Flights to Madrid have soared in popularity around Valentine’s Day, but the reason is less romantic than you might think. It’s down to Manchester United’s Champions League showdown with Real Madrid tonight.
The fixture helped to push demand for flights to Madrid to more than 191 per cent higher than for the same period in 2012. Last year, demand for Madrid flights were in lowly 42nd place.
Cheapflights.co.uk crunched the numbers of February 13 and 14 departures from seven airports around the UK – London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast – to determine this year’s top Valentine’s destinations.
In the top 10 (UK-wide), bookings for Madrid were 43 per cent higher than for Paris (position 2), more than double (108 per cent) those for Bangkok (in third place), 113 per cent higher than Amsterdam (4th) and more than 134 per cent higher than New York (5th place).
Romantic destinations such as Prague (6th), Rome (9th) and Dublin, where you’ll find relics of St. Valentine (10th), rounded out the top 10. Sun-splashed Lanzarote took 8th place while luxe Dubai languished in 7th position.
From Manchester Airport, surprise, surprise, Madrid tops the table and demand for flights to the Spanish capital outstrip Bangkok and Paris by more than three to one.
Only in Cardiff is Paris at the top of the list of Valentine’s Day destinations.
Check out the league tables from the major departure points around the UK
From London:
1. Madrid
2. Bangkok
3. Paris
4. New York
5. Dubai
6. Prague
7. Amsterdam
8. Rome
9. Marrakesh
10. Miami
From Manchester:
1. Madrid
2. Bangkok
3. Paris
4. Lanzarote
5. Amsterdam
6. Alicante
7. New York
8. Prague
9. Dubai
10. Malaga
From Birmingham:
1. Paris
2. Madrid
3. Amsterdam
4. Edinburgh
5. Prague
6. Dublin
7. Barcelona
8. Dubai
9. Lanzarote
10. Rome
From Bristol:
1. Paris
2. Madrid
3. Amsterdam
4. Edinburgh
5. Rome
6. Lanzarote
7. Dublin
8. Prague
9. Tenerife
10. Barcelona
From Cardiff:
1. Paris
2. Edinburgh
3. Dublin
4. Amsterdam
5. Lanzarote
6. Malaga
7. Madrid
8. Prague
9. Rome
10. Barcelona
From Edinburgh:
1. London
2. Paris
3. Amsterdam
4. Madrid
5. Rome
6. Dublin
7. Prague
8. New York
9. Tenerife
10. Barcelona
From Belfast:
1. Lanzarote
2. Tenerife
3. New York
4. Amsterdam
5. Malaga
6. Paris
7. Rome
8. Las Palmas
9. Prague
10. Puerto de Rosario
(Featured image by || UggBoy♥UggGirl || PHOTO || WORLD || TRAVEL ||)
