Dear Editor,
Given the push by local politicians for all year/winter tourism and the huge importance of the UK market, I thought this story might strike some interest with you.
There are two parts to this missive:
Firstly, my wife and I were travelling back to Northern Ireland on Thursday 25th November. To travel to Belfast at this time of year, (November – end of March), we must travel through one of only a few UK airports. On this occasion we were travelling from Palma to Bristol and then on to Belfast. On this journey this involved a seven-hour transfer wait at Bristol. This was caused by the airline cancelling an earlier flight that we had booked that involved a two-hour transfer.
All in all, a total travel time from our Majorca home to our home near Belfast was 14 hours involving moving and waiting. In addition, we clocked up 8 K of walking on our health apps. Somewhat of a challenge for a couple of our advancing years.
Secondly, a snapshot of the flights notice board at Palma. Note there are only two flights out of Majorca going to the UK, Bristol at 11.05 and Gatwick at 20.10. So, seat availability of approximately 400 for a population of almost 60 million can hardly be described as full accessibility.
The alternative? ‘Come to Majorca this winter’, book a direct flight if you can find one, or travel to somewhere in Europe and fly to Majorca from this location, it will only take most of a day!!
Best regards
David