Just announced: Ryanair is to operate a service between Malta and Trapani from February 5.
The flights will be operate twice weekly until April 29 and the frequency will increase to four times a week as from May 1.
A viable route, presumably. Let me be, however, critical once again. Will the following timetable be suitable enough for the average passenger?
Depart:
Trapani (Sicily) 21:55
Arrive:
Malta (Luqa) 22:35
and
Depart:
Malta (Luqa) 23:00
Arrive:
Trapani (Sicily) 23:40
Flying late in the evening, returning in the evening. Not a slightest possibility for a day-trip. Why so complete lack of creativity? Is it so difficult to try to answer the passengers' needs?
When there are routes without any economical sense of flying twice-daily, you still can provide day-trips for tourists and businessmen. In case of Malta, it could have been e.g. like that:
Day One:
Trapani 6:00 - Malta 6:40
Malta 7:05 - Pisa 8:30
Pisa 8:55 - Trapani 10:20
---- and the opposite way:
Trapani 19:20 - Pisa 20:45
Pisa 21:10 - Malta 22:35
Malta 23:00 - Trapani 23:40.
day-trips from Trapani to Malta, Malta to Pisa and Pisa to Trapani
Day Two
Trapani 6:00 - Pisa 7:25
Pisa 7:50 - Malta 9:15
Malta 9:40 - Trapani 10:20.
---- and in the evening
Trapani 19:20 - Malta 20:00
Malta 20:25 - Pisa 21:50
Pisa 22:15 - Trapani 23:40
In turn, day-trips from Trapani to Pisa, Pisa to Malta and Malta to Trapani possible.
I mean, is the construction of more pax-friendly schedules so difficult/insurmountable indeed? One can tempt pax in many different ways, not only offering them some free flights...