Latest news and information  from GLA          last update: 19 March  2013

Winter sport holidays in Bulgaria, including the resort of Pamporovo, Borovets and Bransko are available direct from Glasgow airport for the winter 2013-'14 season thanks to a new weekly charter flights to Sofia with Balkan Holidays.

Departing Glasgow on Sundays at the convenient time of 13:20, the service will run from 22 December until 30 March 2014. Flights and inclusive ski holidays are available now at www.balkanholidays.co.uk

The timetable is as follows:
KM4292 MLA1215 – 1505GLA 320 2
KM4293 GLA1555 – 2030MLA 320 2

Flybe announces new year round route between Glasgow and Shannon

Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline, has today announced its latest brand new route from Glasgow Airport that will offer a thrice weekly service on Wednesday, Friday and Sundays to Shannon, Ireland from May 1st . Seats are available for booking now at www.flybe.com from £36.99 (€46) one way including taxes and charges.

Simon Lilley, Flybe’s Director of Marketing comments: “Flybe is committed to developing further its route network out of Glasgow. We have every confidence that this additional new service will prove successful in offering an attractive and affordable way for travellers to access this growing business and leisure destination that is widely regarded as the West of Ireland’s premier gateway.”
 

Wizz Air's first flight to Warsaw ready for departure from Glasgow. Copyright Stewart Marshall

Wizz Air's low fares arrive in Glasgow

Wizz Air, the largest low-cost, low-fare airline in Central and Eastern Europe, today announced the move of its two Scottish routes to Gdansk and Warsaw from Prestwick to Glasgow Airport from 1st March.
The carrier, which began operating its low-fare services between Scotland and Poland in 2006, will now offer twice-weekly Airbus 320 flights to the Polish capital and the Baltic Sea from the more centrally located airport in a bid to provide more convenience to existing customers and to attract new passengers from a larger catchment area.

Stijn Vandermoere, Head of Network Development & Scheduling, said: "Wizz Air is pleased to announce these two new routes operating from Glasgow Airport giving more consumers access to Wizz Air’s low fares and great customer service. We believe there is significant growth potential in Scotland and our move to Glasgow Airport is a step towards future passenger and route growth.

"We are confident that Polish visitors to Scotland will embrace the convenient airport location and we urge Scottish consumers to try Wizz Air’s award winning service and low fares. To celebrate our arrival at Glasgow Airport Wizz Air released seats to Warsaw and Gdansk from just ₤23.99. This ultra low fare already includes taxes and the highest booking fee and can be booked from today at www.wizzair.com.”

The schedule is as follows:

W6 1323 WMI1120 - 1305GLA 320 26
W6 1324 GLA1330 - 1705WMI 320 26

W6 1623 GDN1855 - 2020GLA 320 15
W6 1624 GLA2045 - 2355GDN 320 15

Glasgow-Lahore flights to resume?

According to media reports, Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has directed the management of Pakistan International Airlines to resume flights from Glasgow to Lahore by this summer.

However there are unconfirmed rumours that a UK-based new-start airline called Pak British Air intend to serve Lahore via Manchester from Glasgow with a 458-seat Boeing 747-200 aircraft. More details to follow.

Emirates second flight upgraded

Emirates now fly twice every day between Glasgow and their world hub at Dubai. The evening flight has been upgraded to the same aircraft type as the lunchtime service - the three-class Boeing 777-300ER with eight Private Suites in First Class, 42 lie-flat beds in Business Class and 310 seats in Economy Class. It also has 22 tonnes of cargo capacity.

Flights from Glasgow to Dubai  - which are now being enjoyed by over 320,000 passengers a year, are ideally timed for onward connections to destinations across Emirates’ global network including Phuket, Bangkok, Beijing, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, Mauritius, the Maldives, Perth and Sydney.

Fist Class passengers from as far afield as Inverness and Aberdeen can now avail themselves of the free limousine transfer service to meet their flight from Glasgow Airport. The airline have extended the radius of the free service from 70 to 150 miles. For information and reservations, visit www.emirates.com/uk.

New Tunisian charter airline

Syphax Airlines will fly a short series of three weekly Airbus 319 charters from Glasgow to Enfidha Hammamet Airport (NBE) this summer on behalf of tour operator JustSunshine.com.

The flight details, effective 29 June 2013, are as follows:

FS6458 NBE1440 – 1830GLA 319 6
FS6459 GLA1920 – 2310NBE 319 6

Jet2.com has extended their season services from Glasgow to Barcelona and Rome into year-round operations. Flights to both European cities will continue from the summer on a twice weekly basis over winter 2013/14 and are available to book now at www.Jet2.com. For great value package holidays visit Jet2holidays.com.

Direct Flights Düsseldorf with Lufthansa from April

Glasgow Airport has received a major boost for 2013 with the news that Lufthansa is introducing a Düsseldorf to Glasgow service from 8 April. The new route will operate six times a week on board subsidiary carrier Eurowings' Canadair RJ-900 jets. The schedule is as follows:

LH3466 DUS0935 – 1020GLA CR9 7
LH3466 DUS1110 – 1155GLA CR9 x47

LH3467 GLA1055 – 1340DUS CR9 7
LH3467 GLA1230 – 1515DUS CR9 x47

The service operates on daily basis for the peak summer between 27 June and 4 September. www.lufthansa.co.uk

Direct Flights from Guernsey to Glasgow in 2013

Channel Islands Travel Group have launched a new air route from Glasgow to Guernsey, linking Scotland with the island for the first time in several years.

The service, operated by Guernsey-based airline Blue Islands, will operate every Saturday between June 29th & September 14th using a 46 seat ATR-42 aircraft with a flying time of two hours.

Southbound flights depart from Glasgow at 17.30 and arrive in Guernsey at 19.30 and northbound flights depart Guernsey at 15.00 and arrive in Glasgow at 17.00. For more information on these flights and holidays to Guernsey visit www.airwaysholidays.com
 

Barrhead Travel has announced plans to operate a record number of flights from Glasgow Airport to popular holiday destinations next summer. Scotland’s largest independent travel group will charter flights to Palma, Malaga, Alicante, Barcelona and Venice between May and October 2013.

A total of 20,000 seats will be available, double the capacity of 2012, to book as flight only, as part of a traditional package or to travel to cruise departure points in the Mediterranean and Adriatic in exceptional premium cabin luxury. Barrhead Travel is chartering British Airways CityFlyer Embraer 190 aircraft for the flights which will give passengers more leg room and a greater luggage allowance than no frills airlines. The flights will depart on weekends at convenient times for even more comfort and convenience. www.barrheadtravel.com

Jet2.com has announced it will add a fourth aircraft to its successful Glasgow Airport base in 2013.
The aircraft will be permanently based at the airport and its arrival will create more than 50 new jobs.
Jet2.com has also revealed that three new routes, two of which are new for Glasgow Airport, will commence with the summer 2013 schedule, and that overall capacity will be 20% up on 2012 with more than 500,000 seats now on sale.

Murcia in Spain’s Costa Calida and the charming Croatian resort of Pula will be served from Glasgow Airport for the first time, while the addition of Menorca will take the total number of destinations operated by Jet2.com to 19.

The additional capacity means that there will also be more seats available to Majorca, Alicante, Ibiza, Dalaman, Heraklion, Lanzarote and Tenerife while Bodrum and Gran Canaria were recently announced as new routes for summer 2013.

Flights to Murcia will depart every Monday and Friday from 24 May 2013, with fares starting from £41 per person. Weekly flights to Pula are also on sale now will commence on 18 June 2013, with fares from £49 per person and weekly flights to Menorca start on 25 May 2013, with fares from £41 per person.

For more information or to book a flight only visit www.Jet2.com.

For great value package holidays visit Jet2holidays.com where some examples of their increased choice from Glasgow now includes:

• Murcia - 7 nights room only at the 4 star NH Cartagena start from £479 per person based on 2 adults sharing. Prices include 22kg luggage allowance, but exclude resort transfers.

• Pula – 7 nights self catering at the 2 star Splendid Resort start from £449 per person based on 2 adults sharing. Prices include 22kg luggage allowance, but exclude resort transfers.

• Menorca – 7 nights self catering at the 2 star Es Desmais Apartments from Glasgow start from £359 per person based on 2 sharing and include 22kg luggage allowance and resort transfers.

Virgin Holidays:  The 2013 programme to Orlando, Florida operates all summer season from April to October onboard their Boeing 747-400 "Jumbo Jets" and new Airbus 330 aircraft. These flights are available at Virgin Atlantic and package holidays and fly-drives are available direct from Virgin Holidays.
 

Holiday makers heading to Cancun, Mexico and Sanford, Florida from Glasgow will have the opportunity to travel on the new aircraft on weekly flights.

Hailed as the greatest advance in air travel for passengers since the development of Concorde in the early 1970s, the Dreamliner will revolutionise air travel for Thomson Airways customers through significant advances in in-flight comfort and wellbeing.

Amanda McMillan, Managing Director of Glasgow Airport, said: “To be the first airport in Scotland to welcome Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner will be a huge honour and we are delighted Thomson Airways has decided to base one of its new aircraft at Glasgow. The Dreamliner is at the cutting edge of aircraft design and with regards to comfort, it will provide Scottish passengers with a unique flying experience. The Dreamliner will undoubtedly prove a huge draw for Thomson Airways and we are looking forward to its arrival.”

Be among the first Scottish passengers to experience this futuristic new jet by booking a summer 2013 holiday to Mexico or Florida at www.thomson.co.uk

Flybe have commenced their new service between Glasgow and East Midlands Airport. Europe's largest regional airline and the UK's Number One domestic carrier will provide three flights a day, excluding Saturdays which have two return flights, between the two airports.

One way fares are from £24.99 including taxes and charges and all are available for booking now at  www.flybe.com

Icelandair have decoupled their Glasgow and Manchester to Reykjavik triangular route to serve both UK cities non stop. Glasgow passengers now enjoy the convenience of three direct flights a week, non-stop in both directions to and from Iceland, increasing to four weekly for summer 2013.

The schedule from 30 March is as follows:

FI430 KEF0735 – 1040GLA 75W x136
FI431 GLA1405 – 1525KEF 75W x136

The Icelandair route is popular for onward connections and great fares to North America. Destinations available via the Reykjavik hub include Toronto, Seattle, Boston, New York, Orlando, Washington DC and the new addition of Denver. www.icelandair.co.uk
 

easyJet has announced that it will make its Glasgow – Palma  and Jersey flights all year round from the end of October this year.

The summer services which currently operate twice a week were scheduled to run until October 29 this year however easyJet has taken the decision to introduce a winter service from October 30. Flights are now on sale for the twice weekly flights with fares starting from £29.99 (one way including taxes).

Travellers looking to book their winter flights, accommodation and transfers in one go, can find a wide range of flexible and affordable breaks from Glasgow Airport on the easyJet Holidays website: www.easyjet.com/holidays

easyJet's other new service - from Glasgow to Amsterdam - operates daily all year round. Other great easyJet destinations with low fares direct from Glasgow include Berlin, Paris, Geneva and Alicante. Return fares including tax and charges are available from just £46 at www.easyjet.com

BA CityFlyer: BA's subsidiary CityFlyer provide the quickest route to London. Situated just 10 miles from the West End and close to Canary Wharf, LCY is convenient for visiting the capital on business or for pleasure as an alternative to Heathrow and Gatwick.

Approximately 13,000 passengers a month are now enjoying the added simplicity and convenience of using this handy service for accessing London, The City, Canary Wharf and Docklands areas. Flights between Glasgow and London City are onboard the comfortable 98-seat Embraer 190 aircraft.

This summer's British Airways schedule between Glasgow and London consists of up to 9 flights a day to and from Heathrow, 6 to London City and 4 to Gatwick. www.ba.com
 

The airline also provide five flights a week between Cork and Glasgow.

With a flying time of around one hour between Dublin and Glasgow International, fares start at just £24.99 including tax at www.aerlingus.com

Eastern Airways now fly between Glasgow and Stavanger in Norway. Fares on the service which operates three days a week, start from £99 one way, including taxes and charges. The new service will prove popular with oil related business passengers as well as Scottish and Norwegian tourists.

Monday and Wednesday flights will leave Stavanger at 9.20am and arrive in Glasgow at 9.50am. Departure from Glasgow is at 10.20am and arrival in Stavanger scheduled for 1.20pm.

On Fridays, flights will depart Stavanger at 10am and arrive in Glasgow at 10.30pm. Friday services take off from Glasgow at 11am and land in Stavanger at 1.30pm. www.easternairways.com

KLM have four flights a day wintertime on the Amsterdam - Glasgow service. KLM often have the best fares and the most convenient transfers for passengers flying from Glasgow to Europe and the world via their hub at Schiphol. www.flyklm.com
 

US Airways: For summer 2013, US Airways will fly right through from the start of May until the end of October between Glasgow and their hub at Philadelphia. Flights operate up to seven times a week over the season and provide great onward connections throughout the USA and beyond to the Caribbean, Canada and South and Central America. Great service and great fares await at www.usairways.com
 

Thomas Cook Airlines whose brands include Airtours, Club 18-30 and Direct Holidays are Scotland's biggest tour operator. They offer the widest choice of holidays to popular destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Florida, Canada, Egypt, Tunisia, Bulgaria, Portugal, Madeira, the Canaries and the Mediterranean including Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and Malta - all flying direct from Glasgow. www.thomascook.com