AirMalaga.com News from The Ultimate Independent Malaga Airport Guide

Plan to book any flights with Ryanair early or else wait several days. The Irish-based company specializing in low-cost flights will be performing a upgrade to their booking system, meaning that access to reserve, change, or check-in will be unavailable via their website or call centre. The timeframe is between 10 pm Feb. 22 (tomorrow) – 11 pm Feb. 25, during which you can only check-in at the airport. Ryanair reports it is due to a system changeover from Navitaire OpenSkies to Navitaire NewSkies. The old system is based on the HP 3000 operating platform, soon to be unsupported.

This also comes on the heels of the demand in August of last year by the UK’s Office of Fair Trading (OFT) that 13 airlines reform the appearance of their prices online. They required that the culprits make taxes and fees appear in the all-included advertised price throughout the booking process. Ryanair hadn’t completed this by the Jan. 31 deadline, and is at the end of an extension to take care of it. This isn’t the first time they’ve been in the public eye of scrutiny — they have had several other run-ins with the OFT for their passenger contract terms and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for their ad campaigns.

Despite Ryanair’s official word that this “will not have an effect on bookings, loads or financial results”, it will be tough for their sales to balance out by counting solely on bookings before and after the shutdown. There’s a good chance rival Irish airlines Aer Lingus and Aer Arann will also take advantage of the situation by offering special deals during the blackout.

Following a joint decision of Iberia’s board, Spain’s most profitable airline has made a proposal to purchase main competitor Spanair, subsidiary of SAS. The Scandinavian company SAS has been losing money for years, and recently announced plans to withdraw investment in subsidies not oriented to the Scandinavian market. On the other hand, Iberia has turned profit for 11 straight years even after their privatization in 2001. This move may be a strategy to compete with low-cost airlines similar to Spanair or to ward off the increasing reach of the high-speed AVE trains.

The bid is being made in conjunction with private aviation company Gestair, conceding 60% of the future ownership to them in order to avoid anti-competition claims by the national commission, Comisión Nacional de la Competencia. British Airways may even have a final hand in the mix, as they are 10% shareholders of Iberia. Once SAS chooses a bid proponent, they expect to close the sale by end of the second quarter.

Delta Air Lines has announced plans to open a link on June 4 to Malaga via New York’s JFK Airport. Americans and Spanish people with business or family in the US are delighted, as this represents the first nonstop stateside connection of its kind. Undoubtedly, this will also open the door to cheaper fares (starting at 550 € round trip), since this provides competition for other multi-leg flights routed through Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, London and elsewhere. Also, new personnel in the Malaga Airport means extra jobs to boost the local economy.

The original number of flights per week on this route was set at 3, but the high number of pre-bookings have caused the American company to add another weekly flight. A source inside the company mentions possibilities of adding other connections to Malaga in the States as well.

Andalucia Romances New York With Its 8th Annual Flamenco Festival, February 2008
— Southern Spain’s Andalucia region excites New York with its 8th Annual Flamenco Festival during February with theater performances by stellar flamenco singers, dancers and musicians.

Residents of urbanizations near the Malaga Airport are receiving some aid from the Spanish aviation agency, AENA (Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aerea). Their plight is somewhat evident: proximity to the airport is causing more than just the occasional window rattle, but rather a daily invasion of private life from the roar of aircraft. Added to this, the expansion works for the second runway are also causing commotion.

In response, so far AENA has replaced standard windows with aluminum-framed, double-pane glass in 435 houses to help block out sound. However, many residents in the closest Guadalmar neighborhood say it’s not enough, since only dining and bed room windows were replaced, leaving other areas untouched. AENA is investigating the possibility of future flight plan changes that would avoid aircraft passing over Guadalmar.

Malaga is one of the busiest airports in Spain, and continues to grow and improve its facilities as the area attracts ever more visits from tourists and businesses. More than 13 million passengers used this airport last year.

Currently there are extensive expansion works under way which include a second runway, another passenger terminal, extra car parking, and better access to the airport including new roads and an on-site coach station.

Please bear in mind that these improvement works will sometimes cause delays getting to or from the airport - allow some extra time for making your outgoing connection.

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