Vueling announces new Alicante and Palma routes from Cardiff. Enhances Barcelona service.

Thursday 12th January 2012

Vueling, Spain's leading low fare airline, today announced it is bolstering its destinations from Cardiff Airport this summer with the addition of two new destinations, Alicante and Palma, Mallorca. The new scheduled services will commence from 22 June 2012 and will be operated by 150-seat Airbus A319 aircraft three times weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Today's news follows hard on the heels of the announcement in October to commence Cardiff-Barcelona services from March, marking the first direct Vueling service from the UK to Barcelona, the airline's home base. From 27th March flights to Barcelona will depart on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, then from 24th June the schedule will alter to Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays to accommodate the increasing interest in the cruise market from Barcelona. Most cruises set sail on a Saturday so these flights will enable passengers to arrive at a convenient time in order to join their chosen cruise and spend a final night in Barcelona before returning home.

Lead in fares to all destinations will start from approximately £41.41 (€49.99) and tickets are available now via www.vueling.com, travel agents, Vueling's iPhone application, mobile portal m.vueling.com, and call centre UK number 0906 754 7541. Previously only on offer up to mid-June, Vueling has now extended its summer sale to include flights throughout the entire peak summer and school holiday period.

Vueling flights offer a wealth of onward connections available via Vueling's successful Barcelona Hub operations, currently accessing over 40 destinations in Europe and North-Africa, with full baggage through check-in from Cardiff Airport to final destination.

"We are delighted to be able to expand our footprint in Wales and increase our schedule to enable passengers from Cardiff to not only enjoy the city of Barcelona for weekend breaks but to also enjoy holidays to other popular Spanish destinations," said Vueling CEO Alex Cruz. "Vueling is very pleased to be able to fulfil the local catchment area's requirement for direct flights to these destinations for both leisure and business travellers."

Patrick Duffy, Cardiff Airport's Managing Director adds: "We're pleased with Vueling's announcement to operate a further two routes to Alicante and Palma, in addition to the previously announced service to Barcelona. The Spanish low cost carrier will be a welcome addition to South Wales, and will offer our passengers the chance to access some of Europe's leading holiday destinations from their local airport. In addition the airline, which has a very high profile in Spain, will also give Spanish passengers the opportunity to visit Wales. We look forward to the start of the airline's operations from Cardiff from the end of March, and trust the Welsh consumers will support these services."

The announcement has been welcomed by Welsh Government Business Minister, Edwina Hart:" This is excellent news for the airport and for the wider region - the routes are to very popular holiday destinations and have the potential to significantly increase traffic from Cardiff Airport. It also opens up closer business and tourism links between Wales and Spain bringing benefits to both countries."

Vueling provides a service that mirrors traditional carrier practices including seat selection, options to book through travel agencies, loyalty point's schemes, an extensive network and premium services. It's even possible to buy gift vouchers for Vueling flights as special gifts.

About Vueling:

Vueling was created in July 2004 with a fleet of two Airbus A320s, four routes and the objective of providing excellent customer service at a competitive price. During the 2011-2012 winter season, Vueling is operating a 45-strong aircraft fleet serving 44 airports in 13 countries throughout Europe and North Africa. Six of these airports are permanent centres of operations (Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Malaga, Bilbao and Valencia). A seventh, Ibiza, is a base during the summer. In April 2011, Vueling introduced two new international operational centres, Amsterdam and Toulouse, which further contribute to the airline's international growth strategy.

www.vueling.com