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Air Europa will inaugurate weekly service from Miami to Tenerife, in the Canary Islands on June 20. The Spanish-owned airline will offer one weekly flight on Saturdays from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Tenerife’s North Airport, or Tenerife Norte (TFN), aboard a 299-passenger Airbus A330-200 aircraft, with 24 Business Class seats and 275 seats in Economy Class. Tenerife tourism officials are thrilled, as it will bring more visitors – some 300,000 Floridians are of Canary Island descent – to explore the beauties of the seven islands in the archipelago.
Air Europa flight UX 096 will depart Miami International Airport at 5:00 PM, arriving in Tenerife the next day at 7:35 AM. The return flight, Air Europa UX 095, will depart Tenerife at 1:50 PM, arriving back in Miami at 4:50 PM the same day.
Lying just 62 miles off the African coast in the Atlantic, these volcanic islands offer a year-round temperate climate, a variety of striking landscapes, every water sport imaginable, charming towns and a wealth of dining and nightlife options. The chain’s largest, Tenerife is crowned by the majestic dormant volcano of Mount Teide, Spain’s highest peak at 12,195 feet. Surrounding peaks are carpeted with thick forests. Tenerife has miles of beaches to the south where many of the resort hotels can be found and several unspoiled villages surrounded by vineyards and banana plantations in the green north. Backed by mountains and shaded by palms, Santa Cruz de Tenerife is an important regional deepwater port and boasts many historic buildings including a church dating from 1500, archaeological and fine arts museums and the bustling food market/bazaar Mercado de Nuesta Senora de Africa. In Puerto de la Cruz there is a wine museum, the Orotava Botanical Garden and Loro Parque, a subtropical garden with over 1000 parrots and the world’s largest penguin zoo. The island’s first capital, San Cristobal de la Laguna is a busy university town with many atmospheric squares. It has UNESCO World Heritage status and as the first non-fortified Spanish colonial town, it was the model for many colonial towns in the Americas. The city’s historic quarter, between the Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion (1502) and the Plaza del Adelantado, has several Colonial buildings, including one 400-year-old mansion that now houses the Tenerife History Museum. The island has an abundance of sunny days and moderate temperatures which range between 65 degrees Fahrenheit in winter and 78 degrees in summer. Tenerife offers plenty of shopping, sports activities and entertainment options.
“Up until now it was difficult for Americans to get to the Canary Islands,” explains Javier Pinanes, director of the Tourist Office of Spain in New York. “This new service will open up a new warm-weather destination for Americans, particularly those from the southeastern U.S.,” Pinanes says.
And from Tenerife, travelers can continue to Gran Canaria which features one of the archipelago’s most beautiful stretches of beach – some five miles long – or opt for the futuristic landscape of Lanzarote with its hardened lava and dark dunes. The entire island is a UNESCO biosphere reserve and conservation and controlled development make it an attractive vacation choice.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
