renfe These will be on sale for Christmas more than five million seats on approximately 25,000 trains, a higher bid than these dates last year the Airways They are also preparing to increase the number of seats.with the Canary Islands as the most exclusive destination.
Christmas will come with less shock than any other event, as the strike by the pilots at Air Nostrum, where the cabin crew has been celebrating Ryanair for months, remains active after the CCOO’s initially provided strike at airports is cancelled. and Vueling, as well as crew members.
Iberia Express will offer more than 24,500 additional seatsWith a strong increase in offers, especially to the Canary Islands, and Air Europa strengthens its operations with 17,000 new seats, with extra flights from the peninsula to the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands to meet peak demand on these dates. European network and Caribbean to destinations.
Iberia Express added 136 flights
Without specifying further details, Renfe will put up for sale around 5 million seats on 25,000 trains this year, meaning strengthens the offer with more than 200,000 seats and 2,000 trains compared to last year.
Iberia Express, the low-cost subsidiary of the Spanish airline of the IAG group, will operate 136 additional flights, 68 outbound and as many return flights during the Christmas season, adding 24,600 seats from last Friday to 9 January.
It will strengthen connectivity with the Canary Islands with 102 flights (51 one-way and 51 other return), representing 75% of the total boost connections operated by the airline on these dates and 18,560 extra seats over regular seats. .
The increase in flights to European capitals such as London, Berlin, Lyon or Dublin is also noteworthy. The latter will have 11 round-trip connections, representing an increase of almost 50% compared to ordinary ones.
Sources from the Iberia Group made the following statement to Efe: Bookings for Christmas and the first quarter of the year are at “normal” levels for now Corresponding to seasonality with “very strong” demand although figures are not specified.
They add that the most in-demand destinations are the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, and major European capitals such as Paris or Amsterdam. In the long run, the United States is one of the star markets at Christmas, where the airline grew more than 15% during the winter season.
The reinforcement of Christmas operations on Air Europa includes more than 4,800 extra seats between the peninsula and the Balearic and Canary Islands. Specifically, from December 21 to January 4, the Boeing 737 will operate a fleet of 27 new flights between Madrid and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Lanzarote, and between Palma de Mallorca and Madrid, Bilbao and Granada.
Capacity will also increase, with a network of European destinations with 7,400 new seats to Rome, Milan, Frankfurt, Zurich, Paris and London.
Also, the airline Globalia also strengthened its operations Long haul with 4,600 new seats that will cover the route between Madrid and Punta Cana and connect this destination in the Dominican Republic with Miami, Caracas and San Juan de Puerto Rico.
small strikes
The Sepla pilots union at Air Nostrum, an airline that operates predominantly regional flights, called in. 24-hour strike on 22, 23, 26, 27, 29 and 30 December and 2 and 3 January to request the CPI to be updated in new collective bargaining negotiations.
Strikes between the Ryanair cabin crew, called by the USO and Sitcpla, have also continued for months, taking place between Monday and Thursday every week and lasting until 7 January.
Low-cost airline Vueling from the IAG group has preemptively canceled all flights until 6 January, which it believes may be affected by the strike organized by the Stavla union, which makes up the majority of the cabin crew collective. I don’t have any flights that can be canceled for sale.
Recovery despite prices
This increase in travel supply, Despite the increase in prices, the forecasts for the sector are positive. and uncertainties regarding the future development of the economy.
In fact, the Spanish Confederation of Travel Agencies (CEAV) assures that the forecasts for this Christmas holiday are “very positive”, with almost full houses in the main destinations as well as an increase in the number of offers and places. The fact that the ski resorts are already open.
The tourism industry has rebounded significantly this year compared to 2021, and while global numbers are still below pre-pandemic volumes, they are already very close.
Tourism GDP will end this year 1.8% below 2019, but will be 2.3% higher than then in 2023, according to the CaixaBank research service.