Ryanair to Open 29 New Routes to Spain this Winter

More great news for Spain

Ryanair to Open 29 New Routes to Spain this Winter

Irish budget airline Ryanair is set to add 29 extra routes to Spain, leaving them with over 500 routes to and from Spain.

Spain remains a popular destination for spending the summer in the sun and this popularity will only increase with the news that Ryanair are set to open 29 new routes to Spain this year. This will bring Ryanair up to 500 routes, and comes at the perfect time as Spanish tourism is flying quite high as it is. 

Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary explained the reasoning behind the increase in routes, saying that Spain was one of the most important markets for the airline. He explained that around 27% of Ryanair’s traffic is related to Spain, which is no doubt important to the company. 

Key highlights of the additions include extra flights between Seville and Edinburgh, Bristol, Rabat and Tangier in Morocco, and Venice. The extra connections to Barcelona will see flights to Burgundy in France and Palermo in Italy, while Palma de Majorca is set to welcome flights from Milan, Rome, and Dusseldorf. 

Alicante is set to offer a connection to Newquay in England, Gdansk in Poland, and Bologna in Italy, along with domestic flights to Seville. 

Ryanair will be operating flights in 26 Spanish airports after the expansion, handling over 41 million passengers each year, which is a major share of the overall tourism market of Spain. 

Spain registered a massive increase in low-cost air traffic to the country with a 13.7% increase.

Three Signs Winter is Well and Truly Over in the Costa del Sol

The temperature is rising and everyone is out and about

Are there really people out there who still don’t understand the great climate that Spain has? It’s not much of a secret that the Spanish weather is delightful, but many people only know what Spain is like during the summer; when the skies are blue, the beaches are packed, and the sun tan lotion is constantly being applied.

What isn’t as well-known is the opinion of Spaniards and expats that the best times to visit Spain are actually the spring and the autumn. There are some obvious reasons for this if you were to think about it. These are the seasons when Spain can truly offer everything on a silver platter, but there’s none of the crowds, heat, or expenses that come with taking a trip in the summer.

It’s because of this that many Spaniards get excited when the winter settles down and spring kicks in. The Costa del Sol had a surprisingly sodden winter, but the time to celebrate the arrival of spring is now. Here are the three signs winter is well and truly over in the Costa del Sol.

The Beaches are Starting to Fill Up

As the temperature during the starts to reach between 16 and 24 Celsius during this part of the year, there’s a strong temptation to hit the beach. While the southwest winds are still bracing and tough to deal with, it’s hard to deny how inviting and warm a sheltered bit of sunshine can be. Not to mention it’s never too early to start working on your tan.

Don’t think about taking that dip in the Mediterranean Sea just yet though. Things are still very cold during the night, with temperatures dropping to below 10 Celsius, making the water colder than you think. You could find the air chased out of your lungs by the time you’re waist-deep. You can also expect those lengthened shadows cast by the setting sun to creep up on you, leaving you with a sudden chill that is a sharp contrast to the warm and inviting sunshine. Make sure you go prepared, but do go to the beach, as it will be pretty much all yours right now!

Everyone is Smiling

Spaniards are generally very happy people. Even expats from Northern Europe eventually become happy and cheery people by living in Spain. Even so, winter makes those on the Costa del Sol lose some of their cheer. At least until the weather warms up a little.

By the time February rolls around everyone is back and smiling as much as possible. The Spanish are smiling again whether they are on the bus, doing their shopping, waiting in traffic, getting served in a restaurant, or just making the rounds. Spaniards aren’t big fans of the cold. While some of them will still be fighting the elements until April, smiles are still fostered through the warmer temperatures, the extra sunlight, and the longer days. Embrace and enjoy that winter is over and that, from now on, you’re in for months of sunshine.

Airlines are Betting that Malaga Will be Top Winter Destination

Airlines are Betting that Malaga Will be Top Winter Destination

This winter will see Major European airlines offering over 700,000 more seats on their flights to Malaga.

Malaga can now handle over 20 million passengers a year thanks

to thee extension that has recently been completed.

The president of the tourism authority of the region – Tourismo Costa del Sol – Elias Bendodo says that between October 2016 and March 2017 European airlines will be offering at least 700,000 more seats than they did compared to the same time period in 2014/2015.

This accounts for a huge 23% increase and Bendodo gave perspective to the figures by explaining that they mean Malaga airport will welcome around 4 million visitors in the winter. The precise number is 3,890,000. By comparison last year saw 3,170,000 passengers land at Malaga airport.

Bendodo also said that while airports from across Europe were increasing how many seats they offered to Malaga it was the Brits who offered the highest increase. There will be a total of 325,000 seats made available on British flights to Malaga over the winter.

Number of Retired British Expats Claiming Winter Fuel Allowance Down Two Thirds Following Crackdown

Number of Retired British Expats Claiming Winter Fuel Allowance Down Two Thirds Following Crackdown  

The British government recently cracked down on winter fuel payments and have managed to save £16 million so far.

New data released from the UK government shows that just over 42,000 British expats  buying property and retiring overseas in the EU received winter fuel payments – down by over two-thirds compared to last year.

Around 137,845 British pensioners living in the EU received winter fuel allowance payments during the fiscal year of 2014/2015. This number was cut down drastically following a crackdown by the British government.

Elder Brits who were living abroad in sunnier locations were still receiving their annual winter fuel payments of over £200 (or £300 for those who are aged over 80) even though they were living in places where there was no need for it.

This caused the former Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith to bow that he would bring this wasteful practice in check by introducing a temperature test that would analyse the average temperatures of Europe.

If pensioners were living in an area of Europe were the average temperature was higher than the warmest area of the UK (the southwest of England) then they would have their winter fuel payments stopped. After this scheme was introduced the government has saved around £16 million as the amount of money spent on payments was reduced from £24.5 million to £8.1 million.

A general rule of thumb says that payments were stopped for people who moved to places such as Spain, France, Greece, Portugal, Malta, Cyprus and Gibraltar.

An interesting note is that pensioners living in Italy can still claim Winter Fuel Allowance. This is because the temperature test only takes into account average temperatures and the 40 degree highs of the Italian summer are offset by the bitter winters.