Spanish Travel News - June 2008 Edition

Dear {!firstname_fix},

We have made some changes to the Spanish Airport Guide to hopefully make it easier for you to find answers to any queries you might have. On the website you will now notice a green "need help?" button in the top left hand corner which takes you into the most frequently asked questions for the airport you are interested in. If you still can't find out what you want to know then you can email us in the normal way.

For those of you travelling into Madrid Airport, we have also written an article on changing terminals at Madrid Airport which gives you details of the various shuttle bus services and where they are located.

If you are going to rent a car when you arrive in Spain don't wait until the last minute to book it. We are already receiving reports that some makes and models of hire cars are completely booked out over the high season, so if you are coming to Spain over the next few months make sure you hire a car well in advance to ensure that you can get the vehicle you want.

Gary Ingram

All we ever hear in the news is negative reports about airports all around the world, so we have come up with a list of things that we like about Spanish Airports. If you can think of any more please let us know!

• They are very child friendly with a large number offering play or amusement areas

• Malaga Airport, which is undergoing enormous change, at least recognizes the inconvenience travellers are having to put up with and is offering free car parking

• Parking your car at the Spanish Airports is still relatively cheap compared to countries like the UK

• The duty free shopping area is not restricted to just the departure lounge, and you can often find smaller branches of Aldeasa near to your departure gate to spend your last few euros

• They have a chemist/pharmacy in the public area

• Because there are so many Spanish Airports you don’t always have to travel from the larger ones and can use Jerez instead of Seville, Murcia instead of Alicante or Reus or Girona instead of Barcelona.

• Spanish Airports are very well geared towards car hire and offer some great deals because it is such a competitive business on mainland Spain, the Balearics and Canary Islands

Officials from Iberia Airlines have confirmed that they have started the application process to fly to Gibraltar from Spain. Air Europa, Vueling, EasyJet, Ryanair and Spanair have also indicated they are interested in starting flights to Gibraltar.

Iberia and GB Airways are confirmed as the two main airlines willing to operate the GIbraltar-Madrid route. Click air has also shown interest in Gibraltar, especially to cover the Barcelona - Gibraltar route. No details on how many flights will be operating, the routes or the pricing structure have yet been confirmed, although Iberia is hoping to start operations in December.

Our aim at the Spanish Airport Guide is to provides travellers with all the information they require to make their trip to Spain an enjoyable one. Our Spanish Travel Fact Sheet details passport and visa entry requirments, health cover, local laws (including smoking and drinking policies), taking money out of Spain and gives you contact details for the local British Consulates.

Children`s Buggy Hire Service

We often get asked about where to hire children's accessories in Spain and have come across a service which delivers and collect pushchairs, travel cots, highchairs and prams directly to and from where you are staying. They offer the service in Majorca, Ibiza, Formentera, Tenerife and Gran Canaria. You can find out more at Silvia's Buggyservice

BmiBaby have now started their new route from Cardiff to Barcelona From 8th September they will operate from Manchester to Barcelona and Manchester to Madrid from 18th June.

Ryanair already have bases in the Spanish airports of Alicante, Girona, Madrid and Valencia and have just announced that they are to base two new aircraft at Reus Airport. So along with the current flights between Reus and Dublin, Frankfurt, Glasgow, Liverpool, London Luton and London Stansted they will operate a new route from Birmingham to Reus in June.

From October Ryanair will also fly between Reus and Palma, Paris, Santander, Santiago and Seville.

Ryanair have also just announced a new route between Malaga airport and Glasgow Prestwick in Scotland starting on October 27th with three flights a week. Ryanair are planning to sell the first tickets for the new Malaga Glasgow Prestwick route at €29.99 euros on their website.

ClickAir, the Spanish low cost airline, has started flying from London Gatwick to Bilbao on the north coast of Spain. This has replaced the Iberia London Heathrow to Bilbao route.

Starting on 5th July the Spanish charter airline LTE will operate weekly services from with the Norwich to Alicante, Norwich to Barcelona and Norwich to Palma. This means that the Alicante route back is now back in operation since Flybe ceased services.

LTE are an established charter airline who work with UK tour operators including Thomas Cook, Thomson and First Choice Holidays. Single fares will start at around £69 (including taxes and charges) and tickets are on sale now.

Use your mobile phone to buy an airline ticket

Vueling has become the first low cost airline to sell flights via mobile telephones. Through their new website Vueling Mobile passengers can search for flights and reserve their seats without having to be at home or in the office by using a mobile phone with a WAP2.0 internet connection. Payment can be made using a credit or debit card and the service is currently aimed mainly at business passengers.

A cheaper option to booking a private transfer or taxi from the airport to your destination is to book a seat on a private shuttle bus. The Spanish Airport Guide works in partnership with a firm called Shuttle Direct and provides details on how you can book a seat on a private shuttle bus to a number of destinations from the following airports: Alicante Airport Shuttle Buses - Girona Airport Shuttle Buses - Granada Airport Shuttle Buses - Ibiza Airport Shuttle Buses - Jerez Airport Shuttle Buses - Madrid Airport Shuttle Buses - Menorca Airport Shuttle Buses - Murcia Airport Shuttle Buses - Palma Airport Shuttle Buses and Reus Airport Shuttle Buses

Why not spend the summer in our own 1 bedroom apartment! Its just 45 mins by car from Malaga and is the perfect place to recharge your batteries!

You are welcome to come and stay for as little as 3 days to as long as 3 months!

If you would like more information and photographs on the apartment then please click here!

www.lamaestranza.eu

We are still receiving a large number of requests for information on our message board, and ask that you give us as much as notice as possible if you need information on bus and train timetables in order to plan your journey as they can sometimes take some time to find.

And please carry on sending your travel tips or advice as we can pass them on to other travellers and include them in our monthly newsletter.