Flybe, a low-cost regional airline group based in Exeter, Devon, UK, has announced an increase in sales for the six-week period of the Six Nations Rugby tournament.
Additional charters that the company has laid on for the tournament have proved popular, and it has also seen an improved uptake for its upgraded domestic services. Flybe also gained a notable PR coup when it was selected by the England rugby team for their return journey from the match in Ireland last weekend.
Fans from the four home nation teams benefit particularly from Flybe’s extensive domestic route network. When the Scottish team plays Ireland at Murrayfield, Edinburgh on Sunday February 24, the airline is operating 16 flights between Dublin and the Scottish capital, some using larger aircraft, and a sell out is expected.
Another match at Murrayfield, this time against the Welsh team on Saturday March 9, has seen tickets selling so well for Flybe’s flights from Cardiff to Edinburgh that two additional flights have been added to the airline’s schedule, and six flights to Edinburgh from Birmingham have also seen brisk ticket sales.
Andrew Strong, the MD of Flybe UK said, ‘One of the secrets of Flybe’s successful business model is our ability to react quickly to our customers’ needs. When the Six Nations fixture list was published, we knew that there would be increased demand on certain of our routes and we acted swiftly to meet that need both instantly and again this week by increasing capacity yet further due to passenger demand for affordable and convenient travel to the matches.’
