Cyprus-Forum.com

[Cyprus Vending]

AWARD-winning budget airline Monarch is to launch scheduled flights from London Luton to Cyprus next year, as the airline expands its network to the Eastern Mediterranean, the first real low-cost carrier do to so.

Monarch’s new Larnaca service will start on March 26, 2007 with fares from £69.99 sterling one-way including taxes, and web booking discounts. Seats to Cyprus could be booked as of yesterday at the airline’s website.

The introduction of the service four times per week from London Luton to Larnaca will be the first low-cost scheduled flights to Cyprus from the UK, offering travellers the flexibility and low fares, not currently available.

Commenting on the introduction of services to Cyprus, managing director of Monarch’s scheduled services, Tim Jeans said, “We are delighted to be the first low-fare airline to launch scheduled services to the Eastern Mediterranean, a market that has historically been dominated by the flag carriers and charter services.

“Cyprus Airways and British Airways have operated a high fares cartel to Cyprus for decades which we’ll break with our widely available, flexible low fares. Our new service will be warmly welcomed not just by the growing holiday and overseas property markets in Cyprus, but the 150,000 strong Greek Cypriot community in London, who’ve been deprived of choice and low fares until now.”

Flights to Larnaca will operate on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday using Airbus A321 aircraft with 213 seats. Tuesdays will be added to the schedule as of July 2007.
Monarch already operates scheduled flights to Spain, Gibraltar and Portugal from Aberdeen, Birmingham, London Gatwick, London Luton and Manchester and was named as Leisure Airline of the Year in the recent Travel Industry Awards.

With a fleet of 28 aircraft, Monarch carries more than five million passengers a year, typically property owners, independent holidaymakers, expats visiting the UK, business travellers and people visiting friends and relatives.

The airline was founded in 1968 and began scheduled flights in 1986. It offers a unique system of one-way fares. Round-trip fares are calculated by adding together the cost of the outward bound and inbound journeys. The combined fares are often lower than round-trip fares on many other scheduled airlines, Monarch claims. They also give travellers more flexibility.

Monarch’s arrival will be good news for Cyprus-based passengers who have recently suffered lack of choice due to the withdrawal of Helios/ajet from the market. The airline was bringing in hundreds of thousands of people to Cyprus each year, and offering lower fares to travellers leaving the island.

The Cyprus Tourism Organisation said recently it had been negotiating with two low-cost carriers, one was easyJet, to bring more no-frills airline to Cyprus. These have always been difficult to attract due to the distance. Low-cost airlines usually operate within a three-hour time frame and Cyprus is some four and a half hours flying time from Britain.

[Cyprus Vending]

At long last!!!

Not that I want to be going back to the UK

Maybe it will bring more tourists here...

[Cyprus Vending]

www.flymonarch.com/cnt/scheduled/offers ... ?offId=839

[Snad]

From what I can see it isn't that "low cost" once you add all the extras on. Its almost as expensive as BA

[Sotos]

What are the extras Snad? I tried searching for Larnaca-London departing 2 April returing 14 April and it came to just 130 Cyprus pounds including taxes! I didn't see anything about extras. Is this airline a good one? Is it safe? I am always warred with budget airlines.

[Snad]

Hi Sotos

I checked for May 2007 to LTN and when you add on things like, meal, extra legroom seats etc for two of us it came to £485. I dont call that low cost.

The airline is ok safety wise, the seats are really close together, if your tall your knees will be literally under your chin, more so than other airlines.
Its got quite a good record as far as delays and cancellations go too. Its nothing like Helios.

[mad-dog]

that is not cheap £680 for 2 flights from 2nd till 9th april

i can wait another couple of weeks and fly from norwich for £211 each
and if you look at the times of the flights you get back in uk at 2 10 in the morning

[Kempes]

I find that if you book well in advance, BA from Heathrow is as cheap as anybody... from 130 up including everything. I work in Germany a lot and found flights with Lufthansa from Frankfurt for 66 GBP inc. These appear on some UK websites as part of a cheap deal with BMI from Heathrow via Frankfurt as they codeshare with Lufthansa.
All the charters seem to add the extras on after advertising the base price. If you can wait the cheapest deals with the charters are in the few days before they fly. I got singles with XL from Bristol for 37 inc in October as it was their last flight of the season.

[ecpersonals]

Cyprus airways has very lows fares too if you book well in advance. They advertised £128 return to heathrow.

[Kempes]

Sorry, yes Cyprus Airways are pretty good too. Watch the exchange rate though as they default to Cyprus pounds, so add 20% for the UK equivalent or change the currency. The website is not so friendly though as you have to choose each flight you can take individually to get a price, rather than showing all price options on one page. Can take an age to get the cheapest.