Price war looms as travel firm takes off

BUDGET TRAVEL, one of the country’s leading tour operators, will spark an airline price war when it announces next Monday that it has gone into partnership with Futura airlines to offer low-cost fares on Spanish routes.

The Irish Examiner has learned that www.budgetair.ie is to compete with schedule carriers operating to sun destinations, using airplanes owned by Futura, a company in which Aer Lingus has a 20% interest.

Initially, www.budgetair.ie will offer low-cost flights from Dublin to Malaga and Alicante from next November, with flights three times weekly. One-way fares will cost from €49, plus taxes. By comparison, Aer Lingus charges €109 and €99 plus taxes respectively for one-way flights from Dublin to Malaga and Alicante.