SCHIPHOL - Since the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs changed the travel advice for Curaçao from yellow to orange, the airline and tour operator TUI has continued to operate the scheduled flights. This is reported by Manfred Lahey, Manager Product Long Haul, in conversation with the website luchtvaartnieuws.nl.

Lahey: "When Curaçao got code orange, we already flew to Curaçao eight times a week with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Not daily, but 'double daily' on Friday and Saturday. Two flights are combined with Aruba and three flights with Bonaire."

According to Lahey, TUI will continue to fly to Curaçao eight times a week for essential 'ticket only' customers and customers coming home who visit the island on the basis of a package trip. The capacity towards the 'yellow' Aruba and Bonaire has expanded drastically and quickly, he further reports.

"We are shifting seats from Curaçao to Aruba and Bonaire, but also frequencies. Aruba is now going from two to four flights and Bonaire from three to four flights per week, always combined with Curaçao, where our crew also sleeps. We did have extra peak capacity to Curaçao. planned around Christmas, but that has expired, "said the person responsible for long-haul journeys at TUI.

Rebooking:

Customers who would fly to Curaçao between now and December 22 have been informed by TUI about the alternative options.

"The only positive in all this misery is that customers are happily rebooking en masse to the Canary Islands and to Aruba and Bonaire. They were looking forward to the holiday and want to leave. The occupancy of the hotels in Aruba is currently about 30 percent, accommodations therefore come with spectacular offers, making the travel price even more interesting. Bonaire is of course much smaller, but there are also interesting offers there," Lahey concludes.

Source: Luchtvaartnieuws.nl