthy travelers choose to spend the most time – and money – according to Switchfly, which powers booking and loyalty redemption programs for leading international hotel brands:-

1. Seoul, South Korea (13.0 days)
2. Dubai, UAE (12.7 days)
3. Milan, Italy (12.3 days)
4. Athens, Greece (11.5 days)
5. Singapore (11.1 days)
6. Frankfurt, Germany (11 days)
7. Sao Paulo, Brazil (tied 10.6 days)
7. Hong Kong, China (tied 10.6 days)
8. Bali, Indonesia (10 days)
9. Lisbon, Portugal (9.7 days)
10. Tokyo, Japan (9.6 days)
11. Crete, Greece (9.2 days)
12. Mykonos, Greece (8.7 days)
13. Rome, Italy (8.5 days)
14. Miami, Florida, USA (8.3 days)

SPAIN: Iberia Express Grows By 8.4% From Madrid Since Last Year;

Iberia Express launched its latest route to the UK from Madrid on the 8 September in the form of a thrice-weekly service to Manchester, a sector that will then operate twice-weekly from the end of October for the remainder of W15/16. The carrier, a subsidiary of Spain’s national carrier, Iberia, also serves Edinburgh and London Gatwick from the Spanish capital, with the airline also serving London Heathrow from other Spanish airports.

Iberia Express was set up on 6 October 2011 by IAG, and commenced its first flight operations on 25 March 2012. The main intention of the airline was to operate European routes that were unprofitable when flown by mainline Iberia, and to make them viable by the new carrier operating the sectors with lower running costs. In its short history, Iberia Express has become the fourth biggest airline to fly from Madrid, with over 6 million passengers having flown and 50,000 flights operated within the carrier’s first two years of operation. In 2013, a report by FlightStats confirmed that Iberia Express tops all other European airlines in terms of punctuality. The airline operates an all-A320 fleet, of which a majority have been passed to the company from mainline Iberia.

Iberia Express is Madrid’s #4 largest carrier
Iberia Express remains the fourth largest airline from Madrid (highlighted in Iberia Express colours in the table above) in S15, the same position it held last year. What is interesting to note however is that mainline Iberia (highlighted in Iberia colours), the number one carrier from the Spanish capital, has seen a greater growth in seat capacity in the past 12 months of 9.5% when compared with that of Iberia Express’ 8.3%. Overall, Iberia Express occupies 7.8% of seat capacity from Madrid, down only 0.1% from the 7.9% which it occupied last year, a result of Madrid seeing two additional carriers operating services from the facility according to OAG.

Tenerife North overtakes Santiago de Compostela
After reporting a growth in seat capacity over the past 12 months of 9.8%, the 1,770-kilometre sector to Tenerife North overtakes Santiago de Compostela to become the carrier’s number one route from its Madrid hub, although the latter is also reporting growth of 3.3% in seat capacity. Since last year, three new airports have entered the top 12 when compared to the same time period of 2014 (highlighted in light green), with Frankfurt (no longer served by Iberia Express), Malaga and Tenerife South no longer being in the top 12. London Gatwick goes straight into the top 12 at ninth spot, tied with Berlin Tegel, after the airline launched services to the airport from the Spanish capital on 28 March according to OAG, operating with an 11 times weekly frequency. Also joining the top 12 party from Madrid are Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, two routes which have both been operated by Iberia Express since the airline commenced service.

Destinations double since operations commenced
Iberia Express in 2012 served a total of 16 destinations from Madrid, this number has now risen to 31 destinations in 2015. From the destination split, the majority of routes served are Spanish domestic services. Of the international country markets served by Iberia Express from Madrid, the average amount of airports served is two. This shows the importance of the Spanish domestic market within Iberia Express’ operation, a market that faces strong competition from ULCC Ryanair. Soon Iberia Express will face strong competition from Norwegian, which is planning to start domestic services to Gran Canaria and Tenerife North during the start of W15/16 season from the Spanish capital. The latest route launched by Iberia Express from Madrid was to Manchester on 8 September.

Services operated alongside mainline Iberia
An analysis of OAG Schedules Analyser data for September 2015 reveals that only three routes of Iberia Express’ operation from Madrid are operated alongside mainline Iberia operations. The destinations are Athens, Düsseldorf and Gran Canaria.

Iberia Express currently has no new routes planned for S16 from its Madrid hub, and it is also worth noting that neither does mainline Iberia, making it interesting to think as to what cities will be the next destinations for the subsidiary. When looking at Iberia Express’ route map (as shown below), we can see that there is a very even geographical spread in relation to the location of western European airports served by the carrier, with key capital cities such as Amsterdam, Berlin, Dublin, London and Paris being served from Madrid. Of the international routes served from Madrid, eight are capital cities. In relation to the potential future routes for Iberia Express, the main focus will possibly be the transfer of services from mainline Iberia to Express which could potential include Brussels, Budapest (launched 2 June), Florence, Hamburg, Milan (Linate or Malpensa), and Rome Fiumicino.

In relation to new routes for the Iberia group that have the potential to be served under the Express brand, one could be Oslo Gardermoen, a European capital currently not served by mainline and is currently only served by Norwegian. With Iberia Express having oneworld alliance advantages opening up connections to Latin and South America, it would give them the edge over Norwegian on the sector. Another potential destination would be Helsinki, which is currently served by fellow oneworld member Finnair. It is worth noting though that LCC Norwegian also operates to the Finnish capital.

Within the domestic network, the key route most likely to be transferred from mainline is Barcelona. With this lucrative domestic route seeing strong declines in traffic since the development of high speed rail, the national carrier may want to reduce costs on the city pair by using the Express model to help increase profit margins, operating alongside Vueling. Other potential domestic routes that could be switched from mainline to Express include A Coruña, Asturias and Santander.

As of September 2015, Iberia Express’s destinations consist of 14 domestic and 18 international airports. All flights depart, arrive and connect in Madrid, except for the following routes: Vigo-Tenerife North, Asturias-Tenerife North, Tenerife North-London Heathrow, Tenerife North-Lyon and Gran Canaria-London Heathrow.