Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Budget Morroccan Airline to fly to Europe
A new venture from three Moroccan businesses and the German Tourist company TUI AG is to start up in March 2006. The airline will be called Jet4you and will initially operate two leased aircraft with expansion plans envisaging a fleet of ten aircraft by by 2010 carrying 1.7 million passengers.
The airline will benefit from an "open skies" agreement between Morocco and the European Union. It should provide some cheap flights from Europe to Morocco. TUI is to take a 40% stake in Jet4you encouraged by Morocco's developing tourist industry.
The airline will benefit from an "open skies" agreement between Morocco and the European Union. It should provide some cheap flights from Europe to Morocco. TUI is to take a 40% stake in Jet4you encouraged by Morocco's developing tourist industry.
Iceland Express Icebreaker fares
Iceland Express the Icelandic airline is offering some of its flights from London Stansted to Reykjavik for £9 plus taxes and charges, (total £39), one way. They are also offering Copenhagen to Reykjavik for £12 on some flights.
The numbers of flights available seems limited, but if you were thinking of going to Reykjavik in early January then try not to miss this offer.
The numbers of flights available seems limited, but if you were thinking of going to Reykjavik in early January then try not to miss this offer.
New Transavia Summer 06 routes
Transavia the Dutch budget airline will add four new routes for the Summer 2006.
It will connect Glasgow Prestwick Airport to Amsterdam Schipol starting 26 March 2006 and run a 6 times weekly service.
It will also fly from Amsterdam Schipol to Vanciencia from 26 March 06 and to Pau in the French Pyrenees from 27 March 06. Finally it will service a Rotterdam to Toulon route from 13 April 2006.
It will connect Glasgow Prestwick Airport to Amsterdam Schipol starting 26 March 2006 and run a 6 times weekly service.
It will also fly from Amsterdam Schipol to Vanciencia from 26 March 06 and to Pau in the French Pyrenees from 27 March 06. Finally it will service a Rotterdam to Toulon route from 13 April 2006.
Jet2.com sale from £1*
Jet2.com are offering lots of routes at £1. The asterix (*) is there again which as usual means one way, not including taxes and charges.
Here are some of the £1* routes:
Belfast to Blackpool and Leeds Bradford
Blackpool to Belfast
Belfast to Leeds Bradford
Leeds Bradford to Amsterdam and Belfast
Manchester to Amsterdam, Edinburgh and London Gatwick
Newcastle to Amsterdam and Cork
*All fares are one way excluding taxes and fees.
Here are some of the £1* routes:
Belfast to Blackpool and Leeds Bradford
Blackpool to Belfast
Belfast to Leeds Bradford
Leeds Bradford to Amsterdam and Belfast
Manchester to Amsterdam, Edinburgh and London Gatwick
Newcastle to Amsterdam and Cork
*All fares are one way excluding taxes and fees.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Flyglobespan route update
Flyglobespan the low cost airline based in Scotland has two new routes on offer this Summer. They are to add two Greek routes one to the Capital, Athens and one to Heraklion on the island of Crete. The Athens route starts 24 May 2005 and the Heraklion route starts on 27 May 2006.
In addition they have dropped the Edinburgh - Ibiza route. This will now be flown from Glasgow. The Edinburgh - Nice route has also been axed.
In addition they have dropped the Edinburgh - Ibiza route. This will now be flown from Glasgow. The Edinburgh - Nice route has also been axed.
Ebinburgh or London to Poland for £1
Centralwings is selling flights from Edinburgh to Warsaw or from London Stansted to Cracow or Warsaw from £1 one way plus taxes and charges. The offer is valid for flights during the period 11 January 2006 till 25 March 2006.
SkyEurope fly for Free (1p offer)
SkyEurope has a sale running until 8 January 2006. Some of their destinations are on offer for £0.01 plus taxes and charges. Applicable flights are subject to availability between 9 January 2006 and 25 March 2006, on the following routes
Bratislava to
Bucharest, Milan (Bergamo), Basel, Cologne, Copenhagen, Roma (Fiumicino), Kosice, Nice, Paris (Orly), Sofia, London (Stansted), Stuttgart, Warsaw
Budapest to
Amsterdam, Milan (Bergamo), Rome (Fiumicino), Paris (Orly), Venice
Innsbruck to
Amsterdam, Paris (Orly)
Krakow to
Amsterdam, Milan (Bergamo), Dublin, Roma (Fiumicino), Paris (Orly)
Salzburg to
Barcelona, Manchester, Warsaw
Poprad to
London (Stansted)
Warsaw to
Milan (Bergamo), Roma (Fiumicino) Paris (Orly), London (Stansted)
Bratislava to
Bucharest, Milan (Bergamo), Basel, Cologne, Copenhagen, Roma (Fiumicino), Kosice, Nice, Paris (Orly), Sofia, London (Stansted), Stuttgart, Warsaw
Budapest to
Amsterdam, Milan (Bergamo), Rome (Fiumicino), Paris (Orly), Venice
Innsbruck to
Amsterdam, Paris (Orly)
Krakow to
Amsterdam, Milan (Bergamo), Dublin, Roma (Fiumicino), Paris (Orly)
Salzburg to
Barcelona, Manchester, Warsaw
Poprad to
London (Stansted)
Warsaw to
Milan (Bergamo), Roma (Fiumicino) Paris (Orly), London (Stansted)
New Blue Air route to Verona
Blue Air the Romanian low cost / charter airline is to fly to Verona (Brescia), Italy from 11 February 2006. They will fly there from Bucharest, Romania and Timisoara, Romania three times per week. Flights will start at €38 plus taxes and charges each way.
Also a reminder that they will be flying from Bucharest, Romania from 17 January 2006.
Also a reminder that they will be flying from Bucharest, Romania from 17 January 2006.
Monday, December 26, 2005
Rail and fly from HLX
HLX the German budget airline, have teamed up with Deutshe Bahn (DB) the German National Railway operator to allow journeys to be completed to anywhere in Germany for €19 /£14 per person and route. The scheme also includes bus, suburban railway (S-Bahn) and underground trains for eleven of the biggest operators in Germany.
Tickets for the rail are issued by e-mail, pdf document or fax when the HLX flight is booked.
If flying to on an international flight from Germany the ticket can also be used to purchase a connection to the departure airport, (as long it is from your destination in Germany).
Children under six travel free on the scheme. Rail / bus tickets purchased under the rail and fly scheme are not refundable.
This sounds like an excellent scheme top me. It even covers relevant ICE Trains but a surcharge is payable for the ICE Sprinter.
The scheme is explained on the hlx.com website.
New Brussels - Palermo route
Virgin Express has today added a new route to its Summer 2006, line up. From 1 April 2006 it will operate 2 flights per week from Brussels International to Palermo, Sicily, Italy. This expands the number of Italian destinations to four.
Virgin Express is based in Brussels and operates a fleet of 10 Boeing 737 aircraft to; Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Catania, Copenhagen, Faro, Geneva, Hamburg, Lisbon, Madrid, Malaga, Milan-Orio al Serio, Munich, Murcia, Nice, Palma de Mallorca, Rome, Toulon and Valencia.
Virgin Express is based in Brussels and operates a fleet of 10 Boeing 737 aircraft to; Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Catania, Copenhagen, Faro, Geneva, Hamburg, Lisbon, Madrid, Malaga, Milan-Orio al Serio, Munich, Murcia, Nice, Palma de Mallorca, Rome, Toulon and Valencia.
Saturday, December 24, 2005
A Happy Christmas from Eurapart
Only a few hours to go now, so let me take this opportunity to wish you a very lovely Christmas.
John
John
Thomsonfly new website
In a previous post we announced that Thomsonfly were to join up with Thomson Flights. This has now happened and Thomsonfly can offer flights fro 26 UK airports to 87 destinations in Europe and Egypt. They have a few flights fro Doncaster / Sheffield to Alicante, Faro and Malaga from 1p plus taxes and charges.
Friday, December 23, 2005
Jet2.com add Blackpool - Alicante
The headline says it all really, but I'd better give the details. Jet2.com will start flights to Alicante from Blackpool in April 2006. The flights will start from £31 each way including taxes.
I would have thought that the two resorts are in competition with each other.
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Virgin Express routes from 39.99 euros
Virgin Express are offering seats at €39.99 one way including taxes and charges.
The routes on offer for 39.99 euros are Brussels to / from (92,500 seats):
Barcelona
Berlin
Hamburg
Madrid
Malaga
Milan-Bergamo
Murcia
Alicante South
Palermo
Palma
Rome
Toulon
Valencia
for €49.99 one way including taxes you can fly from Brussels to (32,500 seats):
Athens
Catania
Geneva
Lisbon
Nice
Flights go on sale at these prices from Friday 23 December 2005 until Friday 6 January 2006. Flights are available between 23 December 2005 and 28 October 2006.
Availability of flights will be better in the late Summer.
The routes on offer for 39.99 euros are Brussels to / from (92,500 seats):
Barcelona
Berlin
Hamburg
Madrid
Malaga
Milan-Bergamo
Murcia
Alicante South
Palermo
Palma
Rome
Toulon
Valencia
for €49.99 one way including taxes you can fly from Brussels to (32,500 seats):
Athens
Catania
Geneva
Lisbon
Nice
Flights go on sale at these prices from Friday 23 December 2005 until Friday 6 January 2006. Flights are available between 23 December 2005 and 28 October 2006.
Availability of flights will be better in the late Summer.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
18 new Ryanair Dublin routes
Ryanair is to add 18 routes from Dublin when it gets delivery of the five more 737-800's, it plans to base there. The new routes are:
- Marseille, France
- Nantes, France
- La Rochelle, France
- Baden (Stuttgart), Germany
- Hamburg, Germany
- Krakow, Poland
- Poznan, Poland
- Wroclaw, Poland
- Milan, Italy
- Venice, Italy
- Gothenburg, Sweden
- Malmo, Sweden
- Valencia, Spain
- Porto, Portugal
- Salzburg, Austria
- Bratislava, Slovakia
- Kaunas, Lithuania
- Humberside, UK
Monarch sale starts Friday 23 Dec
Monarch Airlines have a Christmas sale from Friday 23 December 2005 to Wednesday 28 December 2005. The seats start at £29.99 (Newquay to Malaga one way on 29 January 2006) and include taxes and charges. Other fares can be found by looking up the Bargain Hunter Feature on Monarch's homepage.
Monarch Scheduled fly from Aberdeen, Birmingham, Blackpool, London Gatwick, London Luton, Manchester and Newquay Airports to destinations in Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar. Unlike many low cost airlines they offer cheap flights but also provide a few "frills" such as free newspaper, hot towel service. They also sell extra legroom seats for £10 and the chance to pre-book a seat for £5 each way.
Low cost airline to Australia?
Jetstar the low cost airline owned by the Australian flag carrier Qantas has recently announced that it will fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The 787 is capable of flying long distances burning a lot less fuel than the current generation of airliners, it also flies faster than aircraft the same size.
The intention is for Jetstar to enter the International market by 2007. Jetstar is looking to operating flights to Asia and Europe. We may yet get a budget airline offering flights to Australia. I can't see them selling tickets for a £1 though.
The intention is for Jetstar to enter the International market by 2007. Jetstar is looking to operating flights to Asia and Europe. We may yet get a budget airline offering flights to Australia. I can't see them selling tickets for a £1 though.
Ryanair £2 seats*
The prices of the seats in the current sale seats sound more like cinema tickets, but even they are not that cheap. You don't have to pay airport taxes and charges in a cinema though do you?
Any excuse and Ryanair have a sale. Its better than making excuses to raise the prices though, such as the rising fuel costs etc used by some scheduled airlines.
Today's excuse, sorry I mean reason to celebrate, is that following the sale of the older aircraft, the average age of Ryanair's fleet is now less than 2 years old. To mark this achievement they are selling seats on a good selection of routes for £2, plus taxes and charges, which we are assured will not exceed £15.20.
*These fares can be booked from 20 December 2005 to 22 December 2005 for any flight Monday to Sunday between 27 December 2005 and 25 March 2006. There some blackout periods of 10 February 2006 to 20 February 2006 and March 2006 to 21 March 2006. Also excluded are holidays, school breaks and major sporting events. Fares are one way excluding taxes and charges, but I have already said that.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Jet2.com New Year sale
Jet2.com is having a New Year sale with flights from Leeds Bradford to Amsterdam and Belfast being sold for £9.99 one way including taxes and charges. There are lots of other cheap fares available such as Leeds Bradford to Geneva and Chambery in the French Alps from £21 one way including taxes and charges. Manchester is also offering the same destinations from the same £21 one way. These will prove very popular with Winter sports enthusiasts or even those considering it for the first time such as myself. These prices are only available for December, January and February.
Wizzair adds Corfu and Rhodes
Wizzair the London owned low budget airline serving routes from Poland and Hungary are adding two more to its line up for Summer 2006:
- Budapest to Rhodes, Greece
- Budapest to Corfu, Greece
The airline is also operating its Budapest to Barcelona, Girona and Budapest to Palma de Mallorca that it operated successfully in 2005.
Germanwings seats for 1 euro*
Germanwings the low cost airline owned by Lufthansa is offering 100,000 seats to and from 40 airports all over Europe from 1 euro plus taxes and charges. The seats are available from 16h00 CET (15h00 in UK) until they have sold out. They are available for flights between 10 January 2006 and 31 March 2006.*1 euro prices are valid only for seats booked over the internet, are one way and do not include taxes and charges.
New Transavia routes
Transavia adds four new routes to its network this Summer. They are:
- Amsterdam Schipol to Glasgow Prestwick, Scotland
- Rooterdam to Toulon, France
- Amsterdam Schipol to Valencia, Spain
- Amsterdam Schipol to Pau, France
Flight attendant tried to save crash plane
A flight attendant tried to save the Helios Airways Boeing 737-300 after it lost cabin pressure and the flight crew were overcome. This is what crash investigators revealed yesterday. The 25 year old flight attendant got hold of a portable supply of oxygen and entered the cockpit and gained manual control of the aircraft and attempted to fly it for 10 minutes before the aircraft ran out of fuel and crashed into a hillside. In all 121 people were killed on the Larnaca to Prague via Athens flight on 14 August this year.
Yesterday another 737 was flown to re-enact the flight. The symbolic flight number 121 in memory of the dead was used to designate the flight.
Yesterday another 737 was flown to re-enact the flight. The symbolic flight number 121 in memory of the dead was used to designate the flight.
German air traffic control to be sold off
Deutsche Flujsicherung (DFS) (nothing to do with furniture) the German Air Traffic Control is attracting bidders to take over the operation. A consortium of Lufthansa and TUI, possibly with Frankfurt Airport operator Fraport, Munich Airport, Hochtief and Air Berlin are tipped as likely to make a bid.
They are keen to see Air Traffic Control mantained under German control.
TUI are concerned that a single company takes control and uses its monopoly position to raise air traffic control charges to its German competitors. I suppose they might still raise charges for carriers from outside Germany though.
The German government has plans to privatise DFS by offering 74.9% to private investors in 2006.
They are keen to see Air Traffic Control mantained under German control.
TUI are concerned that a single company takes control and uses its monopoly position to raise air traffic control charges to its German competitors. I suppose they might still raise charges for carriers from outside Germany though.
The German government has plans to privatise DFS by offering 74.9% to private investors in 2006.
Boeing strike affects Ryanair routes
A strike by Boeing employees has led to a delivery of 737-800 aircraft not being delivered a month late. Ryanair will stop using its fleet of 737-200 aircraft at the end of this month. They can't be kept in service longer, as they have been sold on.As the last of the four new aircraft won't arrive until April 2006, Ryanair has had to cancel flights from Nottingahm East Midlands Airport and Pisa. In all 100,000 passengers a month will not be able to fly as a result of the shortfall in capacity.
Ryanair’s Deputy Chief Executive, Michael Cawley made this apology;
“We very much regret having to reduce our schedule to allow for the late delivery of new aircraft from Boeing and the planned retirement of our older 737-200’s in December. These aircraft have already been sold. We apologise sincerely to all our passengers who may be inconvenienced by these schedule changes, and we look forward to welcoming them on board the new flights from East Midlands and Pisa when the new aircraft are delivered and based there during April 2006.”
These schedule changes will not effect Ryanair’s profit guidance for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006.”
Air Baltic Sale
Air Baltic operates out of Riga in Latvia and Vilnius in Lithuania. Owned partly by the Ltavian goverment and partly by SAS, they serve a number of European destinations including London Gatwick, Manchester, Amsterdam, Brussels, Barcelona, Paris, Berlin, Kiev and Dublin to name a few.
At present they are offering flights from Manchester to Riga for £43, London to Vilnius for £42. Barcelona to Riga for 65 Euros. The prices include taxes and charges but do not take into account exchange rate variations. They are only available over the internet and apply only to economy tickets which are non refundable.
At present they are offering flights from Manchester to Riga for £43, London to Vilnius for £42. Barcelona to Riga for 65 Euros. The prices include taxes and charges but do not take into account exchange rate variations. They are only available over the internet and apply only to economy tickets which are non refundable.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Ryanair and hold baggage
In an article in the Sunday Times, Michael O'Leary, CEO of Ryanair has said that it is "inevitable" that Ryanair will charge for hold baggage in the future. It just seems to be a matter of when. He seems to have been caught on the hop by flybe who introduced a charge for hold stowed luggage on Friday. Mr O' Leary has tried to discourage the carrying of hold baggage by being very strict with weights of checked in bags. He has indicated for some time that he would like to get rid of it all together. Charging a supplement for it will hasten its demise.
The likelihood is that the checked in baggage charge will be levied at the same time as the trials for the new web check-in scheme. In this passengers will print off a bar code that will be scanned by machines at the airport. This is similar to the Eurostar system. O’Leary said the machines will cost Ryanair about €5,000 per airport, but will save time and staff.
The likelihood is that the checked in baggage charge will be levied at the same time as the trials for the new web check-in scheme. In this passengers will print off a bar code that will be scanned by machines at the airport. This is similar to the Eurostar system. O’Leary said the machines will cost Ryanair about €5,000 per airport, but will save time and staff.
20 GBP off all XL.com flights
XL Airways are having a 48 hour sale. If you book a flight at XL.com on Monday 19 December 05 or Tuesday 20 December 05, the site should automatically display CHRISTMAS in the Promotion code box. If it doesn't then you know what to type.These flights will have 20 GBP deducted when the prices are calculated.
XL flies to a number of popular holiday destinations in Spain, Malta, Egypt and even the USA from twelve UK airports. As reported last week, they are also offering flights to Geneva and Chambery on their Flight Offers page to cater for the ski market.
£17.99 Prague flights from Thomsonfly
Today the offer behind the window on the Thomsonfly Advent calendar is for £17.99 flights to Prague. The price includes taxes and charges.
Prague is one of Europe's most beautiful cities having escaped serous damage in the Second World War. From Charles' Bridge, to the Astronomical Clock in the Old Square, Prague Castle, the Jewish Quarter, there are lots of palces to visit.
Prague is one of Europe's most beautiful cities having escaped serous damage in the Second World War. From Charles' Bridge, to the Astronomical Clock in the Old Square, Prague Castle, the Jewish Quarter, there are lots of palces to visit.
Fly Ireland - Poland for 1 Euro
Centralwings is having another sale from Monday 19 December to 26 December 2005. Flights to Poland from Dublin and Shannon in Ireland and Milan and Rome in Italy will be available from 1 Euro. Centralwings previously had this offer on for flights from the UK, now it is the turn of the Italians and Irish to benefit.
The qualifying flights are:
Dublin to Wroclaw
Dublin to Katowice
Shannon to Warsaw
For flights taken between 9 January 2006 and 13 March 2006
Bologna to Warsaw
Milan to Wroclaw
Milan to Warsaw
Rome to Cracow
Rome to Warsaw
For flights taken between 5 January 2006 and 14 March 2006
*Return tickets must be purchased. Taxes and airport fees are not included.
The qualifying flights are:
Dublin to Wroclaw
Dublin to Katowice
Shannon to Warsaw
For flights taken between 9 January 2006 and 13 March 2006
Bologna to Warsaw
Milan to Wroclaw
Milan to Warsaw
Rome to Cracow
Rome to Warsaw
For flights taken between 5 January 2006 and 14 March 2006
*Return tickets must be purchased. Taxes and airport fees are not included.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Amsterdam Advent offer
In today's window on Thomsonfly's Advent Calendar is the chance to go to Amsterdam or Jersey for just the price of the taxes and charges. The offer is open until noon on Moday 19 December 2005.
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Ryanair free seats sale ends Monday
The Ryanair "million free seats" sale seems to have been going on all December. Their latest newsletter is a reminder that the sale will end at Midnight on Monday 19 December 2005. The seats are actually sold for £0.01 plus taxes and charges.
A scan through the Ryanair flight finder revealed that there was a good selection of free flights on to Riga from Liverpool my local airport, while there were very few left to Rome. My advice is to book now if you are thinking of taking up the offer.
A scan through the Ryanair flight finder revealed that there was a good selection of free flights on to Riga from Liverpool my local airport, while there were very few left to Rome. My advice is to book now if you are thinking of taking up the offer.
Monarch news - new routes, sale and more...
Monarch Airlines have added London Luton to Palma, Mallorca to its line up. The first flights on the route will be in May 2006. This Winter Monarch have added many more routes to its map including:Manchester - Menorca
Birmingham - Almeria
Birmingham - Menorca
Birmingham - Murcia
Birmingham - Palma
At the same time it is having a seat sale with routes such as London Gatwick to Barcelona and Granada on sale from 31.50 GBP one way including taxes.
Seats can be reserved for a 5 GBP fee while extra legroom seats can be purchased for 10 GBP (not including flights to the Canaries, which cost 20 GBP) up to 31 January 2006.
One last bit of news. Last week Monarch Airlines proudly announced that 95% of their flights left on time and 100% left within an hour of their scheduled departures.
Hong Kong via Moscow route for Manchester
Not exactly hot of the press, but Cathay Pacific will resume its Hong Kong service from Manchester on 26 March 2006. They will service the route with Airbus A340-300 aircraft. The Manchester to Moscow route will run a code sharing arrangement with Aeroflot similar to the Hong Kong - Moscow route has operated since 2004. Cathay Pacific will be the only airline offering a direct passenger service from Manchester to Hong Kong.
Sterling 200,000 seats under 500DKK each way
Sterling 
the Danish budget airline have are also having a sale, with 200, 000 seats sold for less than 500DKK each way. The offer is available for flights booked up until 30 December 2005 and applies to flights from 1 January to 15 June 2006. Flights during Easter and holiday periods are not included in the offer.
Sterling fly to numerous destinations across Western Europe from Copenhagen, Stockholm and Helsinki. The destinations include London Gatwick, Lisbon, Paris Beauvais, Malaga, Barcelona, Amsterdam , Athens, Prague and Berlin.
Sterling fly to numerous destinations across Western Europe from Copenhagen, Stockholm and Helsinki. The destinations include London Gatwick, Lisbon, Paris Beauvais, Malaga, Barcelona, Amsterdam , Athens, Prague and Berlin.
Thomsonfly drop taxes and charges for 2nd birthday
Thomsonfly was 2 years old yesterday. They started flights from their Coventry base in 2004, using temporary portacabin accommodation. To celebrate they are selling 222,222 seats without taxes and charges. Hurry the offer closes on Saturday 17 December 2005 at Noon.
The e-mail notifying of this went out yesterday morning but as I am in work I was not aware and could not post this. This is why registering for budget airlines newsletters is so useful because in doing so you get to hear of the latest offers immediately (well, perhaps when you pick up your mail!)
The e-mail notifying of this went out yesterday morning but as I am in work I was not aware and could not post this. This is why registering for budget airlines newsletters is so useful because in doing so you get to hear of the latest offers immediately (well, perhaps when you pick up your mail!)
Friday, December 16, 2005
New Cardiff to Dublin and Belfast routes
Aer Arann the Irish regional low cost operator has just announced two new routes from Cardiff. From 27 March 2006 it will connect the Welsh Capital City to Dublin and Belfast. Aer Arann will offer two flights per day to each destination with the 50 passenger capacity ATR42 aircraft.Micheal O’Callarain, Marketing Manager Aer Arann said “Our commercial team is continually looking for opportunities for expansion and as such we are delighted to be announcing these two new services from Cardiff today. This year Cardiff is celebrating its centenary as a city and its 50th year as Wales' capital. It is a thriving and vibrant city and we believe that there is considerable untapped demand both on the Dublin and Belfast routes and look forward to developing both services in the New Year.”
New Manchester - Perpignan route from bmibaby
Bmibaby the low cost airline is to start flying the Manchester to Perpignan, France route from 26 March 2006. Perpignan is the capital of French Catalonia. It is blessed with a excellent weather and a historic city centre. It is also close to the Pyrenees and Spanish border.
The flights will start at £19.99 each way including taxes and charges.
The flights will start at £19.99 each way including taxes and charges.
Heathrow rations fuel
Some long haul airlines are flying onwards from Heathrow are having to stop off for fuel at another airport en route. This follows the devastating fires at the Buncefield oil depot near Hemel Hempstead. The storage depot sullies about a third of Heathrow's fuel via a pipeline.
BAA are rationing long haul operators to 2/3 of their usual amount and short haul aircraft to half.
This is increasing flight times and the operating costs of airlines using Heathrow as they are having to fly into Heathrow with fuller fuel tanks than normal.
BAA are rationing long haul operators to 2/3 of their usual amount and short haul aircraft to half.
This is increasing flight times and the operating costs of airlines using Heathrow as they are having to fly into Heathrow with fuller fuel tanks than normal.
Wizzair flights - sale 12.97 GBP (inc) each way
Between 15 December 2005 and 21 December 2005, Wizzair the Polish budget airline is selling seats from 12.97 GBP each way including taxes and charges, for travel between 10 January 2006 and 31 March 2006. The price does not include booking surcharges for credit or debit cards.
They fly from a number of airports in Poland (Warsaw, Katowice, Gdansk, Poznan and Wroclaw) to destinations such as London Luton, Liverpool, Brussels, Paris, Barcelona, Budapest, Lubeck, Milan, Rome, Sofia, Amsterdam, Frankfurt Hahn and Stockholm.
They fly from a number of airports in Poland (Warsaw, Katowice, Gdansk, Poznan and Wroclaw) to destinations such as London Luton, Liverpool, Brussels, Paris, Barcelona, Budapest, Lubeck, Milan, Rome, Sofia, Amsterdam, Frankfurt Hahn and Stockholm.
Flybe charge for hold luggage
Flybe passengers without hold luggage will get a £1 discount on their journey from February in a move to discourage checked in baggage. Hold luggage will be charged at £2 per item when booked in advance and £4 per item otherwise, Economy Plus passengers will not be charged for baggage. The carry on weight limit will double to 10 kg. At present only 55% of passengers check in baggage for the hold.
The passenger hold baggage allowance will rise to 25kg , while Economy Plus passengers will be given a 30 kg allowance. The charges apply to all flights booked from today, that depart after 1 February 2006.
Jim French, Flybe CEO said: “For the first time passengers checking bags onto flights will pay for the service they use rather than the cost being unfairly spread across all people on the aircraft. With passengers pre-booking baggage we will be able to accurately predict the volume of baggage to be carried allowing us to handle flights with exactly the right levels of resource. This will speed up turnaround times, reduce costs and provide us with much greater operational flexibility. “
He went on to say:"Flybe’s innovative lead allows passengers to book on-line, reserve a seat on-line, and in Spring 2006 check-in on-line. Therefore passengers travelling without baggage will go straight to the boarding gate, having spent an average of 4 minutes completing the on-line integrated booking process. Flybe aims to deliver to the consumer, an experience that minimises the time booking and time spent at the airport, removing the need to queue and cutting down hassle"
My feeling is that all low cost airlines will do something similar as baggage handling slows down aircraft turnaround and is costly. As most of the flights are for short stays it should not be too much of an inconvenience to travel light. The carry on allowance of 10 kg is, in my experience of travelling ample, unless I am away for a long time and want to bring back some shopping. What isn't clear is what the size restrictions on the carry on luggage are.
The passenger hold baggage allowance will rise to 25kg , while Economy Plus passengers will be given a 30 kg allowance. The charges apply to all flights booked from today, that depart after 1 February 2006.
Jim French, Flybe CEO said: “For the first time passengers checking bags onto flights will pay for the service they use rather than the cost being unfairly spread across all people on the aircraft. With passengers pre-booking baggage we will be able to accurately predict the volume of baggage to be carried allowing us to handle flights with exactly the right levels of resource. This will speed up turnaround times, reduce costs and provide us with much greater operational flexibility. “
He went on to say:"Flybe’s innovative lead allows passengers to book on-line, reserve a seat on-line, and in Spring 2006 check-in on-line. Therefore passengers travelling without baggage will go straight to the boarding gate, having spent an average of 4 minutes completing the on-line integrated booking process. Flybe aims to deliver to the consumer, an experience that minimises the time booking and time spent at the airport, removing the need to queue and cutting down hassle"
My feeling is that all low cost airlines will do something similar as baggage handling slows down aircraft turnaround and is costly. As most of the flights are for short stays it should not be too much of an inconvenience to travel light. The carry on allowance of 10 kg is, in my experience of travelling ample, unless I am away for a long time and want to bring back some shopping. What isn't clear is what the size restrictions on the carry on luggage are.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Win a week in Tuscany with Thomsonfly
Today's advent offering is the chance to win a week at a villa with swimming pool in the beautiful Tuscan countryside. The question is very easy, so why not have a try. The competition is open until noon on Friday.
BA Shop Steward sacking
British Airways have sacked a T & G Senior Union Shop Steward, who was heavily involved in the strike of British Airways baggage handlers and ground staff in the Summer. The strike was in support of sacked Gate Gourmet catering staff, but was held without a ballot and illegal under UK law. The strike cost BA £45 million. BA have been carried out an investigation since the strike to find out who was behind the action.
A second employee has been given a written warning and suspended without pay for a month, while proceedings are still continuing against a third employee.
The T & G Union are waiting for the BA proceedings to conclude before deciding how to respond. The worry for passengers is that the union may respond with strikes over the Christmas holiday period.
A second employee has been given a written warning and suspended without pay for a month, while proceedings are still continuing against a third employee.
The T & G Union are waiting for the BA proceedings to conclude before deciding how to respond. The worry for passengers is that the union may respond with strikes over the Christmas holiday period.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Ryanair Charleroi expansion
Today, Ryanair revealed a 10 year expansion programme for Brussels Charleroi Airport. It will base a fourth aircraft at the airport and serve five extra destinations:
Faro, Portugal
Nimes, France
Malaga, Spain
Salzburg, Austria
Valencia, Spain
In the 10 year expansion programme, Ryanair will invest $240 million in aircraft serving the airport and in doing so, generate 2,300 jobs in this old coal mining region. It is estimated that the visitors brought in by Ryanair will spend €200 million per year.
Christmas present idea - flight voucher
Both Ryanair and easyJet are offering flight vouchers this Christmas.
The Ryanair vouchers are available from €10/£0 up to €200/£200 and the easyJet vouchers in any combination from £25 up to £250. In this case then Ryanair is the cheaper airline!
The other interesting thing is that the Ryanair vouchers are posted not e-mailed whereas the easyJet vouchers are e-mailed.
The Ryanair vouchers are available from €10/£0 up to €200/£200 and the easyJet vouchers in any combination from £25 up to £250. In this case then Ryanair is the cheaper airline!
The other interesting thing is that the Ryanair vouchers are posted not e-mailed whereas the easyJet vouchers are e-mailed.
More new routes from SkyEurope
Just as SkyEurope's latest route (Bratislava - Sofia) starts operating, they announce a new Birmingham International to Krakow service. Due to start on 12 April 2006. The airline will operate two flights per week from the Midlands airport.
Krakow Airport is 11 miles from the medieval city centre, which is among the best preserved in Europe (that is the city centre not the airport!) According to the SkyEurope press release, it is becoming popular with British visitors wanting dental work carried out at bargain prices!
Prices start at £17 one way (excluding taxes and charges).
Starting from 24 June 2006, SkyEurope, will also fly Bratislava, Slovakia to Bourgas in Bulgaria, bringing their Bulgarian connections up to two. They already fly to Bucharest. This gradual migration of low cost airlines Eastwards is exiting. I can't wait for them to reach Kiev.
Krakow Airport is 11 miles from the medieval city centre, which is among the best preserved in Europe (that is the city centre not the airport!) According to the SkyEurope press release, it is becoming popular with British visitors wanting dental work carried out at bargain prices!
Prices start at £17 one way (excluding taxes and charges).
Starting from 24 June 2006, SkyEurope, will also fly Bratislava, Slovakia to Bourgas in Bulgaria, bringing their Bulgarian connections up to two. They already fly to Bucharest. This gradual migration of low cost airlines Eastwards is exiting. I can't wait for them to reach Kiev.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
XL Airways late offers on Ski flights to Geneva and Chambery
XL Airways have some very good late availability offers this week. Hurry though as they go fast. The £39 return flights from Bristol to Chambery had sold out when I posted this. They flights at £49 return plus £5 credit card and £25 fuel surcharge coming to £79 return total.
They have a selection of flights from London, Manchester, Edinburgh etc. A cheap flight that caught my eye was:
London Gatwick / Sharm El Sheikh Sun 08 Jan 2006 Excel Airways
Sharm El Sheikh / London Gatwick Sun 15 Jan 2006 Excel Airways
for £73 return including all charges.
They have a selection of flights from London, Manchester, Edinburgh etc. A cheap flight that caught my eye was:
London Gatwick / Sharm El Sheikh Sun 08 Jan 2006 Excel Airways
Sharm El Sheikh / London Gatwick Sun 15 Jan 2006 Excel Airways
for £73 return including all charges.
Win flights and two nights accommodation in Paris
Today's Advent Calendar offer from Thomsonfly is a competition to win two flights and two nights accommodation in in the Four Star hotel Terass in Paris. The lucky winners are sure to have a Romantic Weekend.
To enter go to www.thomsonfly.com and click on the "Santa flies with us" banner.
To enter go to www.thomsonfly.com and click on the "Santa flies with us" banner.
12 new destinations for FlyMe
FlyMe the low cost airline operating from its main hub in Stockholm, Sweden, will from 30 March 2006 offer twelve more routes. They include London Stansted for UK residents like myself. The new line up is:
London Stansted
Paris Beauvais
Amsterdam Schiphol
Rome Ciampino
Düsseldorf
Prague
Nice
Malaga
Alicante
Palma
Crete Chania
Rhodes
Currently the airline only serves these Scandinavian destinations:
Göteborg Landvetter
Helsinki
Vantaa
Malmö Sturup
Östersund
London Stansted
Paris Beauvais
Amsterdam Schiphol
Rome Ciampino
Düsseldorf
Prague
Nice
Malaga
Alicante
Palma
Crete Chania
Rhodes
Currently the airline only serves these Scandinavian destinations:
Göteborg Landvetter
Helsinki
Vantaa
Malmö Sturup
Östersund
Maxjet adds Washington - Stansted route
MAXjet is carrier specialising in carrying business class passengers at very competitive rates. It has today announced that from the end of February next year it will operate an additional route, from Washington DC to London Stansted. MAXjet commenced operation on the New York to London Stansted route a month ago. The Business Class only seats on its New York to Stansted service start at £854 return.
It is also adding a Saturday flight to the New York - London service, bringing the frequency up to 7 x weekly.
The airline uses a Boeing 767 with only 102 seats.
It is also adding a Saturday flight to the New York - London service, bringing the frequency up to 7 x weekly.
The airline uses a Boeing 767 with only 102 seats.
Blue1 flies West
Blue1, the Finnish low cost airline owned by SAS, is expanding its fleet by adding three new aircraft. The extra capacity will increase the airports served from 14 to 25.
Reaching out from its Scandinavian heartland, it will add a number of Western European destinations to its growing route-map. From March 2006, they will include:
The new aircraft will be 166 seat Boeing MD-90's. They join the current fleet of Avro RJ's and Saab 2000's..
Stefan Wentjärvi, CEO of Blue1 said, "This heavy expansion is our response to the market need"
Stefan explained; "Blue1 is already the biggest operator between Finland and Scandinavia, we have a firm grip of the Finnish domestic market and now our next step is Europe. For business travelers we can now offer better connections to destinations as London and Zurich but we can also offer our private travelers smart and price worthy flights to southern Europe".
Reaching out from its Scandinavian heartland, it will add a number of Western European destinations to its growing route-map. From March 2006, they will include:
- Athens
- Barcelona
- Dublin
- Düsseldorf
- London
- Madrid
- Nice
- Paris
- Rome
- Warsaw
- Zurich
The new aircraft will be 166 seat Boeing MD-90's. They join the current fleet of Avro RJ's and Saab 2000's..
Stefan Wentjärvi, CEO of Blue1 said, "This heavy expansion is our response to the market need"
Stefan explained; "Blue1 is already the biggest operator between Finland and Scandinavia, we have a firm grip of the Finnish domestic market and now our next step is Europe. For business travelers we can now offer better connections to destinations as London and Zurich but we can also offer our private travelers smart and price worthy flights to southern Europe".
Monday, December 12, 2005
Jet2.com new Edinburgh - Pisa route
The newest Jet2.com route is Edinburgh to Pisa. Close to Florence, Tuscany the airport is close to a busy railway station. The first flight leaves Edinburgh bound for Pisa on 27 May 2006.
The flights are currently very cheap starting at a mere £31 one way including all taxes and charges.
The flights are currently very cheap starting at a mere £31 one way including all taxes and charges.
Thomsonfly Advent Calendar offer
Thomsonfly are running an Advent Calendar offer scheme form the 1st to 24th December 2005. They have offers from cheap flights to selected destinations. Today’s is Barcelona from £17.99 one way including taxes (booking by credit cards is subject to a £4.75 surcharge and by debit card £0.50 surcharge). The seats can only be booked at this price until 12 noon (UK time) on 13 December 2005. Seats on flights between 15 December 2005 and 25 March 2005 can be booked from the following airports:
Birmingham, Nottingham East Midlands, Glasgow and Palma Mallorca only.
Other Advent Offers have included free prize draws for Ipod’s, and weekends away. It is well worth a look up each day until Christmas.
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Germanwings 20,000 seats for €19
Germanwings are joining in the sales frenzy, offering 20,000 seats at €19 each way including taxes and charges. Book from 9 December 2005 until 12 December 2005 at 08h00 CET (7am in UK).
The travel period is restricted to between 10 Dec 05 to 31 January 2006.
Vueling offer 100,000 flights for €10*
Vueling the Barcelona based low cost operator is getting in the Christmas spirit and offering 100,000 flights for €10, plus taxes and charges each way. The booking period is from Sunday 11 December 2005 to Wednesday 14 December 2005. The offers applies to bookings for flights in January, February and March 2006.
The €10 cheap flight seats were available on all the routes I checked this morning (Amsterdam, Rome, Madrid, Lisbon to Barcelona). I'm sure they will be snapped up quickly.
Vueling flies to the primary airports for the major cities such as Charles de Gaulle, El Prat, Barajas etc and allows seat reservations.
The €10 cheap flight seats were available on all the routes I checked this morning (Amsterdam, Rome, Madrid, Lisbon to Barcelona). I'm sure they will be snapped up quickly.
Vueling flies to the primary airports for the major cities such as Charles de Gaulle, El Prat, Barajas etc and allows seat reservations.
Disruption for travellers to Luton
Huge explosions at a fuel depot by Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, have closed off the M1 motorway and made travel to Luton Airport extremely difficult.
Realising that their passengers may struggle to catch their flight, easyJet is to allow passengers booked on flights today, Sunday 11 December 2005, to amend their travel arrangements free of charge.
There will be no charge for moving their booking to the next flight with available seats and to the same destination.
EasyJet announcement
Realising that their passengers may struggle to catch their flight, easyJet is to allow passengers booked on flights today, Sunday 11 December 2005, to amend their travel arrangements free of charge.
There will be no charge for moving their booking to the next flight with available seats and to the same destination.
EasyJet announcement
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Air Berlin adds more Stansted - Hanover capacity
From March 3rd 2006, Air Berlin will expand its service to Hanover from London Stansted. The extra service will provide easier access to CeBit, the world's largest computer trade show.With London Stansted now acting as a hub for Air Berlin it will also be possible to take a cheap flight to Hanover and other Air Berlin destinations from Manchester and Glasgow. Baggage will be transferred to your onward flight at Stansted. Prices are low too, with London Stansted to Hanover starting at 19 GBP one way and Glasgow and Manchester from 29 GBP each way.
Friday, December 09, 2005
Monarch's December Offer
Yet another offer, this one from Monarch, who from today (9 December 05) for the next week are doubling their online booking discount. They will give a £10 discount on one way flights booked online and £20 discount an return flights booked online.
The offer runs until midnight on Tuesday 13th December and applies to all flights, all routes, all dates! Paying by debit card will avoid a £4 credit card fee, but if paying by credit card you do get extra consumer protection.
Stansted second runway update
Today, (9 December 05), BAA announced the results of its study into developing Stansted Airport.
The project named Generation Two, could see the airport's capacity rise from 22 million passengers a year today, to between 63 million and 76 million in 2030. Seven different schemes have been prepared. The chosen scheme would require planning
The project named Generation Two, could see the airport's capacity rise from 22 million passengers a year today, to between 63 million and 76 million in 2030. Seven different schemes have been prepared. The chosen scheme would require planning