British Airways launches a new route from London Gatwick to Larnaca

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• Gordon says:

  1 Jun1 June 08:01

  Good news, used to visit Cyprus a few times a year, before I started to venture further out in the world, I still have a soft spot for it.

  Apparently Northern Cyprus, north of deryneia is a haven, if you have committed a serious crime,
  As it’s not a recognised country, and the buffer zone is still guarded by the UN, since the occupation in 1974.

  For those old enough, you will remember, Asil Nadier who owned Polly Peck, he took refuge there for many years.

  • TooPoorToBeHere says:

    1 Jun1 June 08:19

    So far as we’re concerned, North Cyprus is heaven, full stop.

    • Gordon says:

      1 Jun1 June 08:42

      I actually purchased some fake RL beach towels at a knock down price, from one of the shops in the north, 10 years later, they are still good.

      • mvcvz says:

        1 Jun1 June 19:22

        How can towels not “still be good”? They’re towels FFS. Not really all that much to go wrong with them.

        • Rob says:

          1 Jun1 June 19:28

          Towels react badly to the hard water in the UK and become stiff fairly quickly.

        • CJD says:

          1 Jun1 June 20:11

          Most of the UK doesn’t have hard water.

        • Can2 says:

          1 Jun1 June 20:55

          You may need to soak them in vinegar rather regularly, Rob

        • John says:

          1 Jun1 June 22:28

          Install a water filter in your house

        • Dubious says:

          2 Jun2 June 11:33

          Some of mine get thread bare after a while, or just eaten up by moths.

        • Dubious says:

          2 Jun2 June 11:33

          PS. That’s when they become towels for dogs, or DIY cleaning.

• Joe says:

  1 Jun1 June 08:14

  Thanks, we went this year for nye and it was lovely. Just hot enough to swim. Have booked avios to go again!

• tony says:

  1 Jun1 June 08:17

  Sadly this still doesn’t overcome the fact it’s still a ball-ache of a 5 hr flight in crappy seats even if you pony up for club.

  As a side note, schedules from Cyprus to the Middle East have been absolutely decimated, presumably as a result of the ongoing war. LCA-DOH now 1x day down from 2x, LCA-BAH now 2x a week instead of daily and I think it’s via ATH, LCA-AUH swapped with a codeshare on Egyptair via Cairo. EK maintain the daily 777 service however – and price accordingly!

  • TGLoyalty says:

    1 Jun1 June 11:08

    It should really be proper club on these mid haul routes. Perhaps EI will start flying … be easier for me to get to Dublin than Gatwick then fly to LCA from there!

    • JAXBA says:

      1 Jun1 June 15:55

      At least a Club World Cradle type seat, like BMED used to use. A modern equivalent might be a World Traveller Plus seat like the US airlines use for their domestic F/J. … but it would require a dedicated mid-haul sub-fleet, and BA deciding that it made commercial sense.

      • executiveclubber says:

        1 Jun1 June 16:14

        There are people running those figures everyday at BA…

    • Bernard says:

      1 Jun1 June 22:46

      Really? How much Larnaca types would pay the £2.5k-£5k return this would need to sell for? (To justify the opportunity cost of taking a 777 from elsewhere).

      • TGLoyalty says:

        1 Jun1 June 23:01

        They don’t need a 777 to have a proper business seat.

        EI are flying narrow body 321neo LR with proper business seats. Qatar fly 320’s with 2×2 business recliners which are basically upgraded PE seats.

        • Bernard says:

          2 Jun2 June 22:09

          EI don’t fit 321LR on longer European sectors. They fly a short rotation between long haul services. Not sure why this is relevant. QR don’t fly or have rights to larnaca to U.K. (or intra EU cabotage).
          So the economics mean long haul business seats are not coming to Europe-Larnaca anytime soon. It’s a low yield market with long sectors.
          It’s also likely to drop to 50 or 60 tier points in Club Europe, too.

  • Phillip says:

    1 Jun1 June 16:49

    Etihad quit Cyprus during their restructure 4 years ago, with LCA-AUH now passed on to Wizz 5 times a week. LCA-DOH was never 2x daily. During peak periods, there were 2x flights on select days of the week. LCA-BAH is currently 4x weekly (daily during peaks) and it is direct, albeit the aircraft also operates a 5th freedom flight LCA-ATH RT. None of this is new, and most of these have been in place since before the war. LCA-AMM, LCA-BEY, LCA-CAI maintain a minimum of 1x daily frequency while LCA-TLV has multiple frequencies a day. LCA-DXB is also operated by CY 3x a week.

    • tony says:

      1 Jun1 June 17:57

      Lca-dxb on CY is just Tuesday and Saturday. Wizz is 4x a week. QR was 2x a day last time I needed it 9 months ago. And Etihad were still flying in late 2022. Other than that, yeah you’re on the money, fella.

      Anyway it’s leaving me royally screwed on a trip I need to make later in the month regardless – the choice has been decimated.

      • Phillip says:

        2 Jun2 June 06:37

        LCA-DXB on CY operates on Wednesday too.

        I stand corrected on Etihad, they quit Cyprus 1 October 2016! Are you sure you weren’t looking at codeshares?

        I have to say, prices from Cyprus to the east are ridiculously expensive! You can get cheaper tickets from London to most destinations to or via the Middle East (granted that’s not exactly convenient if you are based in Cyprus)! Good job Cairo is only a hop away!

  • Alex Sm says:

    2 Jun2 June 17:11

    Plenty of flights still go to Israel though 🇮🇱

• Mark says:

  1 Jun1 June 10:42

  Even if you are using an Amex 2for1 voucher you’re likely to get better value from using a more cash, less Avios option – though perhaps not the highest cash option as I normally would when using no voucher on short haul.

  It just goes to show how relatively poor value the £1 options are….

  With a Barclaycard voucher of course you have no choice.

• Steph says:

  1 Jun1 June 21:01

  OT: If a salary is 30k annually and they also get a travel allowance of almost 3k annually which is given as a net amount, what should be written down as annual salary in a credit card application? 33k or 34.5k (that is the equivalent to the sum of the net monthly element of 30k gross + 250 monthly travel allowance)?

  • John says:

    1 Jun1 June 22:29

    A travel allowance is not income or salary

    • TGLoyalty says:

      1 Jun1 June 23:05

      Blimey you’d be fun ant parties. Regardless of what it is the £3k is being paid to cover their costs

      Would just put down £33k.

      It might not be salary but it is income

    • Steph says:

      1 Jun1 June 23:16

      Why not? As cost for commuting is not deducted from salary, it should be seen as income.

• JK says:

  2 Jun2 June 01:43

  Grrrrr, Larnaca

• Chris Jones says:

  2 Jun2 June 06:14

  Anybody stayed at the parklane hotel in Cyprus? it’s part of Marriott and looks a good option.

  • Phillip says:

    2 Jun2 June 06:38

    It’s very good but certainly overpriced!

    • Chris Jones says:

      2 Jun2 June 08:25

      Thanks I’m looking at new year break, will give it a go. Points is crazy comparison.

• Dee says:

  2 Jun2 June 06:43

  BA need to increase the London-Paphos routes. As a regular flier to Paphos there’s usually only one BA flight a day from Gatwick to Paphos, this should be two. Heathrow to Paphos only operates twice a week currently.

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