Want flights to Barcelona? Is there any point in Girona any more?

Want flights to Barcelona? Is there any point in Girona any more?

I've been asked by a user why airlines still bother offering flights to the Costa Brava airport of Girona, when there are already so many flights to Barcelona available instead.

Although Barcelona has always been an incredibly popular city break destination, it's airport has traditionally not be the cheapest place for airlines to operate into, so some low-cost airlines, such as easyJet and the earlier guise of Thomsonfly, have used it, whereas other airlines, particularly Ryanair have preferred to use Girona instead.

This all changed with the opening of the vast new terminal one complex in between the two runways at Barcelona airport. Suddenly, exactly as happened with Madrid, the older terminal complex found itself left with plenty of space for low cost airlines to come in. Unsurprisingly, Ryanair saw easy pickings -- their ideal combination of an airport with reduced handling fees, and the opportunity to serve a major city, enabling them to charge relatively higher prices for their flights, when compared with either Girona, or Reus to the west.

Other airlines which have taken advantage of this extra space include Jet2 and Aer Lingus, whereas the Spanish low-cost airline Vueling has also added flights from Southampton and Cardiff to Barcelona. When the new terminal at Southend Airport opens for business in April, easyJet will be in there too with flights to Barcelona amongst other destinations.

So why would airlines bother still offering flights to Girona, and why would passengers bother to take them?

1) Firstly, let's not forget that Girona, and the resorts that are spread out along the Costa Brava, are perfectly valid destinations in their own right.  The big cultural draw of this region has to be Figueras and other points of interest related to the artist Salvador Dali. Ryanair may have all but abandoned Girona during the winter, but they still clearly see a market during the summer season.

2) Secondly, Girona is still a much smaller airport compared to Barcelona's El Prat, and this still means faster turnaround times and no long taxiing. I've waited for a good 20 minutes before just to taxi from the terminal to Barcelona's southern runway, even without having to queue behind any other aircraft. Smaller airports are often preferred by passengers too -- especially when they usually offer much better convenience for things like picking up a hire car.

3) Thirdly, choice is still good. Flights to Girona may offer more suitable timings, especially as most Barcelona flights from anywhere outside London still only operate a few days each week. Having three airports in the region competing for business means that prices are kept keen for everyone, even for passengers who are only interested in direct flights to Barcelona itself.

I have taken flights to Perpignan in neighbouring France (a long way round, but the timings happened to suit the trip I was planning, and I wanted to call in at Figueres on the way), as well as to Girona and of course to Barcelona International itself, in order to get to the Catalan hub.

However, if I didn't want any messing around, I would definitely just use the main airport. One other reason for using Barcelona International is that if you get the right seat at the right time (takeoff towards the east, sit on the left), the views of the city as the aircraft hooks north are absolutely stunning.

For that reason alone, I'd give Girona a miss - but plenty of others wouldn't.