Flight price hike for Cup Final

Charter flights bumped off the schedule as airlines cash in on subsidies

RCD Mallorca has only ever won the cup once, in 2003. It thus comes as no surprise that thousands of fans will want to travel to La Cartuja stadium in Seville to watch the match against Athletic del Bilbao.

Thus far, more than 15,000 Mallorcans are expected to travel to Seville to attend the final. A total of 21,000 tickets for the stadium are available for the club for the final on April 6.

Charter flights cancelled

Airlines have reserved 29 flights for these passengers, leading to the cancellation of many charter flights which travel agencies were trying to book.

The reason is simple: the airlines can effectively charge a lot more for a scheduled flight because residents of the Balearic Islands enjoy 75 per cent discount, paid for by the Spanish State.

While travel agencies have been marketing charter flights for up to €400 with transfers and insurance, others are advertising them for €250, with the 75 per cent discount applied. Thus, the actual price of these flights is €1,000 once the State has subsidised the remaining 75 per cent.

Unfair competition

Travel agencies are unable to compete with these prices because the discounts do not apply to charter flights.

The Secretary of State for Transport, José Antonio Santano, said this week that the resident subsidies cannot be extended to discretionary air transport without a change in the law, and that this could not be achieved in time for the cup final.

It is worth noting that a condition for subsidising these flights is that they should be offered at the usual fares. However, prices have increased significantly to meet demand. Another factor is that tickets are supposed to be available for the general public, but in fact will initially only be available to club members and will not be open to the public until March 26.