Air fares to Malta

I refer to the letter (September 12) claiming that air fares to Malta are "excessively expensive".

Return fares from London to Malta with British Airways start at £129 including £29 taxes, fees and charges. The net fare equates to £50 (Lm30) each way for a flight of nearly three hours. British Airways has been consistently reducing short haul fares from the UK over the past few years and, although the Malta flights are operated by franchise partner GB Airways, the fares to Malta have fallen too. Since the launch of the service in 1996, fares have reduced in real terms by over 30 per cent, despite a backdrop of increased charges affecting the global aviation sector, such as higher fuel costs and navigation charges.

GB Airways' cost base is as low as the major no frills carriers, however we are able to offer an inflight product to all our passengers while offering a choice of Club Europe and Euro Traveller cabins, which brings higher spending visitors to the island. Many passengers staying in five-star hotels in Malta travel with us in the Club Europe cabin.

British Airways, including GB Airways, was recently voted Best Budget Airline by readers of The Guardian, which shows that these low fares are now making their mark. This must be due, in part, to the service levels offered when travelling on a low fare with British Airways. A British Airways ticket brings much more than just a seat from A to B (with B being the airport that you want to go to, not one that is miles away) such as higher baggage allowance than the no frills airlines and a range of connecting opportunities from UK regional points over London.

The key to booking the low fares with any airline is to book early and be flexible. The British Airways website is colour-coded to show the days when flights are cheapest.

Last month, GB Airways carried 48 per cent more passengers to Malta than last year, with year to date carryings up by nearly 30 per cent - a testament to the value fares that we are offering.

Finally, whilst many no frills airlines have been sold and merged and routes have started and ended, we have been flying to Malta for seven years now. This summer we operated up to 11 weekly flights and this winter we intend to operate six weekly flights, increasing again next summer. We are committed to the market and proud to serve Malta.