“By late 2011, we expect a number of 600 charter flights, with 90% during the May-October period. The number of charter flights is around 10% higher compared with last year,” said the officials of state-owned carrier Tarom.
Tarom last year collected $20 million from the 553 charter flights it operated.
For the next flights to Turkish resorts, travel agencies’ websites abound in “last minute” offers through which they are promoting lower prices to fill up the seats contracted in planes and hotels.
“Last minute offers appear three to seven days before departure,” said Mioara Gheorghe, Happy Tour travel agency official.
“They are cheaper by as much as 10-20% and are made in case not all seats were filled. Tour operators can decide to entirely give up profit to slash the losses they may post if they do not sell all the seats, which can sometimes be very large,” added Gheorghe.
As more charter flights to foreign resorts are operated this season, travel operators are trying to cover all the seats contracted in planes and rooms booked in foreign hotels through last minute offers.
“During the summer season, we sell almost 200 last-minute holiday packages. Prices are highly attractive,” says Sorin Vaduvoiu, chief executive officer with Perfect Tour.
The agency booked seats for flights to destinations abroad during the summer season.
Another travel agency, Malta Travel, rented a plane from the national carrier of Malta to send tourists on one-week holidays to Malta.
Last year, almost 3,000 Romanians were carried by Air Malta in the charter flights operated each week from June to September, according to Victor Mifsud, Air Malta charter sales manager.