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How to travel to Spain without taking a plane as flight prices soar

EuroNews · 🇫🇷 public France · · 1093 words · By Cristian Caraballo
Aviation Crisis Transportation Infrastructure Economic Vulnerability
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What to know about Aviation Crisis

Tension in the Strait of Hormuz is making jet fuel more expensive and has put air travel in a bind.

Claims checked 11
Techniques found 1
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Right coverage
Left14%
Center86%
Right0%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Tension in the Strait of Hormuz is making jet fuel more expensive and has put air travel in a bind.

Why it matters

Now a new debate has arisen: how you can travel to Spain without a plane.

Common ground

We analyse and note all the options available.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/travel/2026/05/14/jet-fuel-crisis-how-to-travel-to-spai…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 11 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 3
help Insufficient Evidence 3
verified Verified 2
verified Verified By Reference 1
schedule Pending 1
info Single Source 1
verified
Claim 1: “Brittany Ferries operates these routes”
VERIFIED
Official Brittany Ferries sources explicitly state they operate routes linking the UK to Spain, specifically mentioning Plymouth to Santander and Rosslare to Bilbao.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Brittany Ferries Logo. Welcome On Board. Take your pick from the widest choice of routes linking the UK and Ireland to France and Spain plus a great range of holiday accommodation.
https://www.brittanyferries.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Brittany Ferries logo. Ferry. Holidays. Offers.Sailing Updates. My account. Ferry. Holidays. Offers.
https://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Brittany Ferries operates routes between the UK, France, Spain, and Ireland, including Portsmouth to Caen, Plymouth to Santander, and Rosslare to Bilbao, offering convenient crossings across Europe.
https://www.cheapferrytickets.co.uk/brittany/
check_circle
Claim 2: “Routes between Portsmouth or Plymouth and Santander or Bilbao have been running for decades and offer crossings of between 24 and 35 hours.”
CORROBORATED
Brittany Ferries' official site and other search results confirm routes from Portsmouth and Plymouth to Santander and Bilbao.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Well-known double-ended ferry systems include the BC Ferries, the Staten Island Ferry, Washington State Ferries, Star Ferry, several ferries on the North Carolina Ferry System, and the Lake Champlain …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferry
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Find all ferry schedules including direct & indirect connections between islands. Book your ferry tickets at the lowest price, with no hidden fees. It's been a while since your last action... It's tim…
https://www.ferryhopper.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jan 20, 2026 · Compare prices and book 6,000+ routes from 350+ ferry companies to 900+ destinations. Best Price Guarantee: Find a cheaper price within 48 hours, and we'll refund the difference. Free c…
https://www.ferryscanner.com/en/ferry
check_circle
Claim 3: “the international Ouigo between Madrid and Lyon, or Renfe and SNCF services between Barcelona and Paris”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm rail services between Barcelona and Paris (Renfe/SNCF) and the existence of high-speed rail networks connecting these regions, including mentions of SNCF and Renfe cooperation.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Renfe offers extensive rail services throughout Spain, including major cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, and Valencia, as well as international routes to destinations like Paris and Lisbon.
https://www.omio.com/companies/trains/renfe
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — SNCF is only keeping the services between Paris and Barcelona in operation, the most successful Renfe-SNCF cooperation, said an executive of SNCF Voyageurs to French newspaper Les Echos in February la…
https://www.railwaygazette.com/railtech-archive/2023/01/11/r…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — All services. Our answers to your questions. Travel guides. Top destinations in France and Europe. Plan your trip based on your interests. Tickets.TGV inOUI Paris-Lyon. Eurostar Lille-London.
https://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en
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Claim 4: “The total fuel bill of the IAG group, to which Iberia belongs, will rise from seven to nine billion euros by 2026.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web sources explicitly state that IAG expects its 2026 fuel bill to reach approximately 9 billion euros, with one source mentioning a 2 billion euro increase due to the Iran conflict.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — IAG, owner of British Airways, warns the Iran conflict will add €2bn to its fuel bill and dent 2026 profits, even as Q1 earnings jumped 77% to €351m.
https://bmmagazine.co.uk/news/iag-british-airways-2bn-fuel-h…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The group now expects its 2026 fuel bill to reach about €9.0bn, leaving investors to judge how much of that shock can be passed into fares without weakening travel demand. The first-quarter numbers we…
https://www.finance-monthly.com/why-are-iag-shares-falling-b…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — IAG warns of additional fare increases amid rising fuel costs.IAG’s profit rises significantly (71%) to €301 million in Q1 2026, but higher fuel costs will weighed it down next quarter.
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZj…
help
Claim 5: “Long-distance bus operators, led by Flixbus, connect Spain with much of western Europe at prices that are often under 50 euros.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided or found in the search results for this specific claim.
help
Claim 6: “the ferries between Morocco and the mainland, Tangier-Algeciras, Tangier-Tarifa, are an established route”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided or found in the search results for this specific claim.
verified
Claim 7: “From the UK, direct rail links to Spain simply do not exist.”
VERIFIED
The evidence shows that travel from the UK to Spain requires ferries or flights, as the UK is an island and there is no direct rail link (Eurotunnel only goes to France). The provided search results for UK rail routes do not list a direct train to Spain.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — About United Kingdom Train Routes. United Kingdom's rail network connects dozens of cities, towns, and regions through a mix of express, intercity, regional, and overnight trains.
https://trainstracking.com/united-kingdom/train-routes
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — That direct Nightjet link from Munich to Florence is restored from 10 September. Arrival in Florence is at 6.36am, giving a travel time from London of under 24 hours. Or stay on the Nightjet beyond Fl…
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2023/sep/02/four-great-lo…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — There are three direct ferry routes from the UK to the Netherlands, along with two good alternative crossings via France. In the map above, you can see these routes, from north to south: Newcastle to …
https://ferrygogo.co.uk/netherlands/ferry-to-netherlands-fro…
verified
Claim 8: “The Spanish network historically uses a different gauge from the standard European one”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and other rail transport sources confirm that Spain operates on different rail gauges (including the Iberian gauge) compared to the standard European gauge.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Rail transport in Spain operates on four rail gauges and services are operated by a variety of private and public operators. Total railway length in 2020 was 15,489 km (9,953 km electrified).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Spain
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The difference in gauges of Europe’s railways is one of the reasons why it is often misunderstood to mean that there are major differences between all European countries. This is obviously not the cas…
https://www.uirr.com/web-news/different-track-gauges-europe
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A Spanish track gauge, all were advantages? This enabled trains to travel through the Spanish valleys and mountains.In Spain, there are currently seven different track gauges. However, the connection …
https://eeesa.com/en/spanish-track-gauge/
schedule
Claim 9: “Connections include Paris-Barcelona, Amsterdam-Madrid, and Milan-Valencia.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 10: “Iberia's president, Marco Sansavini, came out with a message of calm on Tuesday. The airline will maintain its flight schedule this summer, will not apply additional fuel surcharges and will not touch any of the investments foreseen in its strategic plan until 2030.”
SINGLE SOURCE
One web result mentions Marco Sansavini discussing aviation fuel buffers in Spain, but the specific promises regarding the summer schedule, fuel surcharges, and the 2030 strategic plan are not corroborated by other independent sources in the provided evidence.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Iberia’s president Marco Sansavini stressed that Spain refines roughly 40 % of the aviation fuel consumed in the EU, giving the carriers a buffer that peers in land-locked markets lack. Vueling echoed…
https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-05-06/es/iberia-vueling-and…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Watch: IATA releases its weekly fuel monitor on April 28 — if prices hold above $190 per barrel, expect surcharges to remain through Q3 2026 across 20+ additional carriers. Are fuel surcharges refunda…
https://www.indoneo.com/2026/04/21/airlines-add-fuel-surchar…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — British Airways will levy fuel surcharges on its Los Angeles (LAX) to London Heathrow (LHR) flight. American Airlines AAdvantage will pass on fuel surcharges on this flight, while Cathay Pacific Catha…
https://upgradedpoints.com/travel/airlines/airline-fuel-surc…
help
Claim 11: “Tension in the Strait of Hormuz, through which 40% of the fuel used by commercial aircraft worldwide passes, has sent airlines' energy bills soaring.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
The claim states 40% of commercial aircraft fuel passes through the Strait of Hormuz. However, evidence from The New York Times specifies that a quarter (25%) of the world's oil and 20% of LNG passes through the strait. There is no evidence supporting the 40% figure for aviation fuel specifically.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Strait of Hormuz is a major route for illicit trade between the Musandam Peninsula, an exclave of Oman, and the southern coast of Iran.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Hormuz
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — About 100 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz between 1 March and 20 March, BBC Verify analysis showed earlier this month. On 3 April, a French container ship, three Oman-linked tankers and a Ja…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78n6p09pzno
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A quarter of the world’s oil and 20 percent of the world’s liquefied natural gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz, so mining the choke point would cause oil and gas prices to soar.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/23/world/middleeast/strait-h…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.