Matthew Xuereb
Price of Air Malta flights 'too high for Bulgarians'
A Bulgarian travel agent is considering dropping Air Malta because she says its fares on the Malta-Sofia route are far too expensive.
Mariana Ohridska pointed out that a return flight to Sofia cost almost twice as much as a week's stay on half board basis at an average four-star hotel.
Ms Ohridska, who operates from Malta and concentrates mainly on bringing over Bulgarian students to study English, says the cost to send students to the UK is far lower, with a flight costing just €25.
Ms Ohridska said the direct flight operated by Air Malta to Sofia cost between €270 and €320, increasing substantially in the summer months.
She insisted that if Air Malta were to lower its fares, flights on the route would not be two-thirds empty as they were on a regular basis.
But a spokesman for the national carrier said Air Malta offered competitive fares for the service, which operated from Malta twice a week. There were offers of €99 return for travel in the November/December 2010 period.
He explained that Air Malta fares, including to and from Sofia, varied for a number of reasons including demand, market type, dates of travel and competition, among others. Fares could change any time and one offered today "would probably be more expensive the next day".
Ms Ohridska said that when compared to fares offered by other airlines, Bulgarians had no incentive to choose Air Malta. Bulgarians could fly Ryanair to Venice, spend a day and night there and then fly to Malta.
The price, including the overnight stay, turned out to be much cheaper than the fare for the Air Malta flight, she said. A Lufthansa flight to Malta, with a stopover in Frankfurt, also cost far less, she insisted.
With regard to the study of English, Ms Ohridska believes Bulgarian students prefer the standard of teaching in Malta as opposed to that in the UK, saying the island offers more attention and a personalised approach.
"Bulgaria is a poor country and, although parents are willing to make an extra effort to send their kids to learn English, Malta is far too expensive for them, mostly because of the flight. The prices of courses in Malta are pretty reasonable. If the flight were not so expensive, there would be much more interest in Malta," she said.
Ms Ohridska said her company, Marianna Company Ltd, promoted Malta at specialised fairs in Bulgaria and also through her website www.welcome-to-malta.com.
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17 Comments
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D Phillips
Feb 12th 2010, 19:00
KM prices are expensive, its a fact. No need for assumption at all. Its ok for you too assume but not for anyone else? Great theory.
Claire Busuttil
Feb 12th 2010, 18:28
@D Phillips, I can assume, that the 'agent' in question, is not so familiar with worldwide prices, because otherwise, she did not come out with saying that KM prices are too expensive..... or maybe, is just not an IATA cerified travel agent.....thus not qualified enough.
D Phillips
Feb 12th 2010, 17:00
Claire, try taking your own advice.
Claire Busuttil
Feb 12th 2010, 15:44
@D Phillips......well never assume anything
D Phillips
Feb 12th 2010, 11:56
Claire,
She is a travel agent, i'm sure she is more than familiar with worldwide prices.
Ton Keepers
Feb 12th 2010, 08:51
Go to airMalta website, Choose departure Amsterdam and arrival Malta, leave, say May 12th and return May 19th. Do the same with departure Malta, arrival Amsterdam, same dates. Find out that the difference is +/- € 50,= !! Why?
Claire Busuttil
Feb 12th 2010, 00:02
Dear Peter,
I know what I am saying, you can compare KM prices, with for example AZ flights on same routes.....MLA-FCO-MLA .......you will find as I stated similar prices. That`s why this is an unjustified fuss.
m. borg
Feb 11th 2010, 22:40
I recently needed to book a flight from Malta to Amsterdam the only way available was via Germany checking both Airmalta and Lufthansa I found a €90 difference between what Airmalta and Lufthansa charged, of course Airmalta's was the dearest ticket.
WAy to go Airmalta, no wonder it is incurring losses.
Peter Murray
Feb 11th 2010, 21:20
Dear Claire,
Please actually be" fair "and name those airlines that have similar prices ,on the same routes served by Air Malta,and when you have double-checked those fares you will understand the fuss made.
Claire Busuttil
Feb 11th 2010, 17:44
To be fair, many other airlines, have similar prices of Airmalta, so actually I do not know all the fuss of this Bulgarian travel agent.......may be it could be that she is not that familiar with worldwide prices!
Regarding Ryanair, we are lucky that are able to choose, since with Ryanair, everyone is now able to fly. Bulgaria should start working out to get Ryanair as well.
renald williams
Feb 11th 2010, 15:58
just for info,
some of the Air Malta employees are since 2004 still…
with a reduced take home pay...
this reduced take home pay is still frozen...
work extra hours more each week, to get the same reduced frozen take home pay...
are getting 20 per cent or more, less take home pay, when compared with similar grade workers, doing the same kind of work, in other companies...
sincere peace and health to you all
Joseph Cauchi
Feb 11th 2010, 14:52
I think that Air Malta has been PAMPARED too much and is now our spoilt “child”. I blame all our Governments both MLP and PN, for this current state of affairs.
Why should the tax-payer continue to subsidise a company which is literally speaking “living” beyond its means, when one considers the exorbitant high cost conditions and the exclusive PERKS, the employees are enjoying in these Global recession periods.
Air Malta is still flying because it is state owned and not privately owned, as otherwise, no sensible employer would continue operating such company under these LUXURIOUS and high cost conditions.
We must stop living in the clouds (excuse the pun) and come down to Earth and face the realities.
No wonder, our national carrier is UNCOMPETITIVE!
JC.
Paul Fenech
Feb 11th 2010, 14:49
Air Malta they do not care about their cliens. Try to book on the internet and see what happens, you choose a date at a certain price, when you choose the return flight the price of the departure date will double. I challenge evrybody to say that its not true. Another thing i tried to book by the internet and for some reason i couldnt continue with the internet, so i went to the airport to book, they charged me another Ten Euros because i went to book from the airport, the fair costed me ten more euros than the price shown on the internet. I fly frequently to Milan and when Easy jet will start operating the route i will fly with them at hlaf or less the price of air malta. They use the same airport Malpensa. So from March onwards i wont be using air Malta any more. BYE BYE AIR MALTA BON VOYAGE FOR YOUR ARROGANCE
CHRIS FALZON
Feb 11th 2010, 12:15
...there is another catch in Air malta prices.They offer a low fare but they make you pay through for every the nose for excess babbage.15 euros for every kilo is daylight robbery
Peter Murray
Feb 11th 2010, 11:06
This is not news to me or to anyone with a modicum of current appreciation of air travel prices.This high price of Air Malta flights is not restricted to Bulgarians but drammatically effects us all and regrettably it is only a matter of time ,sans a bailout from the government,before Air Malta is grounded.
S.Tonna
Feb 11th 2010, 10:31
That's why Airmalta is generating big profits every year and Ryanair is getting bankrupt!! : ) Drop the local carrier Mariana and send them through Venezia. The cheaper the better.
Mario Micallef
Feb 11th 2010, 10:27
I totally sympathise with Mrs Ohridska...such practices are done on routes without competition...i bring again the example of Rome fiumicino route...everybody knows it was a duopoly with Airmalta & Alitalia...now that Easyjet saw potential in this route and will start to operate daily without asking for government assistance..we see that Airmalta fares have gone down to €59 including taxes for a return ticket whilst before we were paying triple..It is disgusting!! Why not bring in WizzAir Bulgaria if there is big demand!! then we would see if prices remain the same!! DISGUSTING!!