ARCHIVED - Slapped wrists for Spanish airline Vueling selling Barcelona-Corvera flights!

The Murcia government insists that the official name of the Murcia airport must be used

As was announced last week seats can now be purchased on the first flights between the Region of Murcia International Airport in Corvera and El Prat in Barcelona, but Vueling, the company offering the thrice-weekly services, has been obliged to change the name used for the Murcia airport on its website after being corrected by the Tourism department of the regional government of Murcia.

When Fernando López Miras, the president of the regional government, made the announcement that Barcelona flights would be offered next summer starting on 30^th March it was with a good deal of satisfaction, as there have been numerous calls from both businesses and residents for flights to and from the capital of Catalunya for many years. Not only does the service bring the region of Catalunya closer in terms of travelling time, it also provides a link to a hub with direct connections all over Europe and the rest of the world. Such flights did exist at the airport in San Javier in the 1990s but were dropped due to their proving to be unprofitable, and it is to be hoped that this time round the story is a different one.

But when putting seats on the flights up for sale, Vueling made the mistake of using the name “Murcia-Corvera” in reference to the new airport, perhaps jumping over-hastily to the logical conclusion that this is how most people refer to the facility, and remembering that until January 15^th 2019 the Costa Cálida was served by the similarly named “Murcia-San Javier”. After swift intervention by the tourism authorities in Murcia the website has now been changed to show “Murcia (RMU)”, bringing it more in line with what remains the official name (Aeropuerto Internacional de la Región de Murcia) and call sign – although the government is still keen to re-name the airport after the aviation pioneer Juan de la Cierva.

On the other hand, the mistake made by Vueling could have been worse – a few years ago one airline caused great indignation in Murcia by referring to the San Javier airport as “Alicante South”!

As for the first flight from Barcelona to Murcia is scheduled to take off from El Prat on Monday 30^th March at 19.55, landing in Corvera – or the Region of Murcia International Airport – at 21.20. Seats are on sale from 26.99 euros, while on the return flight (22.00 to 23.20) the cheapest seats are priced at 36.99 euros.

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