Up to 25% off Christmas flights

Book by Friday November 13 and save up to 25 per cent off. The Irish national carrier, Aer Lingus, is offering travellers up to 25 per cent off Christmas travel to popular destinations in Ireland and Europe.

A sample of the routes is as follows:

London Gatwick to Zurich

London Gatwick to Munich

London Gatwick to Vienna

Ryanair axing its Basel routes

From December 2 2009 Ryanair will be closing all six of its routes to and from Basel, Switzerland’s third largest city, as a result of a dispute over the airport’s charges.

The Irish low-cost carrier has however reassured passengers that a full refund will be provided to those travellers due to travel to Basel on or after December 2.

Etihad Airways wins prestigious travel award

Etihad Airways, the Abu Dhabi-based airline, enjoyed its share of the limelight at this year’s World Travel Awards.

The carrier picked up two prestigious awards: the World's Leading Airline and World's Leading Airline in the First Class category while Virgin Atlantic was named World's Leading Transatlantic Airline.

Brawl forces easyJet flight to divert

© easyJet

A brawl between rival football fans forced an easyJet plane to make an emergency landing in Germany on Friday (November 6).

The flight, from Manchester to Munich, was diverted to Frankfurt Airport amid fears that a fight between the two English men was getting out of hand.

They were members of a group of 12 fans travelling to see Bayern Munich and Schalke 04 play in a Bundesliga match on Saturday.

The inebriated men were aged 24 and 36 and could not be restrained by cabin crew after they started fighting.

Weak pound influences Britons' travel plans

A poll by World Travel Market (www.wtmlondon.com) trade exhibition, which opened today in London, reveals the effect that the weak pound is having on Britons' travel plans.

Twenty-nine per cent of respondents who had taken holidays this year said that the value of the pound would influence where they holidayed next year while 27 per cent said they were undecided about the destination they would travel to at a time when the euro is stronger than the pound.

The figures suggest that holiday stalwarts Spain, Portugal and Greece may struggle to attract British holidaymakers next year should the pound remain weak against the euro.

Save up to £40 off Canary Island flights with Monarch

Sale ends at midnight on Tuesday, November 10: Monarch Airlines is offering up to £40 off the cost of return flights to the Canary Islands - Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Tenerife or Gran Canaria - this winter.

An extra sweetener is a 50 per cent discount on the cost of carrying luggage on the flights (about £8 instead of approximately £16 per checked bag).

Monarch flies to these sun-drenched destinations from London Gatwick and Luton, Birmingham and Manchester airports.

Airports welcome fewer flyers this year

A study by RDC Aviation reveals that airports around the UK are handling fewer passengers this year.

Passenger numbers are down at 33 airports around the country during the first eight months of this year, a period that includes the peak summer season when airports are usually experiencing their highest numbers.

Britons are taking almost 10 per cent fewer trips overall, with Spain and the US two of the destinations that have lost the most visitors. Visitor numbers to Spain are down by 16 per cent and 10 per cent fewer Britons took trips to the US.

Ryanair considers upping its boarding pass reissue fee

Passengers have long known how expensive it is to turn up for a Ryanair flight without having printed off  their boarding pass in advance. However, reports in the Irish newspaper, the Sunday Business Post, suggest that the airline is looking to increase the reissue charge to €100 (or £100) in an bid to lower its costs.

Michael O'Leary, the airline's CEO, said that the proposed higher charge - €60/£60 more than the present fee - is designed to deter passengers arriving at airports without first printing off their boarding cards.

Emirates Airline sale - worldwide flights from £452

Emirates Airline is another major carrier having a sale. The Dubai-based airline has discounted the price of return flights from the UK to the Middle East, Africa and Asia to bring them under the £500 mark (with taxes). There are also flights to Australia and New Zealand.

Book by November 30 and travel, in most cases, until March 25, 2010. There are several UK departure points including London Heathrow and Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and Glasgow airports.

SAS offers free Card with Stockholm flights

A nice little sweetener from Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). The carrier is offering a free 24-hour Stockholm card, worth £33, to travellers who book return flights to the Swedish capital before December 31.

The airline has flights from London Heathrow to Stockholm Arlanda Airport from £69 one-way including taxes and charges. There's also a service from Manchester Airport from £99 one-way with taxes.

easyJet swipes up to 30% off cost of flights

Sale ends at midnight on Tuesday, November 10. EasyJet has discounted its fares - on every flight, on every route and on every day - by up to 30 per cent for travel until March 31, 2010.

To bag a sale fare, select flights and travel dates as usual. The lower fares will be displayed on the "Choose your flight" page.

British Airways' worldwide flight sale

Book by Tuesday, November 17, to make big savings on British Airways' flights. The global carrier has discounted the price of flights worldwide for travel until March 2010.

This sale covers all classes of travel. Economy and Premium-Economy flights must be booked by November 17, but for those with deeper pockets, the Business-Class and First-Class sale ends one week later, on November 24.

The standout prices are fares to New York (Newark and JFK) from £299 return including taxes and charges (last-minute fares - travel by November 18 for NY Newark and November 25 for JFK), but there are plenty of flights to European and Asian cities as well as Caribbean winter-sun destinations.

Virgin introduces direct flights to Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico has long been a favourite holiday destination among US travellers, and less popular with UK travellers simply because there were no direct flights on offer - until now. Virgin Atlantic has just introduced a new weekly direct flight from London to Puerto Rico.

The new service will begin on Saturday November 7 on Virgin’s Boeing 747-400 from London Gatwick direct to the country’s capital San Juan.

Although the capital is rich in history and stunning colonial architecture, most people coming off San Juan flights use it as a base to explore other parts of the country including the the coastal town of Guánica and the Caribbean National Forest, El Yunque.

Reminder for Brits not to overstay Oz visas

Gap year travellers enjoying a break down under have been warned by the Australian government not to forget that they have to return to Britain.

The reminder follows news that UK travellers – particularly men under the age of 25 – now account for the country's largest proportion of illegal 'over-stayers'.

Immigration Minister Chris Evans told the Australian parliament that the problem appears to be getting out of hand and punishments must be enforced.

APD hikes 'will lead to holiday cancellations'

The government's recent increase to the rate of Air Passenger Duty (APD) will significantly dampen future demand for overseas travel, new research has revealed.

A poll for the World Travel Market found that 52 per cent of people who took a holiday this summer now plan to cut back on trips abroad due to the increased burden of APD.

The disappointing news follows Whitehall's decision to ignore a chorus of criticism from within the travel industry and press ahead with hikes to what has been dubbed its 'holiday tax'.

Virgin tackles fear of flying with iPhone app

Holidaymakers whose travel plans are disrupted by fear of flying may now be able to overcome their anxiety with a handy iPhone app from Virgin Atlantic.

The Flying Without Fear app is based on Virgin's popular seminars of the same name, which have helped thousands of people overcome their anxieties.

Lufthansa no longer looking to offload bmi

Lufthansa has withdrawn bmi from sale and will now focus on returning the airline to profit, according to The Times.

The newspaper reports that Germany's national carrier was disappointed with the bids bmi has so far attracted and no longer views offloading it as the best option.

It had been seeking a buyer for the airline after a longstanding agreement with former bmi chairman Sir Michael Bishop forced it to take over the company earlier this year.

New Gatwick flights to Sharm El Sheikh with BA

British Airways has launched a new thrice weekly service from London Gatwick Airport to the popular Egyptian holiday resort of Sharm El Sheikh.

The new connection is being operated by a Boeing 777 configured with three cabins, offering a choice of World Traveller, World Traveller Plus and Club World.

New codeshare agreement for bmi and Continental

Bmi and Continental Airlines have announced a new codeshare deal that will enable both carriers to broaden the number of flights they offer customers.

The agreement means bmi can now sell fares to Newark Liberty International in New York and George Bush Intercontinental in Houston from several UK airports.

British Airways braces for record half-year loss

British Airways is this week expected to announce its largest ever interim loss as cabin crew prepare to vote on winter strikes that could deepen its financial crisis.

The flag carrier will unveil a crippling £250 million pre-tax deficit over the past six months, The Times reports, putting it on track for the biggest full-year loss in its history.

BA already posted record-high losses of £401 million last year, which prompted it to unleash the wave of cost-cutting measures that have triggered the latest staff revolt.