A price hike on flights to Liverpool’s Champions League final has been branded ‘shameful’ by the city’s Metro Mayor.
Steve Rotheram condemned Easyjet for increasing the cost of seats on planes heading to Madrid on June 1 following the Reds’ win over Barcelona on Tuesday.
Jurgen Klopp’s side staged an unlikely comeback to reach the final with a 4-3 aggregate victory over the Spanish champions in their return leg at Anfield.
Mayor Rotheram, who is a Liverpool fan, highlighted Easyjet’s cheapest one-way flight heading to Madrid on May 31 currently stands at £750.49 per head.
A return flight to John Lennon Airport on June 3, two days after the final, has been priced at £237.54, meaning fans will have to shell out almost £1,000 on travel alone.
Writing on Twitter, Mayor Rotheram said: “Easyjet hiking up prices by 683% for return flights to Madrid is quite simply profiteering from the passion of football fans.
“This is nothing new but entirely shameful.”
An Easyjet spokeman has defended the budget airline’s pricing strategy amid increased demand from Liverpool fans aiming to be in Madrid for the final.
He said: “As with all airlines, our pricing is demand-led, which means that as more seats are booked on a flight the price will rise so our fares start low and increase the closer it is to the date of departure.
“We do not artificially increase ticket prices around sporting events, prices are led by a strong demand for some flights due to convenient scheduled flight times.
“We believe our fares remain competitive in comparison to other airlines flying around the same time.”