New routes to Faro announced by Ryanair, Tui and Jet2 as Air France strike cuts deep

5225Portugal's Economy Minister, Manuel Caldeira Cabral, has announced additional Lufthansa flights to Faro airport from Munich and Frankfurt this October to promote off-season tourism in the Algarve.

In the winter of 2016 from October, Lufthansa will operate flights from Frankfurt and Munich to and from Faro airport as part of an off-season tourism strategy.

The minister, visiting São Brás de Alportel, also announced that there will be new Ryanair flights between Faro and Newcastle, new Jet2 flights between Faro and Birmingham and new Tui flights between Faro and Hanover in 2017.

The plan is to promote the Algarve throughout the year as part of a plan to boost off-season tourism between September and June and the new flights will help to facilitate the extra  seat capacity needed.

The French part of the tourism equation is in as much a mess as is usual for the time of year with staff on strike and disrupting as many flights as possible in a bid for more money.

Air France plans to cancel 20% of its flights on Monday August 1st having already cancelled 20% of flights that were due to take off today, Sunday 31st July.

Since the beginning of the latest strike, 185 daily short and medium distance flights have had to be dropped with 32% of cabin crew failing to turn up for work, with over 40% taking Sunday off in protest.

Air France stated that, despite the strike that began on Wednesday and ends next Tuesday, over 95% of long-distance flights scheduled for Monday, over 80% of European flights from or to the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, and over 80% of domestic flights would go ahead.

The carrier also warned that there still may be last minute cancellations and delays in a strike period that has affected over 150,000 passengers whose flights were cancelled.

The strike is over working conditions, pay and promotion.

 

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