Thomsonfly.com has taken off from Bournemouth
22.03.2005 The first Thomsonfly.com low fares flight took off from Bournemouth Airport early this morning.
The first flight was bound for Valencia in Spain at 6.45am. Each one of the 148 seats on the Boeing 737-300 aircraft was occupied with people from Bournemouth and the surrounding area keen to take the opportunity to fly from their local airport at low prices. As predicted the flights have been selling rapidly since they went on sale at the beginning of December last year; bookings are fast approaching 150,000 sector passengers.
The airline is operating two aircraft from the airport. The first day of flying will see holidaymakers and business travellers flying off to Amsterdam, Pisa, Malaga, Valencia and Paris. Flights start to Palma on Wednesday (23 March) and Faro on Thursday (24 March).
All passengers travelling on Thomsonfly.com flights on the first day will receive a celebratory gift bag containing a number of travel and Thomsonfly.com goodies. Passengers on the first flight were able to toast the new airline with Bucks Fizz.
Customer care
Thomsonfly.com places a great deal of importance on customer care and as such allocates seats for passengers at check in, offers customers the opportunity to choose their seats online before they travel* and enables customers to make changes to their bookings online. Also Thomsonfly.com only uses main airports.
This website is easy to use, has information on what to see and do in the destinations, useful information for when people arrive and enables them to book other parts of their trip including, accommodation and car hire. It only takes six steps to complete a flight booking making the website quick and easy to use.
Chief Commercial Officer of the Airline, Alex Hunter, said: “Low fares shouldn’t mean low service, the Thomson business has a strong reputation of looking after its customers and at Thomsonfly.com we are proud of our customer service; the feedback from our customers shows they appreciate it.”
Jobs created
Thomsonfly.com has recruited a new team of cabin and flight crew to operate the flights – 70 new jobs that have attracted experienced crew members and those eager to have a ‘high flying career’. The team has undergone extensive training in customer service and emergency procedures.
Cabin crew member, Emma, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity, this is my first job in the travel industry, following my college course in travel and tourism. Being from Bournemouth myself it’s great to be able to fly from this airport. ”
Itinerary ideas
Thomsonfly.com customers have the opportunity to travel to seven destinations in five countries, here are some examples of how they might choose to spend their travel time:
Opera in Italy – The Puccini Festival in July and August in Torre del Lago near Pisa has opera performed in the wonderful setting of an open air theatre in Tuscany. Those inspired to find out more about the world-renowned Maestro can visit his former home, the Villa Puccini. With different operas performed on consecutive nights it is possible to enjoy a number of the master’s works in just a few days. Flights to Pisa start from £19.99.
Moorish Malaga – As well as being the gateway to golden beaches of the Costa Del Sol, Malaga is an intriguing city with the Moorish castle and fortress, the 16th century cathedral and great markets. Exploring inland from the city visitors can experience the stunning scenery of the Andalucian countryside which offers walking, horse-riding and mountainbiking. Prices start from £24.99.
Beer and bulbs in Amsterdam – Spring is a great time to visit Amsterdam and the dutch bulbfields – the millions of tulips form a sea of vibrant colour. Those wanting more of a taste of the city could visit the recently renovated Heineken experience. This great city is an ideal place for a break away with a wealth of restaurants, museums and attractions. In addition Schiphol airport is a gateway for global flights enabling Bournemouth travellers to connect on to over 100 destinations. Prices start from £17.99.
Visit Valencia – This Spanish city by the sea is a great place to take a break which combines culture, history and sun. The old town, the City of Arts and Sciences and the multitude of cafes and bars make a great travel itinerary. Valencia is a gateway to the popular beach resorts of the Costa Blanca and the Costa del Azahar. Flights prices start from £22.99.
Fun in Faro – Portugal’s Algarve has fun for all the family with fantastic golf courses, miles of sandy beaches and stunning scenery. Portugal rose in popularity when the European football championships put it firmly on the map for British travellers last year. Prices start from £24.99.
Parks of Paris – Whether relaxing in one of Paris’ many palace parks or visiting the Disneyland Paris park the city offers excitement and great people watching. This year Disneyland Paris is joining all other Disney parks throughout the world to host special entertainment and events to celebrate 50 years of Disney Magic. Prices start from £19.99.
Magic Majorca – There is much more to Majorca than most people think – that’s why it is the playground of the stars. West End quality entertainment is offered on the island at the Pirates experience and the spectacular Son Amar show. The city of Palma offers great shopping, bars and restaurants set amongst historic buildings. Prices start from £22.99.
Overseas visitors
The flights will also be popular with inbound travellers with increasingly larger percentages of passenger originating overseas – the Malaga route is attracting the most passengers from abroad. Overall 12% of the airline’s bookings to originate overseas.
The inbound flights will be particularly popular with students of the many language schools, people holidaying in the region and people travelling to the UK to visit family and friends, all of which will be a welcome boost to the local economy. The first inbound passengers will arrive on the flight from Valencia, landing at the airport at 11.55am.
Flights, accommodation, hotels, apartments and car hire can all be booked here online or by calling the call centre on 0870 1900 737.
* seats can be pre-booked on the website for an additional fee.
