New flights for 2017…
Clare BuckleyWith 2017 just around the corner I thought I would take a look at some of the opportunities open to travellers with new flight routes due to commence…
Birmingham will receive a real boost to its summer sunshine routes with additional capacity to firm favourites such as Alicante, Crete, Faro, Fuerteventura, Girona, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Majorca, Malaga, Menorca, Paphos, Reus, Rhodes and Tenerife. This extra capacity will mean less of a monopoly for the two larger holiday companies helping consumers receive increased levels of service and value for money. Winter 17/18 routes from Birmingham have already been announced too with increased services to Madeira, Grenoble, Geneva, Salzburg, Turin, Krakow and Prague.
An interesting new service from Birmingham will be to Stockholm commencing 28th April 2017. My colleague Oliver visited the city for the 3rd time this summer, he loves it and it’s easy to see why. The Swedish capital is unique in the way it’s spread across 14 islands and connected by 57 bridges making it an explorer’s paradise yet it is still very compact and walkable and so perfect for city breaks.
East Midlands will have another service to Budapest from next summer. Another beautiful city break option, Oliver in our office visited a few years ago and enjoyed the contrast between the historic centre and its vibrant restaurant and nightlife scene. Despite Brexit fears, East Midlands plans on growing by 100,000 passengers in 2017 up to 2.5 million annually.
Manchester will start flights to Zagreb and Porto next year. Located north of Lisbon, Porto is a beautiful, small city and offers an authentic Portuguese experience for visitors. This new flight will make access to river cruises along the Douro easier as you can fly into Porto and out of Lisbon. Zagreb, the capital city of Croatia is also the location for a new BBC drama series called McMafia. The series, which will star British actor James Norton and centre on the Russian mafia in London, is due to be filmed in the Croatian capital from 5 November – 2 December. A large part of the filming will take place at the city’s Mirogoj Cemetery, while other shooting locations will include famous sights such as St Mark’s Church and Kamenita Vrata (Stone Gate). The eight-part series, which is based on Misha Glenny’s 2008 book of the same name, is expected to air next year. The city is home to some beautiful 18th-19th century Austro-Hungarian architecture with a great gothic style ‘Upper Town’ waiting to be explored.
Further afield, Manchester welcomes a new direct service to Houston, operated by Singapore Airlines. The gateway to Texas, Houston offers a new option when visiting the USA, much needed for those who have already experienced the main stops of New York, Los Angeles, Florida etc. It is well known for its dining, shopping, music scene and family attractions.
Another exciting new route to the USA is New Orleans, commencing with British Airways from London on 27th March. Operating 4 times a week this is a significant development in tourism to New Orleans and as with Houston offers travellers the opportunity to explore more of the USA away from the usual stops. This will be BA’s 23rd service to the USA and will be operated on its 214 seat Boeing 787 Dreamliner. There are so many holiday options such as Memphis to New Orleans on a Mississippi steamboat, a truly authentic trip. New Orleans is also perfectly combined with Nashville and Memphis as a driving holiday with lots of music themed opportunities such as Graceland and Rhythm & Blues tours.
In California, British Airways will start flying to Oakland in 2017. A stone’s throw from San Francisco this will be the airlines 3rd route in the area in addition to San Francisco itself and San Jose. Oakland offers easy transport to Napa Valley, the USA’s most famous wine area and a beautiful area to explore.
2017 is certainly set to be an exciting year in travel and we look forward to featuring your special holiday memories.
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