Furious football fans hit out at Spanish hotels over Europa League final price hikes
Football fans are facing exorbitant prices for the Europa League final.
Tens of thousands of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur supporters are expected to travel to Bilbao, Spain for the Europa League final on May 21st, should their teams progress past the semi-final stage.
This potential influx has led to a surge in hotel prices, with some establishments charging thousands of pounds for a single night's stay.
Many fans, anticipating their team's advancement, booked travel arrangements in advance, only to find limited and costly accommodation options remaining. Most Bilbao hotels are already fully booked, leaving supporters scrambling for alternatives.
One supporters' group accused hoteliers of 'taking the mick'.
A double room for two people at the Ilunion San Mames hotel on the day of the match costs 4,500 euros (£3,821), with breakfast an extra 34 euros (£29).
The price for arriving 24 hours later is 133 euros (£113).
At Hesperia Bilbao, the cost is 3,056 euros (£2,595) on May 21, and 130 euros (£110) on May 22.
Axel Hotel Bilbao is charging 2,132 euros (£1,810) on May 21, and 183 euros (£155) a day later.
Hotel website Booking.com is warning consumers searching for a hotel room in Balbao on May 21 that '99% of places to stay are unavailable on our site'.
Supporters wanting to fly to Bilbao are also facing high prices.
The cheapest easyJet flights to the city ahead of the match cost £609 from Manchester and £772 from Gatwick.
The airline said its pricing is 'demand-led'.
Chris Rumfitt, a board member of Manchester United Supporters Trust, warned the price of accommodation and travel will prevent some people from attending the final.
He told the PA news agency: 'However much they'd love to go, some fans simply can't.
'It certainly excludes some fans and leaves only those who are fortunate enough to be able to afford it.'
He added: 'We haven't qualified yet but we are optimistic.
'Once again, the loyalty and passion of football fans to follow their team are being taken advantage of.
'Hotel owners are taking the mick.'
Some supporters are booking hotels in Santander, which is around a one-hour car journey from Bilbao.
The Ibis Styles Santander is offering a double room on May 21 for 178 euros (£151).
A Booking.com spokesperson said: 'Hotels and other accommodation providers are in full control of the availability and prices they list on Booking.com.
'We know that people want to travel for sport and other passions, and encourage our accommodation partners to act fairly and help everyone experience the world as easily as possible.'
An easyJet spokesperson said: 'Like other airlines, our pricing is demand-led, which means that our fares start low and increase as fewer seats are available.
'Many fans will have been able to book earlier with greater availability and fares from around £50, and the remaining fares on these flights are for the last few seats onboard.
'We have already added more seats from Manchester and London to Bilbao to support customer demand, and will continue to monitor demand to ensure we are providing as many options for fans as possible.'
A look at how football fans can make it to the showpiece game on May 21:
Direct flights
Flying is the obvious choice for travelling from the UK to Spain, but airline seats are already in high demand.
English football fans accuse Spanish hoteliers of 'taking the mick' over prices
Power restored to Heathrow terminals seven hours before flights resumed – report
Iran 'categorically rejects' any involvement in alleged Israeli embassy plot
Direct two-hour easyJet flights from Gatwick airport, West Sussex, to Bilbao cost £772 on May 20 and £872 on May 21.
The airline also has flights from Manchester to Bilbao taking two hours and 10 minutes.
They are priced from £812 on May 20, and £609 on May 21.
A spokesperson for the carrier said its pricing is 'demand-led'.
Indirect flights
Supporters on tighter budgets can save a lot of money by booking a route that involves changing planes.
Airline TAP Air Portugal has a £324 option departing Gatwick at 10.35am on May 20, arriving in Lisbon at 1.25pm, boarding another plane at 3.20pm before finally landing in Bilbao at 6pm.
Taking into account the time difference, this is a total travel time of six hours and 25 minutes.
Car
Some supporters may consider driving.
This could involve taking their car across the Channel from Dover, Kent, to Calais, northern France, by ferry or Eurotunnel.
From there, the driving time across France and over the Spanish border to Bilbao is around 12 hours.
Coach
FlixBus has a departure from London Victoria at 7am on May 20 arriving in Bilbao 23 hours and 45 minutes later at 7.45am on May 21.
This costs £154 and involves crossing the Channel by ferry and changing coaches in Paris.
Several coach companies are likely to run charter services to the final from Manchester and London.
Train
International train travel website seat61.com describes the journey from London to Bilbao as 'a fast and comfortable option'.
It suggests passengers could depart London St Pancras on the morning on May 20 on a Eurostar train to Paris.
They would then take a train to Hendaye and change onto another to San Sebastian.
After an overnight stay in San Sebastian, fans would take a train to Bilbao, arriving on May 21.
Ferry
Some supporters without time pressure may consider travelling by ferry.
Brittany Ferries has a sailing from Portsmouth to Bilbao departing at 10pm on May 18 and arriving 33 hours later at 8am on May 20.
Fares are available from £201.
Chancellor on track to miss fiscal rules, says economic forecaster
Interest rates live: Bank of England set to cut rate in boost for mortgages
DWP benefits and pension payments dates for May 2025
Brittany Ferries said it experienced an increase in bookings even before Thursday's semi-final second legs, with cabins sold out.
The company also has sailings from Portsmouth to Santander, which is around a one-hour car journey from Bilbao.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Everton transfers and contracts: What we're hearing on Branthwaite, Gueye and Barry
There is an early sense of deja vu about Everton's summer window. Once again, defender Jarrad Branthwaite is dominating the headlines. A year ago, Manchester United tried to take advantage of the Merseyside club's fraught financial position, submitting two bids for Branthwaite considerably below Everton's asking price of around £75million. Advertisement Speculation over a potential move has persisted this summer, with Tottenham Hotspur the most strongly linked. But Everton have taken a more bullish approach over Branthwaite. Where there was an acceptance last summer that they would have to sell if the right offer came in, The Athletic reported this month that the club had informed interested suitors of their desire to keep hold of the England international. From there, the logical direction of travel was always going to involve discussions over a new deal. Everton are well protected when it comes to the 22-year-old. He has two years remaining on his contract, plus a club option for a third. But his situation is atypical. He signed his last deal in the autumn of 2023, just as he was cementing a regular first-team berth. The Carlisle United academy graduate is a key player now, but not one of Everton's top earners. In that sense, there is a disconnect. The club have now informed him of their desire not only to retain his services this summer, but offer new terms. Discussions have taken place but remain at an exploratory stage. This has become a key issue for new owners The Friedkin Group, manager David Moyes and CEO Angus Kinnear. It is notable, for example, that they have taken initial tentative steps to tie Branthwaite down at a time when others, such as vice-captain James Tarkowski, midfielder James Garner and left-back Vitalii Mykolenko are soon to go into the final 12 months of their deals. They want to build around Branthwaite and would see his retention in the face of interest as a show of intent. Equally, they will not want to be seen to climb down from their position. Their hand would be further strengthened should they manage to agree fresh terms, but even then, it would be a surprise if interest did not persist. What comes next will be fascinating and tell us much about whether TFG is able to turn positive intent into something more tangible. Everton have made their first signing of the summer by triggering loanee Carlos Alcaraz's €15m purchase option. He will join officially at the end of the month. Yet most of the intrigue, out of necessity, has involved those soon to be out of contract. Club captain Seamus Coleman, midfield stalwart Idrissa Gueye, striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Michael Keane all see their deals expire at the end of the month. Advertisement An offer has been made to Coleman, while talks have continued with Gueye. Everton have been reluctant to offer the Senegal international a multi-year contract, with an initial one-year extension containing the option for an additional 12 months the direction of travel. Gueye is one of the high earners and will be 36 in September, even if he has shown little sign of slowing down. There has been confidence at Everton over a new deal, but it is still to be agreed or signed. With a squad rebuild to come, they will hope to avoid another headache in midfield. Largely through new head of trading Nick Hammond and manager Moyes, Everton have remained in contact with the representatives of Keane and Calvert-Lewin. New deals for either have not been completely ruled out, but Keane has interest from clubs in England's top two leagues as well as MLS. He is expected to want a multi-year deal. Sources, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect relationships, suggest that the most likely outcome with Calvert-Lewin remains a departure. Talks up to now have not yielded much progress, with the club keen to remain disciplined in their negotiating position. The 28-year-old is likely to want a long-term deal on lucrative terms. The uncertainty there, together with Armando Broja's return to Chelsea, has increased the prospect of Everton dipping into the market for a striker. The Athletic was first to report interest in Villarreal's Thierno Barry this month and the 22-year-old remains a key target. Everton's pursuit of Barry is complicated by his participation at the Under-21 European Championship with France, plus a lofty release clause set at €40m. The club would prefer to negotiate with Villarreal rather than trigger that clause. Moyes continues to play an active role in the recruitment process and has taken in Club World Cup games from his Miami base. Advertisement Everton continue to assess targets and sound out their availability, but due to the overhaul behind the scenes and lingering profit and sustainability rule considerations, this was always likely to be a window in which the bulk of the business came later. The problem for Everton is that they have so much to do and little time to waste. The window is unlikely to remain quiet for long.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Barcelona transfer target makes fresh contact with the club over summer move
Manchester United star Marcus Rashford this week initiated contact with the board at La Liga champions Barcelona once more. That's according to Tot Costa of Catalunya Radio, who have on Friday provided an insight into the Englishman's ongoing attempts to engineer a Camp Nou switch. Advertisement Rashford, it is understood, remains nothing short of desperate to take his talents to Barcelona with a view to next season. Despite the Blaugrana focusing their efforts firmly on the signature of Athletic Club standout Nico Williams, the out-of-favour Man United man is of the opinion that he too could benefit the cause in Hansi Flick's squad. Rashford, through his entourage, therefore made fresh contact with Deco and co. over recent days. This came to reiterate both his eagerness to join forces, and willingness to remain patient over the weeks and months ahead. Barcelona, for their part, are open to a deal for Rashford under the right conditions, viewing the 27-year-old as a potential market opportunity. Conor Laird – GSFN
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
🚨 Official: Florian Wirtz signs for Liverpool!
Historic transfer! After five seasons at Bayer Leverkusen, his training club, Florian Wirtz is leaving the Bundesliga and committing to Liverpool. The English club made the news official this Friday evening! Wirtz joins the Reds in exchange for a check ranging between 136 and 150 million euros, depending on whether you listen to the English or German press. Regardless, it's a colossal operation, the biggest transfer in the history of Liverpool FC and the Premier League; the third most expensive in all of football history, behind the arrivals of Neymar (222 million euros) and Kylian Mbappé (180 million euros) to Paris Saint-Germain, in 2017 and 2018. Advertisement A pillar of Xabi Alonso's Bayer, German champion, winner of the German Cup and finalist of the Europa League in 2023-2024, Florian Wirtz leaves Leverkusen after 196 matches played and 56 goals scored in all competitions. The 22-year-old German international is stepping up by joining the reigning champions of England and the Premier League. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here. 📸 TOBIAS SCHWARZ - AFP or licensors
