Tourists travelling from Birmingham to Faro this summer will be able to take advantage of a new three times a week service operated by EasyJet.
EasyJet plans to launch five new summer routes and holiday packages from Birmingham Airport to top European beach destinations that also include Alicante-Elche, Málaga and Mallorca in Spain, and Corfu in Greece.
The Birmingham-Faro flights will be available on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays from 29 June, and be subject to EasyJet’s “Protection Promise”, which provides customers with flexibility if forced to change their plans. ATOL-protected beach holiday packages booked with EasyJet Holidays will include flights, accommodation, 23-kilogram bag allowance per person and transfers.
According to José Lopes, EasyJet general manager for Portugal, one of the airline’s key strategic goals is “to continue to give the Portuguese and those who visit us the possibility of enjoying a comprehensive holiday option that meets all their needs… Whether for leisure or other purposes, we intend to give our passengers the best experiences, through the best prices and with absolute confidence.”
Added Birmingham chief executive Nick Barton, “Customers can confidently book with EasyJet with the reassurance that their flights and holidays are ATOL and ABTA protected.”
EasyJet’s UK country manager, Ali Gayward, also referred to the importance of customer confidence, noting, “We believe that a framework can be put in place for the safe reopening of travel and a strong summer, and we are currently focused on working with the UK Government Travel Task Force in the coming days and weeks. We are hopeful that progress will continue to be made with the vaccination programmes in Europe, with several countries in Europe having indicated they will be welcoming British tourists this summer.
“We remain of the view that international travel can restart and that, with the right framework in place, restrictions can be safely and progressively reduced and in some cases removed by mid-summer for key destinations. We’ve kept our fleet in a flight-ready mode so we are ready and able to ramp up our services quickly and increase our capacity where we see increased demand for the summer.”
Planning Holidays with Flexibility
EasyJet and EasyJet Holidays’ “Protection Promise” pledge is aimed at providing customers with flexible policies which mean they “can book now with the confidence that if their plans change so can their booking. This includes a refund guarantee for flights or holidays if they are cancelled plus a full refund for holidays if a customer changes their mind up to 28 days before, and – unlike other airlines – with our travel ban protection customers can also receive a refund for non-cancelled flights if plans are impacted by travel bans in a regional or national lockdown.”
In addition, customers have the “freedom to change flights without a fee up to 14 days before departure, and change a holiday up to 28 days before departure; and, if quarantine measures come into place last minute, our quarantine assurance also means impacted flights can be changed without a change fee”.
The safety and wellbeing of all customers and crew members also remains the airline’s “highest priority”, including biological safety measures in place onboard in line with guidance from the relevant authorities. “This includes daily enhanced cabin disinfection effective in protecting against coronavirus for at least 24 hours, and mandatory mask wearing for customers and crew. All EasyJet aircraft are already fitted with HEPA filters, similar to those used in hospitals, which filter 99.97 per cent of airborne contaminants in the cabin, including viruses and bacteria.”
The gateway to the Algarve, Faro Airport has been recognised by Airports Council International for its COVID-19 health measures.
