Cheap flights for referendum voting announced

Josephine Farrugia

May 12th 2011, 11:46

I finally got through this morning and the first available flight leaving London was Tuesday, so there you go!

Mr Robert Agius

May 12th 2011, 11:13

...Now that all flights are fully booked. Keeping up appearances it seems....

Mr Tony Gauci

May 12th 2011, 10:21

My oh my I am so disapointed with the service we are getting to Book the flight!!!! It seems there is only one line available and been trying to contact Air Malta to book a fight since this morning.... This is very Discouriging for those who wish to have thier say......ACTION PLEASE !!!!!!!!!!

Mr Chali Wires

May 11th 2011, 20:35

I sincerely dont know whats all the fuss about this funding.. Cant you see, according to the EU, Malta cannot inject investment directly into the airline, however it doesnt stop our government in paying over the odds for a particular service can it?!

Gerry Cowie

May 11th 2011, 19:35

What a huge waste of money, especially during a recession and with the National airline in crisis! Why can they not bring in postal voting?

Saviour Sam Agius

May 11th 2011, 19:21

Is this offer valid for direct AirMalta flights only or are code shared flights included as well? Can we have a list of airports to choose from? Not everyone lives in London or Brussels ...

Charles Massa

May 11th 2011, 17:04

Hela ta flus il poplu. Min irid jigi jivvota ghandu ihallas u mhux nissussidjalu l passagg mit taxxi ta flus il poplu.

Mr Victor vella

May 11th 2011, 16:25

If the unions at Air Malta have the worker at their hearts, they cound boycott these flights and be operated by Gonzi and his accolades. There is money to squander when 600 Air Malta employees are doomed to be sacked because of the dire financial situation of the company? These flights are going to add to the bankruptcy of Air Malta. In the income statement of the company these expenses are going to be added to increase the net losses that the company had been suffering from 1993. That is why the Gonzi regime had not made hovoc of Air Malta as he had done to other parastatal entities- because the insensitive regime wants to make of Air Malta the portal to attain the powers needed to remain there oppressing the people by illicit means-the same tactic the regime is going to use in the coming election.

Mr J BaldryFarrugia

May 11th 2011, 16:15

Great now if AirMalta were to keep offering cheap flights through the year the carrier wouldn't be in such a mess as they are in now, and 600 jobs would be saved. Right or wrong?

Mr Joseph Sammut

May 11th 2011, 16:07

Anyone wishes to travel to Malta from the UK in the norman manner within these dates have to fork out GBP500 !!!

Charlie Borg

May 11th 2011, 15:57

My opinion is that this is an enormous amount of money (probably verging on to the millions of euro) which the taxpayer is paying for a silly, needless referendum. Silly and needless is both because this referendum should have never been felt needed, with our pseudo parliamentarians not fulfilling their role within a lay democratic state; as well as the fact that it is consultative and is not going to push this administration into legislating, at least up to the next election. More squandering of money!

Mr Albert Farrugia

May 11th 2011, 15:42

Just a small reminder: The Constitution of Malta states the following as one of the requirements to be eligible to be a voter:
"Art. 57 ....a person shall be qualified to be registered as a voter for the election of members of the House of Representatives if,...he is resident in Malta and has during the eighteen months immediately preceding his registration been a resident for a continuous period of six months or for periods amounting in the aggregate to six months." Exceptions are granted to "..a person
who is ordinarily resident in Malta but has not been resident in Malta as required by this paragraph by
reason of service abroad in the public service."
Simply having one's name on the electoral register does not, in itself, qualify a person to vote:
Art. 35 of the General Elections Act: "...Provided that nothing in this article shall entitle any person to
vote who has ceased to have the necessary qualifications to vote...Nor shall anything in this article entitle any person to vote unless he satisfies the requirements of this Act."
Moreover, Art. 112 of the said Act states that if someone "...votes when he knows that he has lost the right to vote, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable, on conviction, to a fine (multa) not exceeding one thousand and one hundred and sixty-four euro and sixty-nine cents (1,164.69) or to imprisonment
for a term not exceeding six months or to both such fine and imprisonment"...and "(2) Every person who aids or abets the commission of an offence under this article or attempts to commit any such offence
shall be liable, on conviction, to the punishment provided for the offence.

Mr Joseph Calleja

May 11th 2011, 14:44

I think this a cheap shot by the Maltese Government and Air Malta. An insult to all Maltese citizens living in Malta. (Gharukasa). And what does the Maltese Citizen (Tax payer) living in Malta get? Not even a free ride to the polling station, unless you are voting no. And then they wonder why people revolt? The Maltese Government, like any other government could have used the Maltese Embassies for Maltese overseas to vote or better yet the very sophisticated Maltese Government could have used the Internet. Shame on the government. Here is Air Malta almost bankrupt, according to our Finance Minister and yet Air Malta still offers Freebeee tickets to politicians and their families and now cheap round trip tickets(which used to be FREE) to citizens living outside Malta. Again, What do the Maltese Citizens (Tax Payers) and the Air Malta employees get? 600 of the Air Malta employees will be getting termination notices and the rest of the citizens get what? And all this to decide whether it should be legal for me and wife to be able to get a divorce? I think the government should stay out of people's personal business. I think every Maltese Citizen eligible to vote should get a round trip ticket on Air Malta for €35 return. Veru post tal-Mickey Mouse. Maybe we can have a referendum on this one too?

Ms C Schembri

May 11th 2011, 14:23

Been on the line trying to reserve a seat since 12:53!!!!! What a brilliant service!!