Transavia, the Air France-KLM group’s low-cost airline announces 20 new routes for the 2022-2023 winter season. The press release from the company specifies that it is thus strengthening its offer throughout its network, but not in Perpignan!
Indeed, the city of more than 100,000 inhabitants, the furthest from the French capital (686.34 km as the crow flies), prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department with nearly 500,000 potential passengers, will not be entitled to this reinforcement. The airport commonly known as La Llabanère, managed by the Société Publique Locale Aéroportuaire Régionale, will welcome Transavia’s Boeing 737-800s this winter, 1 to 3 times a day to provide the connection to Paris-Orly airport. Needless to say that it always takes more than 5 hours from Perpignan to get to Paris by train. In the same context, Perpignan is also the only French city in the south, not connected to the hub of the Air France company, namely Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport. Only the cities of Biarritz, Pau, Toulouse, Montpellier, Marseille and Nice are entitled to it. Girona airport having lost most of its lines, northern Catalans still have the option of flying from the airport of the Catalan capital, Barcelona, where the choice of airlines is considerable. In addition, all the major companies are present, such as Lufthansa, Swiss, Iberia, Delta, American, Emirates, … and even Air France! As the AP7 motorway is free, it is much more interesting for people from Perpignan to catch their flight in Barcelona than to fly from Montpellier or Toulouse.
Since March 27, the French low-cost Transavia has taken over the Perpignan – Paris-Orly line, previously operated by Air France. With Transavia, if you want to travel in connection once at Orly, you must check in for each flight separately. You will also need to collect your baggage and re-check it on your second flight. It is no longer possible to carry out a single check-in operation in Perpignan, to transit without leaving the airport, and to collect your luggage at your final destination.