easyJet has added extra flights between Bristol to Bordeaux to facilitate travel for students taking part in the 2014 Bristol Bordeaux Exchange.
The airline had originally scheduled the summer route to commence in May, but decided to meet the demand for flights in April from participants in the exchange programme. It will add extra flights between the twin cities from April 4, 2014 through to April 29, 2014 enabling students to fly to and from their local airport.
easyJet’s UK Commercial Manager, Ali Gayward, said: ‘The Bristol Bordeaux Exchange remains a really popular programme for young people in both cities, so I’m pleased to announce that 16 additional easyJet flights have been added to the schedule next April. The extra flights will ensure schoolchildren in the South West can continue to participate in this valuable cultural exchange.’
Debbie Richards, Director, Academie Aquitaine said: ‘We are delighted that easyJet is supporting the exchange programme by scheduling additional flights in April. In the early days of the Bristol Bordeaux Exchange it took 27 hours to get to Bordeaux and now it takes less than an hour and a half. Parents really value the convenience of knowing that their children can fly in and out of Bristol Airport with easyJet.’
Students from the Bristol area participating in the exchange will spend two weeks living with their exchange partner family in Bordeaux and the Aquitaine region of France. In return, the student’s family also hosts the exchange partner for a fortnight.
The exchange process is organised diligently – taking into consideration hobbies, age and background. For the participants, it aims to lay the foundation for real love of languages and the understanding of another culture, as well as the establishment of real longstanding friendships.
The Bristol Bordeaux Exchange started in 1947, and has used air travel from Bristol Airport since 1964. The Community Interest Company, Academie Aquitaine, manages the exchange scheme and receives funding and support, including office space, from Bristol Airport.
