Earlier this year, Jet2 launched a new route from Manchester to La Palma, one of Spain’s Canary Islands.
The four-and-a-half-hour flight operated twice a week, running on Mondays and Fridays, with prices starting from €57 (£48.18).
And the low-cost airline was also planning to introduce flights to the island from London Stansted soon.
But in a blow to holidaymakers, Jet2 has confirmed it’s made the ‘difficult decision’ to cancel all flights and holiday bookings to the ‘paradise’ destination.
The airline’s flights from Manchester to La Palma will end on October 30, just six months after they launched.
The airline will contact customers who booked to travel after this date shortly, and they’ll be given the choice to accept a refund or rebook to a different destination.
Those who do not receive an update on their holiday plans should contact Jet2 or their travel agent for next steps.
According to Jet2, the decision to axe the La Palma route follows a recent review of all the airline’s flights.
A spokesperson for Jet2 explained: ‘As a customer-focused business, we continually review our programme in response to what our customers want, and we will make adjustments where required. This gives us the ability to add flights and holidays in response to demand, and very occasionally we may withdraw them too.
‘Following this latest review, we have taken the difficult decision to withdraw flights and holidays to La Palma. Where customers are affected, we will contact them or their independent travel agent to let them know their options, which include rebooking another holiday or receiving a full refund.’
They added: ‘We would of course like to apologise to affected customers; however, with a fantastic programme of services to a huge range of destinations, we are offering superb choice when it comes to rebooking their holidays with us.’
What's La Palma like?
La Palma is also known as La Isla Bonita, which translates to The Beautiful Island.
It’s a small island with green-covered mountains, volcanic terrain, narrow cobbled streets, and glistening turquoise water.
Unlike its neighbour, Tenerife, which is renowned for being more of a party island, life on La Palma is laid back.
There’s more of a focus on nature, from hiking, kayaking, and swimming, than there is on singing karaoke in Playa de las Américas.
For those who prefer sightseeing on land, hike the Ruta de los Volcanes, Caldera de Taburiente National Park, or Cubo de la Galga, an ancient laurel forest and UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.
More of a water baby? La Palma boasts plenty of natural pools, including Charco Azul or Piscinas de la Fajana, both on the northeast of the island. The beauty spots are free of charge.
Of course, because La Palma is an island, there are some incredible beaches to explore, too. Puerto Naos is the largest and is known for its black sand and calm waters. This makes it perfect for snorkelling.
Los Cancajos is a Blue Flag Beach, meaning it meets high environmental and quality standards. The horseshoe-shaped cove has cobalt blue waters and gentle waves, and is ideal for diving.
And when it comes to local cuisine, the island is in a tasty position – as it’s part of Spain, but also has ties to Latin America and is off the coast of Africa.
As such, there’s a rich blend of each culture to be enjoyed.
Staple ingredients include local fruit and veg grown in the fertile volcanic soil, fresh seafood, and meat. Standout traditional dishes are mojo, a spicy sauce made with peppers, herbs, and spices, served with potatoes, fish, or meat, and gofio, a toasted grain flour.
Jet2 was one of only two airlines in the UK offering direct flights to La Palma from Manchester.
The other is TUI, which offers seasonal trips. At the time of writing, the airline doesn’t seem to have any direct flights available from Manchester to La Palma after the end of October either. It is, however, still operating flights from London Gatwick to La Palma once a week, on a Thursday.
Holidaymakers aren’t best pleased about the cancellations or their lack of travel options now.
Sue Panton admitted on Facebook she was ‘angry’ about the whole situation, writing: ‘Four of us have been booked to fly from Stansted to La Palma on November 6 for six months. Everything is booked in La Palma – two lots of accommodation, walking tours, restaurants, and then we receive an email to say the flights have been cancelled. No explanation and no compensation offered.’
Similarly, Amina Sultana said: ‘We’ve just had an email cancelling our flight to La Palma in three weeks’ time; no one else flies there. We have parking booked at Manchester, and a hotel and car hire in La Palma. Thanks, Jet2! 10 per cent off a future flight? I don’t think so!’
And Angela Schroeder shared that she’s ‘really gutted’, posting: ‘We had booked for the end of February 2027 and were so looking forward to our first trip to La Palma.’
While Sue Mitchell was ‘fuming’, adding: ‘Mine has just been cancelled. Got an email this morning telling me. I thought it was a scam or I’d been hacked.
‘I’m bloody fuming. Not what I need.’
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