bmibaby has announced a sale with flights from its sixth UK base at Birmingham International Airport. Fares will start at 4 pence, one way excluding taxes and charges on UK and Ireland routes and the airline will donate £1 from every booking made, for flights from Birmingham, in the first 24 hours to Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
From 7 January 2005, bmibaby will base its first three aircraft at the airport, operating over one hundred flights per week throughout the winter serving nine European destinations: Alicante, Malaga, Palma, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Belfast (International), Knock (Connaught), Geneva and Prague.

Tony Davis, managing director, bmibaby, said: “bmibaby has grown at an unbelievable pace over the past 28 months since services began. This significant boost to routes throughout Europe from the Midlands will only serve to strengthen our prominent position within this region and nationally within the low cost air travel market.

“We’re also pleased to announce today that passengers booking flights from Birmingham over the next 24 hours will be benefiting a fantastic local cause, with £1 from every booking going to the Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

“Directly we are contributing to jobs locally with the recruitment of new cabin crew and pilots. However, with the one million plus passengers we’re projecting from Birmingham for 2005, Department for Transport figures suggest that the wider local impact of bmibaby in the West Midlands will be an additional one thousand local jobs.

“We are now looking forward to the birth of bmibaby flights from Birmingham in January and to communicating the message throughout the West Midlands that tiny fares have finally arrived in Birmingham!”

David Shepherd, Acting Head of Fundraising at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, said:
“We are delighted to be the recipients of this very generous gesture from bmibaby, and wish them every success with their new venture in Birmingham. The donation we receive from the bookings that passengers make will directly benefit the thousands of sick, injured and troubled children treated at Birmingham Children’s Hospital every year. We are very grateful for this tremendous support and look forward to working in partnership with bmibaby.”

bmibaby internet fares from Birmingham will start from just £14.99 one way, including taxes and charges on UK and Ireland routes, £24.95 one way, including taxes and charges to Amsterdam and £34.95 one way, including taxes and charges to all other destinations.

Via bmibaby.com, the airline’s website, passengers can allocate their own seats free of charge; alternatively seats are allocated at check-in. The airline has a generous checked baggage allowance of 20kg and, at selected airports, bmibaby operates hand baggage check-in desks for business travellers.

The new base will create 150 additional jobs in the Midlands, directly in areas such as cabin services and indirectly in ground handling and catering services. The airline will be looking to recruit additional staff later in the year. Further details can be obtained by logging on to www.bmibaby.com and clicking on careers.
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