Bristol passengers will be able to fly to a new Greek destination this summer as Jet2 expands operations for its "busiest summer yet". Chania in Crete, known for its 14th-century harbour and beautiful waterfront restaurants, has been added to the airline's 2023 holiday schedule.
It has also announced a new route to Malaga in Spain, which is a popular destination already served by several other operators. easyJet already has a route to Crete from Bristol Airport, and is listed on the airport's website as serving the capital Heraklion.
Jet2 said in today's announcement (March 3) that Chania would be an "exclusive destination from the airport", although in January easyJet also announced a Bristol-Chania connection.
Read more: Bristol Airport confirms new route to Ireland
Jet2 has also announced that it is taking control of baggage handling and ramp operations for its Bristol flights. It said bringing the roles in-house will create around 45 jobs, bringing its workforce there to around 400, and should ensure that it has full control of customers' experience.
Whenever passengers arriving back in Bristol complained of delays last year, saying they had to wait for luggage or wait to disembark the aircraft, airlines repeatedly said the hold-up was outside of their control. The baggage on most flights are handled by a separate company, unless the airlines employ their own handlers.
A spokesperson for Jet2.com and Jet2holidays said they will be serving 32 sun and city destinations with seven 'based aircraft' in operation. This will be the third summer since Jet2 began operating in Bristol, and it says it has "significantly expanded" its schedule for this year.
It expects a 13 per cent increase in capacity and to operate almost 100 weekly flights during peak periods. Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays said: "Today’s announcement represents a significant investment in our Bristol Airport operation and we know it will deliver an even better end-to-end experience for our customers.
"We are looking forward to operating our biggest ever summer programme from Bristol this year, and we are absolutely delighted at the response that our fantastic product is getting from customers and independent travel agents across the region."
Full list of Jet2 destinations from Bristol
- Malaga and Chania (new)
- Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Alicante, Reus, Girona, Palma, Ibiza, Menorca, Faro, Madeira, Heraklion, Corfu, Halkidiki, Kefalonia, Skiathos, Santorini, Kos, Preveza, Rhodes, Zante, Larnaca, Paphos, Verona, Innsbruck, Malta
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