Air Malta announces Palermo, Catania offers

mario hammett

Sep 2nd 2009, 15:50

Tajba Air Malta. Daqxejn tard, le?
Li ma kinux ghall-kumpaniji ta' l-ajru 'low cost' kieku l-air malta iqaxrun hajjin.
Qed tinkixfu kull darba.

rmicallef

Sep 2nd 2009, 13:08

@F.Vella
I am a freq flyer to Venice & Pisa. However, have visited Trapani, Luton & Dublin. Never spent more that €100 for a flight ticket including all fees. Why r u asking?

Joe Falzon

Sep 2nd 2009, 07:12

@ Marthese Camilleri - Do you know that you are paying through your nose for the so called Ryan Air cheap prices. For every passenger flying on Ryan Air, the Maltese tax payer is paying a hefty subsidy and the maltese government will continue to subsidy until it has its back to the wall and can do no more. Ask Valencia and Manchester airports. Do you know of any business owner/shareholder that subsidies competition to the detriment of his own company? There is only one - the Maltese government. What a brilliant policy.

Air Malta never got a subsidy and the only capital invested by the government was in 1973 when Air Malta was born.

E. Azzopardi

Sep 2nd 2009, 01:35

Why didn't Air Malta think of this before another airline announced its intention about this route? If this were a profitable route then KM should have started before. Excellent marketing!
Now we have two airlines going and coming half empty or positively thinking, half full.

Maria Debattista

Sep 2nd 2009, 00:46

I tend to agree with you Martha Boyce, stay put and support people, do as the British do and thats to buy British, here we support the Maltese its their bread and butter after all, why support the foreigners?

Martha Boyce

Sep 1st 2009, 20:16

Why dont' you all save the money and spend it in Malta and stay put like me, i have been to catania once, and boy what a dump, Malta is heaven, no wonder they Sicilainas always come here as oppose to the other way wround.. No but no thanks i am staying put and do all the shopping i need over here in Lovely malta, after all we need to support our Maltese folk and the unemployed and not the Sicilians, the only thing that is partial Italian is their Pizza's for the rest Nitto.

Marthese Camilleri

Sep 1st 2009, 20:15

Ha ha, what kind of offer is this? Ah, yes for Air Malta it is, because our national airlines have been living off the Catania route to the detriment of us poor loyal tax paying passengers. Nobody can beat Ryanair, I just booked 4 flights to Trapani for 115 euro including priority booking plus 2 travel insurances

F.Vella

Sep 1st 2009, 19:00

@R.Micallef Neither Efly nor Catamaran is cheaper than Air Malta. Enough said. Are you a frequent flyer to Trapani with Ryanair?

R Micallef

Sep 1st 2009, 18:14

No Thanks Airmalta. I am ready to use E-Fly or Catamaran for Catania for much less. The above offer is a gimmic. Thanks to Ryanair I am now a frequent flyer at a MUCH cheaper price. I don't care for a free newspaper or a free nugget, potatoe & a glass of orange juice. Contrary to what may be said, Ryanair prices are straight forward and easy. It is true that baggage is 15kg but handluggage is 5kg more than Airmalta (ie 10Kg). I never pay any extra fees for online payments since I pay with a Visa Electron (which can be applied for Free at BOV) Thank You Ryan Air. Looking forward for other routes to add in my itinerary.

Roger Boyle

Sep 1st 2009, 16:40

Oh and one more thing. Most Maltese go to Catania for shopping. Where do you think all the luggage will fit on that tiny aircraft with so many passengers on it. I'll tell you. If it does not fit it will stay in Catania.........then fly them on Airmalta !!!!

Roger Boyle

Sep 1st 2009, 16:33

@Mario Micallef What disgusting attitude are you talking about? Any business would capitalise when it has no competition. Look at Ryanair's fares to Dublin. @R Ferriggi With our taxes it is Ryanair we are subsidising not Airmalta @Maryanne Mercieca Do you think E-fly is offering ALL it's seats at Eur39? Just as Ryanair sells all it's seats for Eur1 !!!!!! @Wilfred L Camilleri Very well said. Could not have put it better myself. Further comments are superfluous. @Charmaine Mangion Once again you have expressed your bias against your national airline. Do you know that Trapani is on the other side of Scicily? Even if Ryanair flew from Catania Airmalta would be cheaper when you consider the excess baggage plus all other charges that Ryanair charges. @Joanna Cutajar .........and a limousine service to your one star hotel......... @ Myself Don't forget that with Airmalta you fly on young brand new planes. E-fly will be using 25yr old outdated aircraft, similar to Airmalta's ex-RJ's. Only those were new and yet problematic. I don't see E-fly flying too high for too long.

A.Bonnici

Sep 1st 2009, 15:48

@charmaine mangion

Have you ever been to Trapani? It is so cut-off from the main attractions in Sicily that you end up paying hefty transport costs to reach your destination. You forgot to mention that Ryanair offers a very restricted service, even luggage-wise, and charges an extra fee for online payments. I travel on this route quite often and I'm pleased to say that Air Malta have always been my first choice.

R.BORG

Sep 1st 2009, 15:47

@ R Ferriggi
You are very much mistaken when you say that..quote " apart from sustaining it (AirMalta) for many years with our taxes". Please be sure before you talk as AirMalta NEVER, EVER received any subsidies from anyone's taxes but on the contrary, AirMalta paid its dues towards the country directly and indirectly.

Roderick Theuma

Sep 1st 2009, 15:43

Joanna Cutajar: Are you being racial about us maltese? :)

Rita Buhagiar

Sep 1st 2009, 15:16

The next thing will hear is that RyanAir will be flyihg the same route for free. standing room only for the month of September when everything is quiet on the western front and all kids are back at school thankgod., a bit of peace and quiet and a blooming headache for the teachers.

Joanna Cutajar

Sep 1st 2009, 15:13

Does this includes a lunch and a small bottle of wine on board and am being greedy cause i am Maltese but is accomodation included? Pleae don't answer all at once my PC might crash!!!!

charmaine mangion

Sep 1st 2009, 15:06

why bother what airmalta offers when with 60 euro you can travel to trapani 2 adults both ways. btw with ryanair.

Wilfred L Camilleri

Sep 1st 2009, 14:56

Let’s be realistic here. Discount airlines have their place, but so do full service airlines. Discount airlines cannot offer the services that a full service airline can: more routes; more frequent flights; better connections; better service; etc. History has shown that discount airlines come and go. It’s not the first time they have left passengers stranded when they can no longer sustain money-loosing flight schedules. Let’s face it. No airline can stay in business for any length of time charging €39.50 for a flight. It just doesn’t make business sense.

Do any of you claiming Air Malta is ripping you off realize or have a clue what it costs to operate a plane? Do you believe that even if a plane is full to capacity with people paying €20 for a one-way trip to Palermo covers the cost of the fuel, staff, lease costs, landing and servicing fees, maintenance, etc.? If you do then you don’t know what you’re talking about. I bet you a taxi ride from the airport in Palermo to the centre of town will cost you more!

Full service airlines have to compete with discount airlines so they have no choice but to offer money-loosing fares.

ray pace

Sep 1st 2009, 14:43

there are only 7 seats per flight with the reduced prices and some are already gone. yes we are proud of airmalta but had there been the need of competition to have these discounts and for a relatively short period?

Randolph Peresso

Sep 1st 2009, 14:42

Competition at its best! :) ..... to the benefit of the customer.

Marianne Mercieca

Sep 1st 2009, 14:30

Just called airmalta to make a booking and was told that no seats are available. Applicable only to selected seats on each flight. One seat on the 14th Sept, 2 seats on the 15th Sept bla bla bla. In order to benefit from this offer I would have to send my family members on different flights. Airmalta think we are idiots. There are many other airlines with cheaper prices that we can revert to. What a mickey mouse country. I was told that adults pay 81.40 euro and children 72.42 euro. Shame shame shame.

r ferriggi

Sep 1st 2009, 14:22

i totally agree with Mario Micallef

i always preferred airmalta ,,, even though i had to pay heftily.

this is supposed to be OUR national airline! so,, apar t from sustaining i for man years with our taxes,, wealso had to pay exorbitant pirces for the tickets.

the time has come wen i rethink my loyalty. it is evident that there was never any loyalty from airlamta to the maltese poeple. just business.

i mean,,,, these catania and palermo routes must cost CLOSE TO NOTHING for airmalta due to the peoximity but they still are relatively dear, even with the discounts!!

i have a feeling that IF real competition starts,,,,,, it is bad bad news for Airmalta.

the notion of competition does not seem to appeal much!!!

vincent a galea

Sep 1st 2009, 14:21

What a negative approach by this commentator. AIR MALTA,, as the National Airline carries great responsabilities and should be more positively seen.They are not asking for non-payment of landing fees,etc etc etc and they employ a substantial number of our fellow countrymen and women...
Thanks fo this initiative AIR MALTA!!

ray pace

Sep 1st 2009, 14:13

why not starting these rates with immediate effect? try and book a flight today to catania €91 one way excluding taxes and surcharge? can airmalta state why surcharge price has changed three times online this morning for the same flight - €22,€88,and now €110?

E.Muscat

Sep 1st 2009, 14:02

@M.Catania:it is called ' I want to keep my prospective passengers so I make an equal offer':if the single aircraft that efly has technical problems,you will be stuck in Sicily and that is also called competition!

Mario Micallef

Sep 1st 2009, 13:47

Looks like things started to move since E-Fly announced the commencement of flights to Catania. What a disgusting attitude...so LONG LIVE COMPETITION....although I admit that our National Airline always gave a contribution to the state...its about time that such things start finishing cause now we're seeing that for these routes we were simply being robbed in daylight...WHAT A SHAME!!