Can I do more than just ‘fly and flop’ in Cape Verde?

Q Charles Darwin visited Cape Verde and indeed it must be uniquely rich in diversity of species and scenery. Any comments on whether there is a chance to do more than merely sit by a pool?

Ian F

A Cape Verde has been cited this winter by Europe’s biggest holiday company, Tui, as one of its top three destinations – alongside Egypt and Spain’s Canary Islands. This group of islands, 300km off the coast of West Africa, was formerly a Portuguese colony. Until the 1990s, its only notability in travel was as the refuelling stop for Apartheid-era South African Airways planes en route to London (other African states had banned the carrier). The Boeing 747s stopped on what is now the main tourist island, Sal. In the 21st century, almost all tourists touch down in Sal, or nearby Boa Vista, for “fly and flop” package holidays. But Cape Verde also offers fascinating indigenous culture and cuisine, as well as spectacular volcanic landscapes soaring more than 2,800m high.

I like to think of the archipelago as a tropical Azores. The islands are ideal in winter, with a January average of 24C (avoid the nation from July to October, which is the rainy season). Sal is summed up by Aisling Irwin, co-author of the excellent Bradt’s guide to Cape Verde, as “flat and barren” with “little indigenous culture to enjoy”. The main package alternative is Boa Vista, “a flat, bleached land of sharp, white dunes, petrified forests, and unnervingly remote beaches”. Instead (or as well) visit the “capital island” of Sao Tiago (also known as Santiago), which feels the most African and offers excellent hiking.

The main cultural site is Cidade Velha. Unesco, which recognises it as a world heritage site, describes it as: “The first European colonial outpost in the tropics … A place of concentration of enslaved persons and the inhuman practices of the trade of enslaved persons.” You could also visit the island of Fogo, location for the highest (and liveliest) volcano, and indulge in activities from scuba diving and sport fishing to birdwatching. If you are tempted, plan your itinerary carefully: spur-of-the-moment island hopping is either impossible or extremely expensive. This is an occasion when a good guidebook is your essential companion.

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Q I read your article about the 70p ticket from Manchester to Stockport. Why can’t all train travel be priced per mile? It would cut through all the myriad of fares.

Tiros P

A Your suggestion has merit, and indeed reflects the practice in some parts of the world in the past. Knowing that a 100-mile trip would cost exactly twice as much as a 50-mile journey, and that a very short hop would cost very little, would help to restore some confidence in a rail fares system that many find baffling. It would also resolve some of the madness in the current arrangements, whereby the 24-mile leap from Didcot Parkway to Swindon costs £30 while the three-mile longer trip from Llandovery to Llandrindod costs 75 per cent less (as well as offering some spectacular scenery on the beautiful mid-Wales line).

Unfortunately, the price-per-mile plan doesn’t work brilliantly in modern-day Britain. On your behalf I asked Mark Smith, the international rail expert (and all-round fares genius) known as The Man in Seat 61 about your idea. He told me: “Fares in urban areas should ideally be zonal rather then distance based, matching the local transit authority. Outside urban areas, short-haul fares could indeed be distance-based as the main competitor is road.” We are talking here about journeys of, say, up to 30 miles. Unfortunately, to price competitively against road, you would need to apply different rates per mile in different circumstances. In London, commuters facing the congestion charge will pay highly for an alternative; Leeds commuters whose main time/cost issues are to do with congestion would want to pay rather less; and for Welsh rural journeys, like that 27-mile mid-Wales trip, the fare would need to be lower.

On longer trips, rail needs to compete with air and coach. Per-mile pricing from, say, London to Edinburgh would deter all but the rail fanatic when cheap flights and buses are available. “Rail companies need to use the same techniques as rival forms of transport to remain competitive,” says Mark Smith. So I am afraid inconsistencies are rather baked into the system.

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Q Why is it cheaper for me to fly from Paris CDG to San Jose in Costa Rica with Swiss via Zurich at £689, than direct from Zurich at £847? Similarly, if I fly with Air France and start from Zurich via Paris it’s cheaper. Any idea of what’s going on?

Peter W

A Yes. Both airlines are doing what all “network carriers” do: imposing a premium on a direct flight, and simultaneously offering cut-price fares to passengers who are prepared to change planes. It has always been thus for airlines that have a big hub with loads of short- and long-haul flights. Half a century ago, after saving all summer, I flew to North America. But not direct – which would have been impossibly expensive. This was several years before Freddie Laker’s Skytrain revolutionised transatlantic air travel. In 1974, the going rate for a London-New York return ticket was around £200 – over £2,000 in today’s money. I found a ticket from London via Brussels to Montreal on the now-defunct Sabena for £113 (still almost £1,200). At the time it was sold through a shady “bucket shop” in Earl’s Court, west London – airlines could actually be fined for selling (relatively) cheap tickets and undercutting rivals, but everyone knew it went on.

At least today there is no need for subterfuge; airlines can set whatever fares they wish. They deploy the dark art of revenue management, seeking to fill every seat, while at the same time extracting the most they can from each customer. They would ideally sell all their seats as premium, point-to-point travel. In the real world, though, they must add passengers like me who are prepared to accept a longer and less convenient journey if the price is right. They turn a tap on or off for connecting passengers, depending on how many seats they predict could be empty. The prices that Swiss and Air France are quoting look very much as I would expect.

In order to protect their revenue from direct flights, airlines stipulate that all legs of a journey must be flown. So don’t imagine the way to San Jose is to buy a Paris-Zurich-Costa Rica ticket and “forget” to fly the sector from France to Switzerland.

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Q I’m planning on going to Lisbon with my boyfriend at the end of April. The cheapest flights are on Wizz Air – but I was wondering if there’s a reason why they’re so cheap. Would you suggest a different airline?

Lilly S

A Lisbon in late April is a shrewd choice. The weather in the Portuguese capital should feel like early summer; the city is likely to be relatively uncrowded; and, as you have discovered, there are some very good value air fares around outside the school holidays.

Last time I flew to Lisbon, it was with Wizz Air from Luton. The airline is Europe’s third-largest budget carrier after Ryanair and easyJet. I do understand a certain unease about travelling for fares that feel implausibly low. When the no-frills airlines started up in the 1990s, so dramatically did they undercut the existing carriers that I was reminded of the phrase: “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.”

In fact, European aviation is one area in which this does not apply. Wizz Air, like easyJet and Ryanair, is well-funded. The three carriers are caught up in ferocious competition, especially to and from the UK. This is entirely to the benefit of passengers like you and me. You can happily book on Wizz Air and look forward to a safe, professional and on-time flight, in my experience. Just ensure you comply with the cabin baggage rules that apply to the cheapest fare. The permitted small backpack on Wizz Air should be enough for a few days’ way. If you want to carry anything more, the cost will increase sharply – and may not be much cheaper than British Airways, which offers a far more generous cabin baggage allowance. Compare like with like before you make your final choice, then celebrate your fortune to be living at a time with such safe and affordable air travel.

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