Tag: Rugby

Volotea announces special flights to Rugby World Cup France 2023 from Cardiff Airport

Volotea will offer rugby fans in Wales direct scheduled flights from Cardiff Airport to both Lyon and Nantes for the crucial Pool C deciding matches against Australia and Georgia in the Rugby World Cup taking place in France this autumn.

Leaving Cardiff at 17:15 on Friday, September 22, the first special flight is to Lyon, where Wales will play Australia in its Pool C match at the OL Stadium at 21:00 on Sunday, September 24. The return flight will then depart Lyon at 16:05 on Monday September 25. The second special flight to Nantes will depart from Cardiff at 18:00 on Friday October 6, where Wales will play Georgia in the Stade de la Boujoire at 15:00 on Saturday, October 7. The return flight back to Wales leaves Nantes at 14:00 on Sunday, October 8.

‘We have been working for some time on securing flights to take Wales fans from Cardiff to the Rugby World Cup, and we welcome this commitment from Volotea,’ said Marc Watkins, Aviation Development Manager for Cardiff Airport. ‘Of course, the big pool game, where interest to get to the match is highest, is against Australia in Lyon, so we are especially excited to have flights for that particular weekend.’

‘We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new flights directly connecting Welsh rugby fans to the upcoming Rugby World Cup matches in France. Our new direct routes from Cardiff to Lyon and Nantes will offer a seamless and convenient travel experience, ensuring that fans can focus on the excitement of the game rather than the logistics of travel. We are proud to be partnering with Cardiff Airport to make this service possible and are confident that fans will appreciate the quality of our service from the moment they step on board,’ said Gabriel Schmilovich, Chief Strategy Officer, Volotea.

Established in 2011, Volotea flies from 22 cities in France and has aircraft based in eight French cities, including in Lyon and Nantes. Flights are on sale using the airline’s app and are also available on its website: www.volotea.com, as well as through various sports tour operators and travel agencies.

British Airways to fly The British And Irish Lions to South Africa this summer

British Airways has said that it will fly the 37-strong British & Irish Lions squad to South Africa on June 27 for the much awaited Lions Tour.

The Lions’ tour in Johannesburg will see the best players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales embarking on an eight-game Tour of South Africa, including three Tests against World Champions, the Springboks.

Both The British & Irish Lions and Springboks will be carried across the country to matches by British Airways’ franchise partner, Comair.

The team will be heading directly to Johannesburg on a charter flight from Edinburgh, following The Vodafone Lions 1888 Cup clash against Japan at BT Murrayfield Stadium on Saturday 26 June at 3pm.

Sean Doyle, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO, said: ‘We are honoured to be flying The British & Irish Lions to South Africa ahead of their tour. After a difficult year, we look forward to uniting the nation through sport and cheering them on. From everyone at British Airways, we wish them the best of luck and hope to carry them home as champions.’

Ben Calveley, Managing Director for The British & Irish Lions, said: ‘We are delighted to be flying with British Airways for the 2021 Castle Lager Lions Series. We know the squad and management will receive a warm welcome from British Airways staff and enjoy a safe, comfortable journey to South Africa, landing in Johannesburg ready to take on the world champions.’

British Airways is reinforcing its commitment to sport as the airline is currently the Principal Partner to Twickenham Stadium, Official Airline Partner to England Rugby and has been the Official Airline Partner to Team GB and Paralympics GB since 2008.

The British & Irish Lions have toured South Africa on 13 previous occasions, since the first Tour in 1891.

Flybe receives boost from Six Nations Rugby tournament

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.’

Ryanair Operates Extra Flights for Six Nations Championship

Ryanair, an Ireland-based low cost airline, is operating an extra service, known as Six Nations specials, from Dublin to Bristol, for rugby fans.

The Six Nations Specials service will be available from Dublin today and tomorrow, returning from Bristol on February 3.

Ireland will be playing Wales in the Six Nations Rugby Championship at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, February 2, while England will be playing Scotland on Sunday.

The airline is also offering 15 rugby flights between Dublin, Glasgow, and Edinburgh for Ireland’s tie with Scotland on Sun February 24, 2013.

The airline head of communications, Robin Kiely, said, ‘Ryanair has been inundated with demands from Irish rugby fans looking to travel to the Wales-Ireland game this weekend and we’re delighted to announce five extra Six Nations specials between Dublin and Bristol on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

We’ve also scheduled 15 flights between Dublin and Glasgow and Edinburgh for the Scotland-Ireland game on Sunday, 24th February, which are already filling up quickly.

Only Ryanair offers the lowest fares for Six Nations matches and these seats will sell out fast, so our advice to rugby fans is to book today on www.ryanair.com.’

The airline has recently reported a robust performance with a pre-tax profit of €19.3 million for the third quarter ending December 31, 2012.

The third quarter 2012 profits are €18m, an increase of €3m on the same quarter last year, in spite of an €81m increase in fuel costs. Revenues had increased by 15 percent to €969m in third quarter of 2012, with a 3 percent increase in traffic to 17.3m passengers, compared to the third quarter of 2011.

Guide to the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand

HotelTravel.com’s team has written a comprehensive collection of original travel articles covering the competition, including several on unique provinces in New Zealand where the majority of match tickets remain unsold.
According to HotelTravel.com Chief Information Officer Olivier Dombey, hundreds of thousands of Rugby World Cup tickets remain available, as many provinces have sold only a quarter of their stadium capacities.

“From the organizer’s latest figures matches in Whangarei, Rotorua, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, and Invercargill, all have about three-quarters of their seats left for the taking. However, the NZ-France match and the knockouts are expected to quickly sell out when the final phase of public ticket sales starts in July.

“So far, top markets outside New Zealand include Australia, Britain and Ireland, France, the United States and Canada, South Africa, and then surprisingly, Tahiti and Kazakhstan.”

There are also more than 600 events scheduled for the REAL New Zealand Festival. The excitement could be as much about a six-week nationwide festival being held alongside the rugby as the sport itself. For Rugby fans heading down under to New Zealand to take in the events and World Cup matches, check out these Top 5 Rugby World Cup travel articles plus special promotional hotel rates available exclusively on HotelTravel.com:

1) RUGBY WORLD CUP 2011 ALL BLACKS TO ROAR IN AOTEAROA BY NICHOLAS LACEY

New Zealand will host a spectacular sporting event as one of the favorites as its national side looks to claim their second crown on home soil in the seventh Rugby World Cup – which runs from September 9 to October 23, 2011.

2) RUGBY WORLD CUP 2011 ALES AND ALIMENTS IN AUCKLAND BY NICHOLAS LACEY

During the upcoming Rugby World Cup, New Zealand and Auckland in particular will host a thirsty bunch of fans. The city should be right up their street as it’s packed full of bars and restaurants that don’t have an official closing time. Check out HotelTravel.com’s guide to learn more about Auckland’s top watering holes. HotelTravel.com has also created outstanding promotional deals for Auckland hotels from US$14 per night for the 11 matches in the city.

3) AUCKALND’S URBAN COASTLINE: NORTH SHORE BY SAMIA EL-BALAWI

The area known as North Shore is made up of several towns and suburbs, both coastal and inland. Devonport was the first settlement to be established in North Shore, as well as it being one of Auckland’s oldest suburbs. Here you can explore Auckland’s highest volcano, Mount Victoria, which last erupted some 20,000 years ago. Exclusive HotelTravel.com promotional deals for hotels in North Shore are also available starting from only US$89 per night.

4) NEW PLYMOUTH: WHERE MARINE LIFE MEETS THE MOUNTAIN BY NICHOLAS LACEY

New Plymouth is a place that gets on with its business with little hullabaloo and bills itself as an eco-friendly city that heavily promotes walking and cycling, as epitomized by the pedestrian Te Rewa Rewa Bridge that forms part of the 10-km-long New Plymouth Coastal Walkway. HotelTravel.com helps you experience this eco-walk and much more with promotional rates on New Plymouth hotels starting from as low as US$95 per night.

5) WHANGAREI: WINTERLESS WOODLANDS AND WATERFALLS BY NICHOLAS LACEY

Whangarei is New Zealand’s most northern municipality in what is colloquially known as “the Winterless North” – the Northland Region – and has the honor of being one of the 12 venues for the upcoming Rugby World Cup 2011. HotelTravel.com has also created promotional deals for hotels in Whangarei from just US$144 per night.