Airfares cut in bid to stimulate demand

Ryanair is now offering free flights to ski resorts in Italy, as the airfare wars escalate.

A carrier that is known for aggressive marketing campaigns, Ryanair has announced that it will make 10,000 free seats available on flights to Cuneo and Turin, their main destination airports for travellers to numerous ski resorts in Italy. Passengers are charged 1p for a ticket, and the amount is then refunded to them.

There are restrictions, in that the offer is limited to travel on Saturday. Passengers are also required to pay charges for credit card booking and checked baggage and sporting equipment.

In addition, the Irish budget airline is offering one million seats at £2.50 on over 300 routes throughout Europe, including services from Stansted to Alicante, Bergamo, Bremen and Rome.

The sale lasts for only 48 hours and is not good for travel on Fridays or Sundays or during the period of 12 to 23 February.

EasyJet has joined Ryanair in the fare ware, announcing its ‘biggest ever’ sale late last week, with discounts of as much as 25 per cent on 16 million seats for sale over the coming four months.

The easyJet fare reductions will make it possible for air travellers to fly to numerous European destinations, such as Amsterdam, for slightly more than £20, taxes included.

Most major scheduled airlines are mounting special fare offers as the aviation industry attempts to lure passengers and reverse the slowdown in demand caused by the economic downturn.

www.ryanair.com