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Anyone looking to skip this summer’s flight cancellations chaos - or simply fly a bit less and save money in the process - could consider a new coach link from Manchester to Paris, launching tomorrow.
Budget coach company Flixbus is launching five weekly services from Manchester to the French capital from 13 July, calling at Birmingham, Cambridge and London en route.
The daily services will run Wednesday to Sunday each week.
The new link is the first international bus route to ever serve the North West and Midlands. With 6.20pm departures you could leave after work and arrive at 9.50am the next morning following a sleep on the bus.
Ticket start at £43.38 one way, and mean travellers can go from city centre direct to city centre, with no need for an extra spend on airport taxis or trains. The trade-off is a 15-hour journey by road.
Germany company Flixbus, which launched in the UK in summer 2020, hopes to tempt potential drivers to France to save cars on the road and carbon emissions by pooling journeys with other travellers and taking a coach.
It says travelling by coach produces nine times fewer carbon emissions than flying, and six times fewer than travelling by car.
Flixbus coaches have wifi, power outlets, luggage storage and toilets, while some services sell snacks and drinks onboard.
“Holidays should be about exploring new places, taking a break from the norm, and above all, having fun! With rail, petrol prices and airports in chaos, going by coach is the obvious choice for reliable, enjoyable journeys this summer,” says Andreas Schorling, FlixBus’s UK managing director.
“As the world leading coach provider, we want to continue offering customers the broadest range of affordable travel options. This new line is a key milestone on our journey to becoming the biggest long distance coach brand in the UK market.”