Jet2 is cancelling all flights and package holidays to La Palma in the Canary Islands, just six months after launching the route from Manchester Airport. The final service will operate on October 30, with the route having started on April 3 this year.
Customer options and refunds
A spokesperson for the airline said affected customers would be contacted directly and offered the choice of rebooking or receiving a full refund. The decision followed a review of the programme and an assessment of customer demand.
As the route ends on October 30, most passengers with bookings during the October half-term should remain unaffected. The service operated twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays.
Impact on La Palma tourism
The route was the fifth addition to Jet2's Canary Islands network, joining Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Tenerife. According to Canarian Weekly, the move represents a "significant setback" for La Palma's tourism sector, which had welcomed the new route when it was introduced earlier this spring.
The destination, which has a less developed tourism infrastructure than popular hotspots such as Tenerife and Lanzarote, had "been working to strengthen its connections with the British market," reports the Express.
Airline statement
A spokesperson for Jet2 said: "As a customer-focused business, we continually review our programme in response to what our customers want, and we will make adjustments where required.
"This gives us the ability to add flights and holidays in response to demand, and very occasionally we may withdraw them too. Following this latest review, we have taken the difficult decision to withdraw flights and holidays to La Palma.
"Where customers are affected, we will contact them or their independent travel agent to let them know their options, which include rebooking another holiday or receiving a full refund.
"We would of course like to apologise to affected customers, however with a fantastic programme of services to a huge range of destinations, we are offering superb choice when it comes to rebooking their holidays with us."
