RANGERS fans may still be revelling in their Old Firm triumph at the weekend.
And it won’t be long before their attention turns back to the competition that provided their other big result last week – the Europa League.
The departure lounge at Glasgow Airport[/caption]
Days before the Ibrox side beat Celtic 3-2 in a thrilling Glasgow derby at Parkhead, Barry Ferguson‘s side downed Jose Mourinho‘s Fenerbahce on penalties.
That victory set up a quarter-final against La Liga side Athletic Bilbao (whose stadium will host the final).
The Spanish outfit came out on top in a topsy-turvy tie of their own against Serie A giants Roma.
Rangers travel to the Basque Country for the first leg of the fixture on April 10, once the international fixtures are done and dusted and Premiership action has resumed.
The return leg at Ibrox takes place a week later on April 17.
No doubt some Bluenoses may have already been seeking out flight options for the trip to Bilbao.
Until now, there was no direct service between Glasgow Airport and Bilbao.
And while British airlines have been slow to act the same can’t be said of Spanish firm Vueling.
They have stepped up to provide direct flights between Glasgow International and Bilbao on the Thursday morning of the game, with a return the following day.
But there’s a catch – the fares aren’t cheap.
The duration of the journey is around two and a half hours but the cheapest ticket includes an outbound flight at 9.30am which arrives in Bilbao at 1.05pm local time, with the return flight departing at 7am and landing in Glasgow at 8.25am local time.
That will set punters back £381.
A more expensive option comes from German company TUI, albeit with a more accommodating return flight time.
The outbound flight departs at 9am while the trip back leaves Bilbao at 1pm.
However, that would cost fans a whopping £1,656.
But even non-direct flight options aren’t cheap.
Supporters could fly out from Glasgow Prestwick with Ryanair at 11.35am and arrive in Bilbao at 6.55pm local time, after a stop in Barcelona.
That comes in at £11 more expensive that the Vueling direct flight from Glasgow International (not to mention the rush of getting form the airport to the San Mamés Stadium for an 8pm kick-off!).
An alternative is to fly with easyJet from Glasgow International at 6am and arrive in Bilbao at 1.45pm, again with a change at Barcelona.
Opting to fly from Edinburgh doesn’t help much, with no direct flights on offer and the cheapest return fare at suitable times courtesy of Vueling coming in at £423
A Vueling aircraft similar to what could take Rangers fans to Bilbao[/caption]
San Mames, home of Athletic Bilbao (about a 40 minute bus journey from the airport)[/caption]
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