Cheap flights to Paris as circus comes to town

Paris has always provided the perfect backdrop for couples plotting a romantic getaway over the winter break.

But with the price of even budget flights to the French capital soaring over the Christmas holidays, those on a shoestring budget should consider waiting a few weeks before embarking on a Gallic expedition.

The spectacular sites of the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysee and Arc D'Triumph will still be there to greet visitors in late January, when the price of low-cost flights have plummeted.

Review of 2005

It has been a busy year for low-cost airlines across Europe with some closing up shop, others expanding their routes and travellers being offered more and more destinations.

The beginning of 2005 saw the rights of airline passengers boosted as the European Union brought in new compensation rules.

The regulations were good news for people hit by delays and disruption, but the airlines themselves said the payments did not take into account the distances travelled.

Fly for free between January and March

No-frills airline Ryanair is offering customers a late Christmas present in the form of two million free tickets.

The complimentary sale – launched to celebrate Ryanair having the youngest fleet of aircraft in Europe - began this Tuesday (December 27) and will last until midnight on January 5.

Scottish New Year flights cut by BMI

BMI has said it will be cancelling a number of flights between Scotland and London over the New Year period.

A BMI spokesperson told the BBC that low ticket sales on the routes forced them to make the decision, but reassured people that the airline intended to continue serving the routes.

Flights from Glasgow and Edinburgh to London Heathrow will be cut including those operating between December 31 and January 4.

You have been warned

A drunken passenger was unceremoniously dumped on an island off the coast of west Africa after he became abusive to the jet’s crew.

The pilot of the Monarch flight between Manchester and Tenerife made an impromptu stop on the small island of Porto Santo, which is just three miles wide, to offload the man.

Police officers were waiting at the island’s airport to escort the errant passenger off the jet, unload his baggage and wave the flight off – it is not clear if the man has been charged or released.

Move fast to get a sterling offer

Time is running out to get one of Sterling's one-way tickets for under DKK 500 (approximately £46). The offer closes on Friday, December 30.

The Copenhagen-based airline operates local routes in Scandinavia and between Scandinavia and Southern Europe and has released 200,000 tickets at the DKK500 price.

Travel between January 1 and June 15, 2006 excluding Easter and other official holidays.

Glasgow gets two new flights to Greece

SCOTTISH low-cost airline flyglobespan is to begin flights to Greece from Glasgow Airport.

The airline will operate weekly flights to Athens and the Crete town of Heraklion, with tickets starting at £69 one way.

Both services will begin in May and brings the number of destinations operated by flyglobespan from Glasgow to 18.

Break the ice in Iceland

Iceland Express has special offers on flights to Reykjavik for the New Year.

The airline’s “Icebreaker” fares from London Stansted or Copenhagen start from £5 one-way plus taxes and charges that, the airline says, do not exceed £30.

Travel until January 5, 2006.

The 12 Trips of Christmas - Sydney

New Year's Eve, either one of your highlights of the year or an over-blown anti-climax, here's why getting about as far away from the UK as possible may ensure the most memorable December 31st of your life.

With summer in full swing Sydney is one of the best places on the planet to see in the New Year and whatever your taste you'll be able to revel away the last hours of 2005 at just the right party.

So for our final 12 Trips of Christmas here are just a handful of the events on offer in the Aussie metropolis.

Boost to routes from Cork and Dublin

Aer Lingus has announced the launch of six new routes to Europe from Cork and Dublin.

The low-cost airline has said that from June 2006 it will operate services to Berlin and Birmingham, three times a week, and Tenerife once a week from Cork.

They also intend to increase the number of existing flights from the airport to Nice, Warsaw, Amsterdam, Alicante, Malaga and Rome.

Fly away for food in New York

New York is one of the most popular long-haul destinations among those jetting off for Christmas and the New Year, according to British Airways.

One of the world's top capitals for the winter, the towering skyscrapers and famous sights of the Big Apple provide an unforgettable experience, whether with a special loved one, friends or the whole family.

However, in order to avoid the hordes, it might be worth considering putting off the trip for a month, and heading over the pond in late January in time for the winter run of New York's Restaurant Week.

The 12 Trips of Christmas - Berlin

If one city has played a key role in the history of the 20th Century it has to be Berlin.

As the seat of power in Germany the city has been ravaged by war and divided by ideology, but now it has become one of Europe’s most popular places to visit.

And that is why Berlin is the next stop on our 12 Trips of Christmas.

Very last minute bargains

Those who have left it until the last minute to book flights to Cologne, Stuttgart, Berlin or Hamburg in Germany are just in time for an offer from Germanwings.

The German low-cost airline is offering all of its available seats on all of its flights between December 24 and January 1, 2006 at guaranteed prices of between €29 and €79 (between about £19 and £54) one-way including all taxes and charges.

‘Free’ seat offer

Book by Monday, December 26 to get one of Ryanair’s "free" seats (you pay the taxes, fees and charges of no more than £15.20, the airline says).

Flights from London Stansted are all "free" with the exception of Parma, a new route, which costs from £1.79 one-way without taxes.

The other routes cover Europe’s most popular destinations – Pau, Carcassonne, Turin, Rome, Salzburg, Graz, Murcia (Alicante) and Barcelona (Girona).

World offers from BA

British Airways’ winter sale is on now with discounts of more than 50 per cent on some flights.

The World Offers sale includes flights to more than 150 destinations with more than 1.5 million discounted seats for travel between January 5 and December 9, 2006.

Long-haul prices start from £249 to New York, Cairo and Abu Dhabi from £279, Orlando from £299, Barbados from £399 and Hong Kong from £399.

European offers include Paris from £79, Amsterdam from £85 and Madrid from £99. Other £99 bargains include Dusseldorf (Rhein-Ruhr), Hamburg, Lisbon and Milan (Linate and Malpensa).

For skiers, flights to Vancouver start at £399 and Lyon from £89, while winter sunseekers can catch some rays in Nassau from £399, Nairobi from £389 and Miami from £299.

Low cost flights key to UK tourist trade

British tourism is reported to be taking off again after the tragedy of July 7, and the number of people coming into the country to visit could hit 30 million for the first time next year.

This is the prediction of the tourism organisation VisitBritain, citing an increase in the number of low cost flight routes from eastern European countries to regional airports across the UK.

Stansted to stand alone, says CAA

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has said that it will not permit the UK airport operator, BAA, to increase its airline charges at Heathrow and Gatwick to fund a new second runway at Stansted airport.

Airlines had been concerned about how BAA planned to meet the estimated £2.7 billion cost of the planned expansion, but the regulator's group director of economic regulation, Harry Bush, has ruled that the "stand alone" funding arrangement for BAA's three south east airports should remain in place.

Lufthansa Germanwings merger gets EU approval

The European Commission has cleared the way for Lufthansa's takeover of the German airline, Eurowings Luftverkehrs, and its budget airline subsidiary, Germanwings.

The commission considers that the proposed deal is in line with the EU Merger Regulation, as it would not significantly impede competition within the European Economic Area. Passengers will still have sufficient choice.

Rich Brits taking cheap flights

The recent increase in air travel has been driven by passengers who earn more than £50,000 per year, according to the Civil Aviation Authority.

New figures released by the group suggest that while the volume of cheap flight operators and air travel has been increasing over recent years, it is a relatively select few who are enjoying the growth.

Desktop alerts from Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic has introduced a desktop alert system, which will provide the airline's latest news and information direct to customers' computer screens.

The Virgin Atlantic Alerts come free of charge and do not require customers to complete any forms or provide any personal information.

The 12 Trips of Christmas – Madrid

With the news that Madrid is proving to be one of the most popular places to head to this Christmas, what is it that appeals to many travellers?

So the city is the next stop on our 12 Trips of Christmas and with its rich history, artistic heritage and modern outlook there is plenty to discover.

New route between Aberdeen and Amsterdam

BMI will fly three times a day between Aberdeen and Amsterdam with the launch of a new service on March 27.

The airline is aware of the business links between the two cities and is keen to appeal to passengers short on time.

Convenient departure times have been secured, with the promise of a hot breakfast on early morning flights, as well as the option to check-in via the internet.

Blackpool to Alicante link up from Jet2

Flights from Blackpool to the Spanish sun are to be offered by Jet2.com when they start a service to Alicante in April.

The route will operate on Monday and Friday, with a single ticket starting from £31 including charges, and the airline is promising more flights in the coming months.

Roads clogged up from Xmas air travel boom

Air travellers could experience very heavy traffic on the motorways today and tomorrow, as more Brits than ever before fly off to foreign destination for Christmas.

Travellers are being warned that the M1, M3, M4 and M25 could be choc-a-block.

The warning came as airport operator BAA announced the number of Brits passing through its seven UK airports today and tomorrow would exceed 500,000.

Soccer fans "ripped off" by budget airlines

Ryanair and easyJet are ripping off UK football fans flying out to watch European matches.

That's the view of Glasgow MP David Marshall, who has tabled an early-day motion condemning the duo's steep price hikes for flights coinciding with European soccer games.

His protest comes after budget airlines hoisted fares in the aftermath of the recent Champions League draw, The Herald reports.

Virgin passengers ga-ga for new in-flight programmes

Virgin Atlantic has added its first programmes for babies to its latest in-flight entertainment system.

Two 30 minute programmes, Baby's First Word and The World Around Us, debuted on all Virgin planes fitted with V:port in-flight entertainment systems on December 1.

This means Virgin now caters for youngsters of all ages, with older kids able to tune into V:kids and toddlers invited to check out V:tots.

Experts slam budget airline luggage fees

Experts have hit out at budget airline Flybe's plan to levy extra charges on passengers carrying hold luggage.

From February, the low-cost airline will hit all passengers carrying hold luggage with a minimum £2 fee, while those with just hand luggage go free. This is an industry first.

easyJet orders 20 aircraft

© easyJet

No-frills airline easyJet has ordered 20 Airbus A319 planes, securing its expansion plans for the next five years.

The new planes are scheduled to come into service in 2008 and 2009.

easyJet claims it secured a substantial concession on the $900 list price, which will help it to maintain its low fares for UK and European customers.

Cracking Qantas fares

You have until New Year’s Eve (or until fares are sold out) to snag a bargain fare to Australia with Qantas.

The Australian flag carrier has flights from London to Melbourne and Sydney from £598 and Perth from £619.

Other bargains include Brisbane from £657; Adelaide from £665; Darwin from £658 and Cairns from £663.

BMI discounts fares by 45%

Offer closes January 16, 2006. BMI has discounted its return fares (with taxes) to far flung exotic places.

These include Manchester to Barbados from £331; Antigua from £431 (travel April 1-September 30, 2006); Chicago from £305, Las Vegas from £331 and Mumbai (via Heathrow) from £468.

Flyers from the South East can depart from Heathrow to Mumbai from £411.

The 12 Trips of Christmas - Rome

There are few better times of year to visit the Italian capital than the Christmas period.

Rome’s tourist season is one of the longest – lasting from March until mid October every year – which means that the winter is the only time you can visit and explore the city without being swallowed up by hordes of tourists.

Ryanair ups continental routes from Dublin

Ryanair is to launch 18 new routes from Dublin to continental Europe in what will provide a massive boost to Irish tourists hunting cheap flights.

The no-frills airline will base five new Boeing aircraft at the Irish capital's airport from April next year, allowing it to massively expand its European coverage.

The airline is ensuring the expansion drive touches pretty much every corner of the continent, with new routes planned for France, Germany, Poland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Slovakia and Lithuania.

Flight updates on your mobile from BA

British Airways passengers could soon be receiving regular updates on services and flights via SMS text messages.

The airline is seeking to cut costs and improve communications with passengers. Phasing in an SMS communications system would help on both counts, it believes.

Sierra Nevada ski trips made easy

Skiers eyeing up a trip to the Sierra Nevada are being offered a cheap and easy way to reach the southern Spanish mountain range from Malaga Airport.

Easirent Motorhome Rental has launched a new scheme in which winter sports fans arriving at the airport can travel up into the mountains in a luxury motorhome.

Airlines eye up RFID tagging

European airlines could begin tagging hold luggage with new hi-tech radio-frequency trackers, in response to rising costs incurred from compensation claims for lost bags.

Airlines are paying out more in compensation claims than ever before following the introduction of new EU rules in February.

The new legislation means the maximum compensation claim for lost or damaged luggage has trebled to €1,200 (£814), costing the industry close to €1 billion (£678 billion) a year.

Fewer low-cost airlines in the future?

UK passengers could be faced with a much smaller selection of low-cost airlines to choose from when they go on their holidays, analysts warn.

Europe currently boasts around 50 no-frills airlines but that number is expected to shrink dramatically over the next few years, with analysts warning that the market is far too crowded.

The 12 Trips of Christmas - Amsterdam

Art lovers could fill all of 2006 with trips to see the exhibitions and events set to take place in Holland to mark the 400th anniversary of Rembrandt’s birth.

Many will be held in Amsterdam as well as the town of Rembrandt’s birth Leiden, so for the latest in our 12 Trips of Christmas I thought we would head to Holland.

Ryanair to axe 600 winter flights

No-frills airline Ryanair has announced it will axe 600 return flights in January, February and March next year as a result of late plane deliveries.

Although amounting to just one per cent of Ryanair's flying programme, the cancellations will impact the low-cost airline's entire network.

Ryanair has reassured all passengers that they will be offered a refund or alternative flights.

Air travel to boom on yuletide mass exodus

Three million Brits are expected to flee the country between now and next Wednesday on flights bound for international destinations.

This would represent a one million increase on 2004, according to figures from airport operator BAA, quoted in The Times.

Monarch to increase Lisbon service

Budget airline Monarch Scheduled has announced plans to increase flights to Lisbon from May 1, following a "very successful debut season".

The low-cost airline plans to boost its coverage of the Portuguese capital from Gatwick by almost 50 per cent by offering ten flights a week.

Two flights will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Prestwick to open first Dutch route

Scottish travellers looking for cheap flights to the Netherlands will be encouraged to hear that Dutch low-cost airline Transavia will begin flying from Prestwick to Schiphol.

The service is Prestwick Airport's maiden Dutch venture. It will begin operating on March 26 and will run every day except Saturdays.

Tickets go on sale from today and begin at £33.75 one-way, including taxes.

Frankfurt-Hahn resumes normal service

Brits flying to Frankfurt-Hahn airport are being reassured of a safe landing after nine flights had to be re-routed to a nearby airport in November.

Problems with the airport’s instrument landing system meant heavy fog, combined with construction issues, forced hundreds of passengers to land at neighbouring Saarbrucken airport last month.

100,000 tickets for €1

Offer opens at 3pm (UK and Ireland, 4pm CET) today, Tuesday, December 20: Germanwings will release 100,000 tickets for €1 (about £0.68) one-way without taxes.

There is no closing date for this offer; first come, first served.

Book flights to and from more than 40 destinations all over Europe. In the UK, the German airline flies from Edinburgh and Birmingham to Cologne-Bonn. It also flies from London Gatwick to Hamburg and from London Stansted to Cologne-Bonn and Stuttgart.

£2 fares across Europe

Offer closes Thursday, December 22: Ryanair is celebrating having the youngest fleet in Europe (average age two years) with fares from £2 one-way excluding taxes, fees and charges (these do not exceed £15.20).

All routes from London Stansted and Luton, East Midlands, Liverpool, Glasgow, Newcastle, Bournemouth and Blackpool start from £2.

These offers take in destinations such as Barcelona (Girona), Milan, Rome (Ciampino), Pisa, Venice, Carcassonne, Wroclaw and Krakow as well as flights to cities around the UK (Newquay, Blackpool, Derry, Bournemouth, London Stansted and Glasgow) and to Ireland (Cork, Dublin and Shannon).

48-hour XL sale

Book by Tuesday, December 20 to save £20 on flights (per person) with XL.com.

Use the promotional code CHRISTMAS to book flights from now until October 31, 2006.

Ryanair to charge for hold baggage

No-frills airline Ryanair has announced it will "inevitably" start charging passengers a fee for hold luggage next year.

The low-cost airline is considering a €1 or €5 charge for hold luggage to encourage passengers to carry hand luggage only.

Currently just 50 per cent of passengers carry hand luggage but Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary wants to drive this up to 80 per cent.

BAA buys Budapest airport for cheap flights

BAA has bought a 75 per cent stake in Budapest Ferihegy International Airport, raising the prospect of more cheap flights for Brits.

The airport operator is paying the equivalent of £1.25 billion for a 75-year license to operate and develop the airfield as it seeks to exploit the fast-growing eastern European market.

Richard Branson's festive call

Members of Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club will think all their Christmases have come at once when they receive a call from the beardy do-gooder himself this yuletide.

The man in question isn't Father Christmas, though, but Virgin Atlantic boss Richard Branson.

The billionaire businessman will take time out of watching Christmas movies and munching mince pies to ring up members of the airline's exclusive frequent flier scheme, Ratethemusic reports.

"The members have been such a big part of our success this year that we couldn't think of a better way to thank you than to have the big guy himself call you with a message of holiday cheer," said a Flying Club spokesman.

Belgian airline set for low-cost blitz

Low-cost Belgian airline SN Brussels is poised to slash prices on a number of leisure routes, De Morgen reports.

SN hasn't yet disclosed which routes will come under its price blitz but the airline is certainly keen to ring the changes in order to boost passenger numbers.

"The new fares will be very competitive in order to fill more seats by fare-sensitive leisure flyers," said SN Brussels' Geert Sciot.

Angry Scots consider buying London landing slot

Highlanders are looking into buying a landing slot at Gatwick or Heathrow in a bid to maintain regular air links between the region and London.

Locals are reeling after the government announced it would not stop airlines from axing routes between England's capital and Inverness.

There are currently six daily flights between London and Inverness. But campaigners fear airlines will slash services to the city in favour of higher margin international routes, leaving the Scottish tourist hotspot isolated.