means BA no longer flying to Malta from 25/10, as Heathrow was suspended a few months ago

I can't comment on how popular the BA flights from Gatwick are but B.A sold out to EasyJet on their M/cr Malta service and that flight was always full. Makes you think why they sell a profitable route?

Hello, you only have to look at the Times of Malta to see that there are not so many tourists going to Malta from here any more to see why B A have pulled out of going to Malta.
Unlike Spain say, were you can get a good class 3* hotel and flight for £250 for a weeks H B in October, the same thing in Malta costs at least another £100 more and we all know a Maltese 3* is more like a 1* so you go up a star to a 4* and then its even more money, so untill they price there holidays better I think they will lose even more tourists and there by more airlines will pull out.
This is just my view on this.
Dave.

If you look at the Islands of Spain such as Mallorca and Menorca they are much more expensive than Malta particularly for food & drink plus they have zero culture since they are tiny islands off a mainland. They are only really a destination if you want to stake yourself out on a beach each day of your holiday and apart from expensive bars and restaurants there's nothing else there.

BA are also pulling out of Madris, Malaga and a few other Spanish destinations since they have been hit the hardest in the cut back in tourist numbers in Europe. Malta has faired much better.

I've flown BA loads oftimes to Malta and they have consistently been lower cost that either Easyjet or Ryan Air if you book 2-4 weeks in advance. It's a shame because they provided the best service at the best price to Malta. Air Malta aren't bad but they have a very amateurish website and their prices aren't quoted initially with taxes, so they are a bit misleading just like Easyjet & Ryan Air.

The only advantage Air Malta has is they fly from Heathrow which was one of the disadvantages of BA.

I'm sure BA will be back shortly afterwards when the economy picks up next year.

While I agree with what you say a bit OpenMinded, I don't agree about Mallorca being more expensive, I have never been to Menorca so can not comment on that one. Although Malta may have lot of places to visit and more history than they no what to do with it, When I have been on H B in Malta I have found the food to be of a poor standard and the chef standing over you giving out the meat and not much of it as if you are at school. The only place I could say that you get good food is at the hotel Coastline and we all know you can now only go there as a Student in the summer or with Saga.
I may have had a few duff meals in, but in the main I have been happy with there food.
Alass Mallorca may not have the history of Malta, but there are still some good sights to see in Palma old town and other old towns away from the coast, as for a night out you can still get a pint of local beer for a euro or two as there are so many bars they have to keep the price down, and lots of they put on good entertainment of a night time, the last time I was in Malta the entertainment was the telly with the World Cup and as soon as that was finished then that was that, it was back nothing at all.
Don't get me wrong here I like Malta and would go more oftern if they brought down the prices ( I did read in the Times of Malta the other day that Malta has the highest cost of living in the E U ) just look at the price to go in there Museums in Malta with there new price rises, and who wants to lay on a rock to sun them selves.
Dave.

I did read in the Times of Malta the other day that Malta has the highest cost of living in the E U

Malta has one of the the highest inflation rates in the EU in the last year (3.5% odd), but no way the highest cost of living

You can get a pint of beer along the Slieme seafront for exactly €1 euro - I saw this yesterday.

I was paying €1.75 for a bottle of beer in Paceville yesterday evening, which is deemed the most expensive area in Malta.

I also had a meal consisting of 2 pizzas (proper Italian style) and 2 pints of beer for €20. That was in a nice restaurant sitting outside on a Terrace alond the Sliema seafront which is seen as one of the more exepensive areas of Malta.

I had a fantastic Greek meal one evening earlier this week and for 2 people including starters main course and a bottle of wine and a bottle of water, the bill came to €48. Again, in a fantastic location in St Julians. What's so expensive about that?

Why on earth would you stay HB in a place like Malta which is full of fantastic restaurants with cuisine from all around the world?

I got back home at 3:30am this morning, plenty of entertainment in the St Julians/Paceville area. I expect to do the same this evening
The problem seems to be with those from the UK who are finding all Eurozone countries expensive because of the very weak £. Well, that's not the fault of those in the Eurozone because those with the Euro aren't finding any problems. It's the problem of the UK which has one of the worst economies in Europe and will be the last to recover due to huge debt.

With regards to the comment about Malta having the highest cost of living in Europe, that came from Labour finance spokesman Charles Mangion. Labour are not in goverment but are the opposition in Malta, so they would make negative comments about the economy.

Malta has never had it so good with regards the economy. They have an above average level of inflation but that's exactly because the economy is good. Look at the UK where there is almost an environment of deflation which is disastrous.

Openminded - we love Malta but we also love Majorca. I have to disagree with you about the fact that Majorca has nothing to offer apart from lying on a beach. The Tramontana mountains are fabulous for walking and the scenery breathtaking.

Malta has stunning coastal scenery but to be perfectly honest the interior is nothing to write home about and in places looks a lot like a war zone! It does, though, have history in abundance and the people are so friendly.

I'm not sure if BA will reinstate flights for summer 2010 - very difficult when they pull the plug to start again - people tend to lose confidence.

I suspect we will fly Easyjet - much to my dislike but the flight times are better and they are also a fair amount cheaper. Air Malta used to operate several flights a week from Stansted but they have dropped that and also the Norwich flights for winter.

Pippa

Have booked Easyjet in place of the cancelled BA flights. £162 for both of us return is a good price I reckon even if it is EJ!!

Pippa

OpenMinded.

It's the problem of the UK which has one of the worst economies in Europe and will be the last to recover due to huge debt.

Hmmm!

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090627/local/deficit-nears-euro-300-million

m&n:

OpenMinded.
Quote:
It's the problem of the UK which has one of the worst economies in Europe and will be the last to recover due to huge debt.

Hmmm!
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/vi ... 00-million

Well you clearly haven't looked at the GDP to debt ratio for either country. UK is forecast to reach 71.5% by next year which is the highest since the very early 1970's:

http://www.ukpublicspending.co.uk/uk_national_debt_chart.html

This will inevitably become significantly worse due to the over reliance on financial services over the last 20 years (ever since 'big bang' in the late 1980's). Additionally there will be massive public sector job cuts in order to service the unprecedented debts in the UK:

http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/2009/06/public-sector-faces-350000-job-cuts-cipd-predicts.htm

This will cause a 'W' recession profile instead of the ideal 'V' shaped profile. In other words there will be a second large dip in the UK's economy that will be unique to the UK, while those countries that have a large manufacturing base or those that haven't relied on high risk financial services will avoid a similar situation.

Malta's GDP to debt ratio is predicted to reach around 68% but the economy hasn't been exposed to bad debt or the selling of very high risk financial products.

My personal opinion is to avoid investing in anything in the UK for at least 2 years. The property market will take another plunge next year.

Getting a bit I think............

Pippa

Yes true, lets get back on topic.

Kath

Is itreally off topic? The thread is headed 'BA cancel winter 2009/2010 flights to Malta'. The reason is that BA aren't making a profit due to the economic downturn. That's what's being discussed, the state of the UK economy (because BA have admitted themselves that they are being seriously affected by it) and the relatively buoyant (IMO) economy of Malta.

This means that BA will fly nobody to Malta from November this year. Sure Air Malta will take over the slots but with the £ being so weak, I don't think there'll be a noticeable increase in passenger numbers to fill the seats on those slots. Better that MIA/MTA persuade Air Malta to expand their flight portfolio to countries that are in the Eurozone who

a) haven't been affected by the downturn as significantly as those in the UK
b) haven't seen any price rises in Malta because they use the same strong currency, the €
c) bring a more varied & interesting cultural base to the islands

Malta should be focusing away from the UK for the next several years for a supply of tourists and more on the other Eurozone countries who actually have money to spend. There are around 490 million people in Europe, only 60 million of which are in the UK. Out of the remaining, 300 million are in teh Eurozone using the € as their currency. That's a great pool of potential business to develop considering they use the same currency and are immune to currency fluctuations within the zone.

Even if it is getting openminded's reply is excellent.
p.s. £1 = e116.50. getting better!