Vueling vliegt rechtstreeks van Groningen naar Barcelona

(tekst: persbericht)

Vueling will connect Groningen to Barcelona next summer 2012

The route will offer 2 weekly frequencies and more than 20.000 seats.

Tickets are already available on all Vueling�s channels from 40�.

Barcelona, 28th October 2011. � Vueling, the new generation Spanish airline, has announced the launch of a new route between Groningen and Barcelona for the coming summer season. The inaugural flight will take off from Groningen Airport on April 28th, 2012, and will operate twice a week. Tickets are available from today with fares starting from 40�, one way, taxes included, on www.vueling.com, through travel agencies, Vueling�s iPhone application, mobile portal m.vueling.com, and Call Centre 0900-777 0005 ( 8-24 hrs).

Vueling is the only company operating this route with direct flight,
which will facilitate the trips of travellers from Northern Netherlands to Barcelona. The route will have 2 weekly frequencies, departing from Groningen on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and will offer more than 20.000 seats.

In addition, Dutch tourists can fly to a wide range of other destinations such as Malaga, Seville and Balearic Islands thanks to the connections program that Vueling offers via El Prat airport. Through this program, Vueling, with 22% of market share at the Barcelona airport, is turning Catalonia into the main hub for international flights offering a total of 44 connections via Barcelona. The company carried 553,089 passengers in connection during the first year of the program (January-September).

The airline is carrying out an international growth strategy consisting in expanding to new countries and adding new international cities to its network, targeting both popular and underserved markets in Europe such as Cardiff in UK, Aalborg in Denmark or Groningen in the Netherlands, being all of them new routes for Barcelona El Prat Airport.

Alex Cruz, Vueling�s CEO, states �We are delighted to be launching this new route Groningen-Barcelona and we are sure that Dutch passengers will be thrilled with Barcelona, a Mediterranean city in the heart of Spain�s Catalonia region.

The best beaches, bars, clubs, museums, shops and thousands of cultural events occur outdoors every year in the city. Barcelona is a truly cosmopolitan city with more than 35,000 shops offering everything from books to jewellery, haute couture or furniture. Colourful markets bring life to the many squares in the city centre.�

Quote from airport�s representative.

Vueling in the Netherlands
Vueling first landed at Schipol on October 25th, 2005, with flights to Barcelona and Valencia. In 2007, the company doubled its range of destinations, adding Malaga and Seville. In 2010, three more cities were added: A Coruna, Bilbao and Ibiza.

The evolution of passengers at Schipol is also notable. In 2005, Vueling carried almost 40,000 people. From that time, the airline has carried almost 2 million passengers to or from the Dutch capital. This year, the figure will certainly exceed the 500,000 passengers.

For those passengers willing to visit Spain during this winter season, Vueling has recently announced an increase of flights between Schipol and Spain starting October 30th, putting on sale more than 250.000 seats to connect Amsterdam with Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, Malaga and Valencia.

Vueling, Pacesetter Award as most transformative Low Cost airline
Since its launch, Vueling has prided itself on being innovative, offering efficient and time saving travel solutions tailored to the needs of its passengers. This has been recently recognised by the aeronautic industry during the last edition of the World Low Cost Congress (September 2011), when the company was awarded for both Best Website and as the Pacesetter airline.

All Vueling operations incorporate the latest technology available in the airline industry. Innovations include: Online seat assignment – Vueling was the first new-generation low fare airline to allow passengers to choose their seat at the time of purchase; Online check-in – customers can receive their boarding pass up to four hours before departure; Duo and XL seats – passengers can choose to fly with more comfort by purchasing the middle seat of three, or by choosing seats in the wider rows of the aircraft; customer service via twitter – any passenger concerns can be solved in real time through @vuelingclients and People and exclusive promotions can be found @vueling. The company is also present in Facebook with both national and international profiles: Facebook.com/Vueling people and Facebook.com/Vueling Europe.

Besides, the company is focusing now on business passengers, who today account for 44% of all Vueling customers, and tailoring its products and business to meet their needs. In this sense, they recently launched the DUO product, which enables business travellers to enjoy a double seat in the front row at all times and includes guaranteed space for hand luggage, as well as a complimentary snack and drink on board.

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 bases (Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Malaga, Bilbao and Valencia). A seventh, Ibiza, is a base during the summer. In April 2011, Amsterdam was introduced as its new international base, which further contributes to the airline�s international growth strategy.