Recently, I was thinking about Eastern European countries that you don't really hear too much about, such as Slovakia. I was reading up on Bratislava and considering how difficult it might be to visit such a place. Kayak.com told that it would actually be cheaper to fly into Vienna than into Bratislava.
"Vienna?" I said to myself, "If I'm going to fly into Vienna, why would I drive to Bratislava? I've never been to Vienna either! Anyway, how far is it from Bratislava to Vienna?"
The answer: about 50 km!
So, here's my proposal: Slovakia, you're not a rich country. I'm sure Bratislava is a very nice city, but let's face it: no one is going to pick Bratislava over Vienna. So why not make some lemonade with those lemons? Drop all the taxes off of your airport. Heck, subsidize flights into the airport. Become the T.F. Green of Eastern Europe!
It's a great plan. People will rent Slovakian cars, buy meals at Slovakian restaurants, maybe stay a night in Slovakian hotels, and perhaps decide "What the hell? Let's spend a day sight-seeing in Bratislava before we continue to Vienna!"
So, in the interest of international development and cheaper flights to Vienna, please pass this along to any high-ranking officials you may know in Slovakia.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
2 comments:
You know what they say: The difference between Americans and Europeans is that Americans think that 200 years is a long time and Europeans think that 200 km is a long distance.
Let me offer my humble, eurosnooty opinion here.
Vienna is reputed to be a sterile, relatively uninterestingly snobby, cold, over-expensive city. Many (Americans/Japanese) may think it "important" in that it's somewhere to check off on a List O'Europe, but really, Bratislava is meant to be a much nicer destination.
So, I, for one, would pick Bratislava over Vienna. And Frugal Travellers will follow suit. No need to subsidize! The Austrians make it easy. Slovakians escape the annoying upkeep of hosting a major int'l airport, and will eventually reap the benefits of a Viennese fallout.
Besides, you can fly into Bratislava on www.skyeurope.com
Keep up the good work.
xoxox
Europhile Hansen
Post a Comment