Clickair launches Seville and Valencia routes with 'clickservices'

Spanish low-cost airline Clickair will begin flying from Heathrow to Valencia and Seville on Thursday (February 1).

Daily services will operate from Heathrow Terminal 2, with fares beginning at €20 (£14) one-way, including taxes and charges, and the airline also promises to make booking hotels, rental cars and insurance easier through its "clickservices" online system.

To Seville, flights will leave London at 11.10am and touch down at 2.50pm. On the way back, they will leave the Spanish city at 2.30pm and arrive back in Heathrow at 4.05pm.

To Valencia, flights will depart Heathrow at 5.15pm, arriving at 8.30pm. Return flights will leave Valencia at 8.40am and touch down in London at 10am.

Morning and early evening departures will be operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, which provide all-leather Recaro seats in a single class configuration.

Clickair positions itself as a third generation low-cost carrier, with tickets priced slightly higher than those of Ryanair but still well below the majority of its rivals.

It is also differentiated from the likes of Ryanair and easyJet by virtue of the fact that it will fly from Heathrow, London's premier airport.

The benefits of flying from Heathrow include its close proximity to the centre of London. Regular train services leave from Paddington station – the Heathrow Express takes around 15 minutes and was rated highly by passengers in the latest survey by the Passenger Focus watchdog.

Nevertheless, many low-costers do not fly from Heathrow because of higher airport charges and tend to stick to the slightly harder-to-reach Stansted or Luton. Clickair aims to keep ticket prices down by capitalising on supplementary, or ancillary, revenue.

"We are well aware that Heathrow is not a traditional low-cost airport, but our strategy is one that is fixated on cost control," said the airline's chief executive, Alex Cruz.

"Our goal is to open up travel to a wide range of passengers travelling for both leisure and business," he continued, adding that options for preferential seating, flexible tickets, online check-in and fast-track boarding would all be rolled out to the London market "over the next few weeks".

He also said that more routes from London are "definitely planned".

Clickair's ancillary services, known collectively as "clickservices", are designed to make life easier for passengers booking via the internet and make the most of online integration.

Travellers can take advantage of clickhotel, clickcar, clickinsurance, clicklounge, clickbreaks and clicktransfer, which will provide offers linked to the specific flight reservation made by the customer.

For example, if you book a flight to Seville, clickhotel will show the availability of hotel rooms in that area.

Clickbreak will offer a selection of relevant tourist packages at "highly attractive prices"; clicktransfer provides a private driver (and optional guide) service; and clickinsurance covers travel-associated risks and expenses should the flight be cancelled.

The clicklounge service is specifically aimed at business travellers and provides access to fully-equipped lounges in most airports.

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Comments

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I'm going to fly with Clickair to Valencia in March and it costs only €39 (£25). t's cheaper than Gatwick or Stansted (with easyJet or Ryanair).