Traveling from Lanzarote to some European destination or going from Madrid to New York may cost much less this summer than flying between the island and the capital of Spain. And, as La Voz de Lanzarote has verified through the websites of the airlines that operate between both destinations, there are round trip flights between Lanzarote and Madrid that even exceed 900 euros for non-residents.
The data shows a complaint that the users of the Canary Islands, some parties and also the tourism business associations have been raising since the new resident discount came into effect, which increased the aid from 50 to 75%. Since then, although in low season or on days with less occupancy, flights are still found at prices similar to those before, what has skyrocketed are the maximum prices of tickets, which reach dizzying figures.
In the case of Iberia Express, there are flights from Madrid to Lanzarote in the months of July and August that reach 475 euros per trip, while from Lanzarote to Madrid they reach up to 414 euros, prices very similar to those recorded in Air Europa, where there are flights from the island to the capital of Spain that reach 469 euros and from Madrid to Lanzarote that cost up to 433 euros.
As for Ryanair, which is the other company that operates between Lanzarote and Madrid, flying between both destinations in the next two months is somewhat cheaper, but even so, round trip flights can exceed 600 euros. And there are days when the price per trip is above 300 euros, despite being a supposed low-cost company.
In addition, although in the case of Iberia Express and Air Europa the highest prices are recorded in rates that already include hand and checked baggage (on days where another option is not even offered), in the case of Ryanair they are recorded in its standard rate, which only allows a small bag of luggage on board. Thus, if you want to add a checked 20 kilogram suitcase, the price would increase by 60 euros, so a round trip flight for a non-resident would already be around 700.
Flights to European destinations from 30 euros per trip
The high prices recorded on flights from Lanzarote to Madrid and that have skyrocketed in recent months make flying from Madrid to distant destinations such as New York cheaper than doing so to the island of volcanoes. In fact, specifically on the Air Europa website, you can find round trip flights from Madrid to the American city for less than 800 euros this summer.
In addition, this also means that residents in Lanzarote barely notice the 75% discount that came into effect a year ago, or even end up paying more if they need to fly on specific dates. And it is that on certain days, a round trip ticket between the island and Madrid can exceed 200 euros after applying the discount.
In this way, flying from Lanzarote to Europe can be much cheaper than doing so to Madrid even with the resident discount. For example, in the case of Ryanair, you can find flights from the island to Berlin or Brussels from just over 30 euros per trip in the months of July and August. However, except for some dates in early July, almost all Ryanair flights between Lanzarote and Madrid for this summer far exceed those 30 euros after applying the discount - and even those peaks of more than 90 euros per trip are recorded - even though residents only pay 25% of the ticket.
