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.”
How to get to Bilbao:
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.
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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.
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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.
