with Robbie Shaw

Robbie Shaw lives near Gatwick where he was an Air Traffic Controller and travels regularly to his place in Collioure. His wife describes him as an ‘aviation geek’, just what we need in fact. 🙂
He travels all over the world photographing aircraft, and also keeps you up to date with flights between this region and UK & Irish airports, and any other airport news that seems relevant.

JULY – OCTOBER 2019.

As is the norm in airline scheduling there have been some small changes since those published in the last P-O. Vueling has increased its flights from Barcelona, with 50 per week to Gatwick alone. Overall there are now over 100 flights a week between Barcelona and Gatwick. If only some of them strayed over the border – but as Barcelona is Vueling’s base that seems unlikely.

At the request of one reader I have included flights to NÎmes, though strictly speaking it is not in P-O. Having gone as far as Nimes I have gone a little bit further north and Included Avignon. Only two flights a week in the short mid-summer season. A suggestion – for those who use Birmingham or Southampton, have you considered flying into Avignon and out of Perpignan, or vice versa. It is a very pleasant train ride between the two along the Mediterranean coast, and don’t forget, those over 60 years old get a 10% discount on train tickets.

FRANCE

AVIGNON

A bit too far north for P-O readers perhaps, this small airport offers brief summer only programme. Early in March 2019 Flybe was acquired by a consortium comprising Virgin Atlantic and Stobart Air. At the time of writing, flights listed are expected to operate, but possibly under a new identity of Vfly or Connect Air.

PERPIGNAN

The airport has been trying hard for a Gatwick service but Gatwick’s single runway is just so busy that there is no availability of slots at the right times.

If you are looking at the websites and find the fares to P.O. are very high look at the rugby fixture list. Often changing just a few days can reduce the fare.

BEZIERS

Like Carcassonne, Ryanair has a free run at this small airport.

CARCASSONNE

Ryanair remains the sole operator here. Glasgow flights no longer operate as Ryanair has closed its base there to operate more flights from Edinburgh.

MONTPELLIER

Overall there is an increase in capacity. They also operate to Montpellier from Luton, but only till 3 August. British Airways are introducing flights from Heathrow which will operate four times weekly, but only for seven weeks, commencing 11 July using A319s.

NIMES

Ryanair is the sole operator for P-O readers.

TOULOUSE / BLAGNAC

There tends to be more flights to Toulouse from UK regional airport in the winter due to skiing opportunities, with Andorra not too far away. British Airways have increased their Heathrow service.

BARCELONA / EL PRAT

As always a huge variety of flights to Barcelona, most of which run all year round, but with seasonal increases. For those unfamiliar, take care on the Barcelona ring-road, one wrong turn could be very time consuming. As you can see there is no shortage of flights to Barcelona.

GIRONA

There has been a big increase in flights to Girona. Ryanair’s spat with the airport seems to be over and several routes have been reinstated. It seems as though Leeds based Jet2 have introduced a whole raft of flights. In 2019 these flights mostly finish at the end of October.

Please note that these are the average number of flights per week, and will be variable in the shoulder and peak seasons, that is why you will sometimes see a minimum and maximum number listed. If you think I have missed any,  please contact me on info@anglophone-direct.com. Please do bear in mind airline schedules do fluctuate.

AIRPORT TRANSPORT (correct early 2018)

PERPIGNAN

www.aeroport-perpignan.com

Bus/Train ……. The airport bus from Perpignan railway station takes about 20 mins and runs regularly from app 06.30 to 19.30 Mon to Sat, with a much reduced service on Suns and Holidays.

Taxi..…..3 taxi firms have the right to use the forecourt at Perpignan airport. Prices average about 2€50 per km, so fares for single trips to coastal resorts and the Alberes/Vallespir can be eye-watering !

Car..…… PGF is north of the city near Rivesaltes. Since the recent modernisation, parking supply is ample and costs around 40€ per week.

CARCASSONNE

www.aeroport-carcassonne.com

Bus/Train.….you can travel to Carcassonne railway station from almost any station in P-O, but must usually change at Narbonne. From Carcassonne, there is a shuttle bus that individually connects with each flight departure and arrival. Single fare 5€.

Car.……The airport is right by jcn 23 of the A61 autoroute. There are 3 car parks: short, medium and long stay, and a week in the latter costs 40€.

BEZIERS

www.beziers-aeroport.fr

Bus/Train…….All trains from PO stations to Montpellier and beyond stop at Beziers. From there, there is a shuttle bus that individually connects with each departing and arriving flight. Single fare 1€60.

Car. …..the airport is close to jcn 35 of the A9 autoroute. There is ample parking right next to the terminal and costs 40€ per week.

GIRONA

www.aena.es/en/girona-costa-brava-airport

Bus/train ……… Not an easy airport to access by public transport anymore. A train from Perpignan will take you to Girona station, the easiest option from there being a taxi at around 40 euros. ( price not confirmed).

You can also take a bus to the airport from Girona’s bus station, not far from train station to the Girona Buses run every hour & travel time is 26 minutes. Check bus schedules HERE

Pick up Flixbus directly to the airport from Perpignan. Prices are reasonable but timetable can be constrictive

Car.…….The airport is right by jcn 8 of the AP7 autopista. Several car parking companies exist both on and off the airport, and the official on-airport car park do regular promotions. For example, at the time of writing, a prebooked stay of 7 to 20 days costs a flat 42€.

BARCELONA

www.aena.es/en/barcelona-airport

Train……. The new Barcelona Metro line L9 now serves both Terminal 1 and 2 but only from stations south of the city so is of limited use if coming from P-O . The suburban train R2 Nord runs from Sants station in the city every half hour, but serves only T2 . As regards accessing Barcelona by rail from P-O, there are 4 trains to/from Perpignan daily direct to Sants station, but unfortunately the earliest of these arrives Sants at 12.38 and the latest departs Sants at 16.45. A better bet is Figueres Vilafant (AVE) station which offers a virtually hourly service to Sants from 06.30 to 21.00 daily.

Bus….. The Aerobus runs from the Plaza de Catalunya in Barcelona city centre all day every 5 minutes to Terminal 1 and every 10 mins to Terminal 2. Perpicat (see Girona listings) run one morning service direct to Barcelona airport at a single fare of 50€ . There is a free green shuttle bus between terminals.

Car.…… Barcelona airport is on the south of the city just off the C31 autovia. I find that, generally, easiest access is via the AP7 toll road, continuing round the city onto the A2 autovia as far as the C31. Reckon on 2h15 mins from Le Boulou. Once there, parking options are vast. As a rule of thumb, the nearer the airport terminal, the more you’ll pay, but even at popular times you should need to pay no more than 8€ per day. I recommend looking at the official airport site, as there are often deals and promotions. For example at the time of writing prebooked up to 20 day stays in the main T1 multi storey just 3 minutes walk from the terminal were only 75€ ! Another option, particularly if you are catching an early flight is using one of the 4 local hotels that offer free shuttle buses direct to the terminals. You can leave your car free by the hotel, and usually rooms are available booking in advance for about 70€ . Try www.booking.com for details .

As I’ve stressed in this article, pre-booking tends to save you money, so a little pre-planning and flexibility usually pays dividends. But console yourself with the thought that, generally, transport and parking costs are a lot cheaper here than in the UK, where I’ve regularly paid more for my journey from East Anglia to Stansted than for the air ticket from Stansted to Perpignan !