Zoom Doubles destinations from Cardiff

aken from the news section of Cardiff’s airport website
http://www.cial.co.uk/en/news.asp?id=156

02 May 2005
The first low-cost scheduled transatlantic flight between Wales and Canada took off today (Monday) from Cardiff International Airport, at full capacity.

Zoom Airlines’ inaugural flight from Cardiff to Toronto departed this afternoon, launching a service that will revolutionise transatlantic travel for the whole of Wales and the West of England. Zoom is the only airline offering direct flights to Canada from Cardiff International Airport this summer.

At the pre-departure launch, Zoom announced new plans to double the number of Canadian destinations out of Wales for summer 2006 to cope with the outstanding level of demand received on the Toronto service, with the introduction of a weekly Cardiff to Vancouver flight. Vancouver is a vibrant city and has been a very popular destination serviced by Zoom since it started flying in 2004 from Gatwick and Glasgow and has also been added to Manchester’s service offering this summer.

Zoom Airlines operates services from five UK Airports to eight cities in Canada, offering the lowest scheduled airfares across the Atlantic with prices starting from £89 one-way inclusive of tax.

Launching the service today (Monday), Debbie Marshall UK Director of Zoom Airlines, said: “We are delighted to be launching the start of the Cardiff service which has proven to be extremely popular with the Welsh travelling public. Our flights are high standard at low-cost and offer a full scheduled service onboard.

“As a holiday destination Canada is renowned for its year-round appeal. It offers an abundance of tourist attractions, summer activities and fantastic ski resorts in the winter. Zoom has now added Canada to the choice of affordable holiday destinations for Wales and the West of England.”

The new Cardiff to Toronto service offers a weekly flight direct to Toronto on Mondays. The level of demand for the service has been exceptional and Zoom has extended the service into the winter months of November and December.

Jon Horne, Managing Director of Cardiff International Airport, said: “The level of interest and demand generated by the people in Wales and the West of England in this service has been tremendous to date which has resulted in Zoom not only extending their current programme but also planning to introduce Vancouver as a new destination for summer 2006.

“The number of long-haul flights from Cardiff has now grown from two to six, making Cardiff International Airport the best long-haul service provider West of London and South of Birmingham. We want to provide our customers with increasing opportunities and frequency of flights which will in turn attract more passengers from Wales and beyond.”

Premium seats are available on all Zoom flights and can be booked for an additional £49 each way, offering additional legroom, superior in-flight meals and complimentary drinks for the duration of your flight.

Zoom now operates scheduled flights from Cardiff, Gatwick, Glasgow, Manchester and Belfast, servicing eight Canadian cities; Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Halifax, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg.