Vueling operates new UK route: Cardiff-Barcelona flights start this week.

Thursday 29th March 2012

The airline will also connect Cardiff to Alicante and Palma de Mallorca starting June 24th.

Cardiff, 29 March 2012 - Vueling, Spain's new generation airline makes its debut in Wales with its inaugural service from Barcelona this week. Its regular, scheduled flights, which offer allocated seating and a range of benefits for business travellers, will operate between Cardiff Airport and Barcelona-El Prat Airport three times weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, utilising Airbus A320 aircraft. This will be Vueling's first direct service from the UK to its Barcelona headquarters.

In addition to its three times weekly service, Vueling will operate an extra flight on Good Friday, 6th April and another on Easter Monday, 9th April, enabling passengers to take advantage of the extended break. From 24th June the Cardiff-Barcelona schedule will alter to Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays to accommodate the increasing interest in the Barcelona cruise market.

Also starting on June 24th, Vueling will bolster its operations from Cardiff Airport adding Alicante and Palma de Mallorca with three times weekly scheduled services operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays allowing UK passengers to enjoy two leader destinations and some of the most beautiful beaches of the Mediterranean.

"We are delighted to be increasing our UK route network beyond London Heathrow with these new flights to Barcelona from the principal city of Cardiff," said Alex Cruz. "We have received a very warm welcome here and we hope to look at opportunities from Cardiff in the future. We have already announced the addition of direct flights to popular leisure destinations of Palma Mallorca and Alicante which start from 22 June three times weekly as the summer season starts."

In addition, Cardiff originating passengers can access a wealth of onward connections via Vueling's successful Barcelona Hub operations, currently accessing more than 40 destinations throughout Europe and North-Africa, including the Greek Islands of Santorini and Crete, Balearic Islands of Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza, as well as Gran Canaria, Malta, Malaga, San Sebastian, Rome and Venice, with full through baggage check-in Cardiff to final destination.

Fares on Vueling's Cardiff-Barcelona route start from approximately £26 (30€). Tickets are available to book now via www.vueling.com, travel agents, Vueling's iPhone and Android applications , mobile portal m.vueling.com, and call centre UK number 0906 754 7541.

About Vueling - Vueling was founded in 2004 with two Airbus A320s serving four routes with the aim of providing excellent customer service at a competitive price. Eight years later, Vueling operates a fleet of 59 Airbus (57 A320 and two A319) at 74 airports throughout Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, offering more than 14 million seats during the summer season 2012.

Vueling's first flights into London arrived in 2009. For summer 2012, with an expanded UK route network, Vueling will operate nine routes from four UK airports: London Heathrow to Bilbao, Galicia, La Coruna and Vigo; Cardiff to Barcelona, Palma and Alicante and from Southampton and Edinburgh to Barcelona.

www.vueling.com