p28 air jan9 6/1/09 18:24 Page 28
Air
Chris Gray
020 7921 8003
cgray@ttglive.com
For the latest news about flights, airlines and airports, visit ttglive.com/air
y
Monarch adds
uthorit
ourism A
flights to Spain
i
tts T
St K
MONARCH is increasing its scheduled flying
programme to the Canaries and Balearics for
summer 2009 in response to what it says is
strong early-booking demand.
From May 1, it will increase flights from
Gatwick to Lanzarote and Menorca, from
Manchester to Tenerife and Menorca, and from
Birmingham to Menorca.
Liz Savage, managing director of Monarch’s
scheduled service division, said the demand was
due both to airline failures and to the withdrawal
BA starts weekly
by other carriers from the routes.
The changes will see Monarch’s scheduled
flights from Gatwick increase to Lanzarote from
two to three a week between July 16 and Septem-
service to St Kitts
ber 17, and to Menorca from three to four a week
between May 1 and October 30.
Chris Gray.
Manchester flights will increase from nine to THE UK’s first scheduled flight to the Caribbean
TTG’s BA Surgery
10 a week to Tenerife and from five to six a week island of St Kitts leaves tomorrow (January 10)
for Menorca, between May 1 to October 30. amid hopes the British Airways service will fill TTG has linked up with British Airways to
Birmingham-Menorca links will go up from four the gap left by the collapse of XL. help agents get the most out of the airline’s
to five flights a week from May 1 to October 30. BA predicts its weekly Saturday service from online support service.
Monarch has also become the first UK carrier Gatwick will make St Kitts one of its top 10 We have set up BA Surgery on ttglive.com
to run flights to Huesca in northern Spain, for the destinations this year, and the island’s tourism to help the trade use the airline’s web
ski resorts of the Spanish Pyrenees and Andorra. authority has started a training programme for support service, which is becoming more
The new route cuts connection times to one operators to help them sell the destination. important for agents. BA’s paid-for telephone
hour, compared with three hours from Barcelona. The island was left without any direct service support service is now available only on
from the UK following the collapse of XL last weekdays and the airline believes agents
September. BA’s new service is part of its strategy can avoid paying for support because most
VLM to start
to target the Caribbean as a leisure growth area. queries can answered through the free
It will operate a 280-seat B777 on the service, online service, available 24 hours a day.
which stops at Antigua, with 40 Club World, 24 TTG’s BA Surgery will give quick answers
Eindhoven link
World Traveller Plus and 216 World Traveller seats. to agents’ common questions, as well as
The airline and the island hope the availability provide news updates from the airline. Go to:
of Club World seats will develop St Kitts and
VLM Airlines is starting a service from London nearby Nevis as a destination for upmarket UK ttglive.com/basurgery
City airport to Eindhoven on Monday, January 12. tour operators.
It is VLM’s fifth Dutch route and is intended to Richard Tams (pictured), BA’s head of UK and
complement the airline’s services to Amsterdam Ireland sales, predicted St Kitts would be one of 100 staff at the Thomas Cook Call Centre in
and Rotterdam. two Caribbean destinations Peterborough and the BA Holidays Call Centre in
The 75-minute flight departs twice-daily on in the airline’s top-10 long- Newcastle.
weekdays and once on Sundays, using a Fokker haul destinations this year, Training will be extended to Caribtours, Golden
50 turboprop aircraft with business and economy along with St Lucia. Caribbean and Virgin Holidays early this year.
seats. Business-class passengers get improved The St Kitts Tourism The training aims to educate call-centre staff
meals, newspapers, fully flexible tickets and Authority is running tour about the BA service and developments in
increased baggage allowance. operator training to in- St Kitts for 2009-10, including an increase
Economy prices start at £74.25 one-way, crease awareness of devel- in accommodation, a new championship golf
including taxes and charges. opments, starting with course, and a horse-racing and greyhound track.
28 09.01.2009
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