James Says
There is no shortage of flight routes into Palma from most major airports in the UK. Although Majorca is by far the largest of the Balearic Islands, as well as being arguably the single most popular holiday destination in Europe, all flights operate into Palma International, the only airport on the island. Palma is one of a few holiday airports which operates two parallel runways, enabling it to welcome over 20 million visitors per year on flights into Majorca, an island where around two thirds of the economy is dependent on tourism.
Do Ryanair operate cheap flights to Palma?
Although most airlines are happy with the facilities at Palma, they are considered to be far too expensive and cluttered to appeal to airlines like Ryanair, who have never operated cheap flights to Majorca. On the other hand, most other UK budget airlines to operate flights to Palma, with Easyjet being the largest UK airline there. Palma is also an important base for German airline Air Berlin, who use it as a transfer hub to enable their passengers from Germany, Austria, and also from London, to reach other destinations in Spain and Portugal. Naturally, there are also plenty of charter flights to Majorca.
Prices of flights to Palma
As with other popular sunshine destinations such as Malaga, there is a plentiful supply of flights to Majorca, although prices can rise substantially when demand is high. If you can avoid it, try and find flights outside the summer holiday period, when large crowds descend on the island. If summer is the only time you are available to visit Majorca, you are almost certain to find better value by booking well in advance with one of the no-frills airlines, rather than trying to find late availability package deals, which are becoming increasingly hard to come by. If you are searching for cheap flights to Palma a few weeks before travelling, this is when the no-frills airlines tend to be much less competitive, unless they still have large numbers of seats to sell, which doesn't happen often for their flights to popular destinations such as Majorca. As well as checking charter flight bargains, it is also worth giving some of the scheduled airlines a try. British Airways offer regular
flights from Gatwick and Manchester to Palma, through their leisure subsidiary GB Airways.
Majorca transfers
If you're making your own independent holiday booking to Majorca, but don't want to hire a car, then it is strongly advisable to book a transfer to your hotel. Although Majorca benefits from a perfectly reasonable public transport system, including buses running around and between the major resorts, as well as a couple of very scenic tourist railways, public transport to and from the airport is much more limited. A solitary bus route operates every 15 minutes between the city of Palma and the airport, with the journey taking up to 45 minutes when traffic is heavy. This service is fine for reaching the major hotels in Palma itself, as the bus runs along the shoreline, and is also useful for providing connections with other public transport in Palma.
Majorca car hire tips
A hire car is very useful if you want to explore some of the scenic parts of the island, although it can become a bit of a hindrance if you're just using one to get from the airport to your resort. Traffic in Palma itself can move very slowly at peak times, making parking a nightmare as well. It is also strongly advisable to check with your hotel to see if they charge for on-site parking, as in some resorts, hotels charge up to ¬10 per day for the service. If you are staying in a villa away from the popular coastal resorts, then a hire car is obviously essential, and Palma Airport has plenty of availability for this. The car hire facilities are situated on the ground floor of the massive multi storey car park which sits opposite the terminal at Palma Airport. All the major European car hire companies have a presence here. There are also a couple of local companies offering off-airport car hire in Palma. The off-airport facilities can be accessed by a short shuttle ride, but this inconvenience is not worth the hassle if there is only a small price difference between the rival companies.
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