Essex-based luxury specialist Winged Boots sold out a 148-seat private charter for the match against Croatia in Moscow on Wednesday (July 11), just hours after going on sale on Monday.
The agency took to Twitter on Tuesday to reveal it had already created a waiting list of customers enquiring about travel to the final on Sunday (July 15) and urged fans – eager to potentially see the Three Lions win the World Cup for the first time since 1966 – to contact them.
Director David Ox described the charter – offering return flights from Manchester to Moscow and match tickets – as a “once-in-a-lifetime chance to fly to Moscow to cheer the boys on in person”.
https://twitter.com/winged_boots/status/1016327664544702465
An Abta spokesperson told TTG members had reported “significant growth in interest” in travel for the tournament, mentioning one sports specialist operator whose phone “had not stopped ringing” after England’s victory over Colombia last week.
The association said that data from May showed foreign holiday bookings for summer 2018 were 6% higher than the previous year. Abta added it predicted the summer getaway season to “soon be in full swing”. “We expect many more will celebrate England’s World Cup successes by booking last minute.”
Jim Molloy, sales manager at Russia specialist Regent Holidays, told TTG he believed the destination had been “showcased fantastically” by the World Cup, reporting website searches for all parts of Russia had increased 135% since June 9.
He said the event had also “opened up” less familiar destinations, such as Kaliningrad and Volgograd.
“Perhaps the most important thing we hear from visiting fans is the friendliness and generosity of the Russian people,” Molloy said.
Meanwhile, Scottish airline Loganair offered fans the option to alter travel arrangements for semi-final day at no “extra Sterling” in order not to miss the match in a pun-filled statement.
