Dedicated charter flights to join ships in both the eastern and western Mediterranean will run next year as MSC Cruises reverts to a fly-cruise only programme.
The charter flights will run from Gatwick and Manchester to join ships in Venice or Genoa.
Agents will be targeted with a soon-to-be-launched ‘MSC Cruises on Your Side’ partnership scheme and a new B2B admin platform.
The release of the Italian line’s summer 2015 and winter 2015/2016 brochure on April 2 is the earliest the programme has gone on sale.
This follows the introduction of a new pricing structure based on ‘Experiences’. An early booking offer of a free onboard upgrade and a discount of £200 per person off the brochure price applies until June 30.
An accompanying new product brochure is also being published “to instil confidence in the MSC product” including an overview of MSC and the leisure facilities and onboard experiences on offer across the fleet.
The concentration on fly-cruises in the Mediterranean, year-round Caribbean winter Middle East and Grand Voyages comes as the company exits ex-UK departures from Southampton after the end of this summer.
Executive director UK and Ireland and Australia Giles Hawke said: “Our new pricing approach will bring integrity to our price proposition throughout the year, starting with a series of attractive and simple to communicate itineraries in 2015.”