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The price of flights to Liverpool for an upcoming Premier League fixture have increased by more than 1,500% in a matter of days, following the date and time of the match being confirmed.
The Reds will host Luton Town at Anfield on Wednesday 21 February, with the game brought forward by three days owing to Jurgen Klopp’s side participating in the Carabao Cup final that weekend.
Empire of the Kop has learned that LFC supporter Colm Gleeson – who’s travelling to the match from Ireland with his son, having been successful in the recent ticket ballot through the club – had booked return flights from Dublin within an hour of the rearranged fixture details being confirmed on 3 February, securing them for €93.74 (£80).
Upon him entering the identical details (passengers, date/time, origin/destination) on the night of 7 February via the airline’s app, the same flights were being billed at €1,235.47 (£1,054.44).
Speaking to EOTK, Mr Gleeson was naturally very critical of that practice, citing the ‘stress’ it causes in trying to book convenient travel before the inevitable eye-watering price rises.
He said: “It’s just scandalous. I don’t know how anyone could afford that price. Several hours after I booked my flight, it had jumped up in price by €850 to €942 [£805] and now it stands at €1,235 for two [flight] tickets for one adult and a 12-year-old.
“I think the airlines are well wide to the fact of match fixture changes, but I got in first. This was only because I had every alert under the sun set up to notify me of a new date. I see it all the time. Lads get late tickets for a match and then they have to pay a fortune to get there.
“People will say, go via Manchester or take the boat from Dublin or Belfast. They are missing the point. You should be able to travel to these places at reasonable cost without the added stress of a detour. You also have the added stress of getting genuine tickets. There are a lot of scams and fake tickets circulating.”
EOTK input the same details as those on Mr Gleeson’s booking via the airline’s desktop site just after 10am on 8 February, with the price having increased further to €1,510.39 (£1,289.07) – a rise of more than 1,500% on the cost for an identical booking just five days ago.
Also on the morning of 8 February, the same flight details through the airline’s app retail at €1,235.47 (£1,054.44), a disparity of £234.63 between the app and the desktop site.
In addition, Mr Gleeson pointed out the numerous other costs associated with travelling to football matches, particularly for supporters flying in from outside the UK.
He said: “It puts awful pressure on parents. I imagine the day out will be expensive as it is. This is the first time over with my 12-year-old, so getting there, airports, buses, taxi, the obligatory trip to Anfield shop, the food, the hotel, the activities, stadium tour. Oh, and don’t forget the price of the tickets!”
EOTK contacted the airline involved for comment, but received no response.
#Ep100 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️
