Zoom Airlines has launched its expanded Summer 2008 flight programme with flights from London Gatwick and Glasgow to be available for reservations up to 31 October 2008. Zoom’s flight schedules from both Gatwick and Glasgow are being boosted with the introduction of more non-stop flights and more seats to key destinations than ever before. The airline’s Summer 2008 schedule from these two airports offers 40% more seats than the Summer 2007 schedule and according to the carrier this development has occurred as a result of the customer support for Zoom’s low fares and quality service in 2007.

The flight programme from Gatwick to Calgary and Vancouver has been significantly expanded. From the end of May 2008, there will be four weekly flights from Gatwick to Vancouver and three of these will be non-stop, offering 40% more seats than before and a significant improvement in customer convenience. Direct flights will operate from Gatwick on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, and there will also be a departure to Vancouver via Calgary on Sundays. Flights between Gatwick and Calgary have increased to two direct services each week. The dedicated non-stop flights from Gatwick to Calgary are departing on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Jonathan Hinkles, Managing Director of Zoom UK, said: “The success of services to Calgary and Vancouver in 2007, and the consequent increase in flights for next year, has been largely due to the increasing popularity of Alaskan cruises from Vancouver and breaks in the Canadian Rockies. Many customers are taking the opportunity to travel through some of Canada’s most stunning scenery between Calgary and Vancouver. Zoom’s flexible pricing structure allows customers to fly into one airport and return from another without any extra charge, meaning that combined trips like this are now an affordable reality rather than a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ luxury.”

The expanded programme also extends to Zoom’s routes to eastern Canada. The airline recently announced an expansion on its services to Montreal during Winter 2007/8 and will maintain two weekly, non-stop services from Gatwick to Montreal for the first time during Summer 2008. Zoom will now fly from Gatwick to Toronto six days per week, and the majority of these services will be non-stop. There are also extra flights between Gatwick and the Canadian capital Ottawa where Zoom’s schedule expands from two to three flights each week and a second weekly flight linking London with Halifax in Nova Scotia. The new schedule provides 50% more flights and 50% more seats from Gatwick to these four key destinations in comparison to the Summer 2007 schedule.

The new 2008 schedule also brings more routes for passengers travelling between Scotland and Canada. All flights from Glasgow will now route directly to Canada, with en-route stops at other UK airports being eliminated to improve customer convenience. Flights from Glasgow to Calgary will double, with services now departing from Glasgow to Calgary and Vancouver on Thursdays and Sundays each week.

Zoom will also increase the direct flights from Glasgow to Halifax and Ottawa for 2008 after a successful 2007 season. Each destination will now receive two weekly flights from Glasgow. There will be flight departures from Glasgow to Ottawa on Mondays and Saturdays and from Glasgow to Halifax on Mondays and Fridays.

Zoom’s new service between London Gatwick and New York JFK is also proving to be a huge hit with passengers with the airline carrying its 10,000th passenger on the route less than a month after the launch.

Commenting on the expanded schedule, Hugh Boyle, Chairman and founder of Zoom, said: “I’m delighted that so many people are now choosing to make Zoom their first choice of airline to fly to Canada and now the USA. This overwhelming vote of confidence from our customers means that we have expanded our services for 2008 to offer more convenient, direct flights at the same great-value fares which have become our hallmark. The best fares are available if you book early online at flyzoom.com. I’m particularly pleased that we are able to expand our services from London Gatwick and Glasgow, two of our key UK departure points, where customers now have a much wider range of Zoom flights from which to choose when making their travel plans.”