Iceland Express’ 2,000-seat offer

Offer opens at 1pm on Thursday, June 1: Iceland Express will release 2,000 seats to and from Iceland for £19 (or €25 / DKK 199 / SEK 199 depending on the departure airport) excluding taxes and charges.

Budget about £60 to cover the taxes and charges on a flight from London Stansted to Reykjavik.

Travel between Friday, June 2, and Saturday, July 15.

AA’s ‘scorching’ fares to the States

American Airlines’ “scorching summer sale” runs until Thursday, June 15. Fares from London Heathrow and Gatwick, Manchester and Glasgow airports to the United States cost from £302 return including taxes.

New York and Newark cost from £347 for departures until the end of June and during September.

A holiday with the ‘ex’ is just hell

Taking a break with an ex-partner for the sake of the children ranks as a holiday nightmare for parents, according to a recent survey.

A study of 750 parents by holiday website takethefamily.com found that 41 per cent of respondents said having to go away with a former partner was the worst possible scenario.

And although kids may enjoy a holiday with their grandma and granddad, around one in four parents claim it just puts them under more pressure during what is meant to be a relaxing time.

bmibaby issues travel safety advice

Low-cost airline bmibaby has added a Stay Safe Abroad checklist of travel safety tips to its website.

Personal safety tips issued by bmibaby include telling someone back home about your travel plans and letting them know if things change.

They also suggest keeping valuables secure, for example in a hotel safe, checking with locals about unsafe places, and making sure nothing is on view in the car.

Aer Lingus to leave oneworld alliance

Irish airline Aer Lingus is to leave the oneworld travel alliance because its strategy has "changed fundamentally" and is no longer compatible with oneworld.

The key target of the alliance, which offers perks such as frequent flyer programmes and shared airport lounges, is the premium, international traveller.

However, due to increasing competition from low-cost airlines, Aer Lingus has repositioned itself as a no-frills carrier.

Low-cost flights lead to party in the sun

Fans of clubbing holidays coupled with cheap flights will be pleased to hear that Romford drum and bass promoters Innovation are to host another summer dance party in Barcelona at the end of June.

Innovation in the Sun is back for its third season and is becoming recognised as one of the premier dance festivals in Spain. This year's line-up includes showcases from Full Cycle, Moondance and Liquid V.

Fly from a tenner

Book by midnight on Thursday, June 1: Ryanair's latest promotion -"fly for £10" one-way including taxes and charges – has been extended for a couple more days.

Travel between Friday, June 9, and Wednesday, October 25, on Mondays to Thursdays and Saturdays.

Completely ‘free’ flights to Copenhagen or Billund

Book before Wednesday, June 7: fly “free” to the Danish cities of Copenhagen or Billund with Scandinavian low-cost airline Sterling.

These “free” flights are not the usual no-frills airline offering where passengers pay taxes and charges. “Free” means gratis, including taxes and charges.

Deal meltdown could mean delays on US flights

An agreement on sharing passenger data between the European Union (EU) and the US has been blocked by the EU's highest court, which may mean long delays for transatlantic travellers.

Struck in the wake of the September 11 attacks, the agreement requires European airlines to give US authorities 34 pieces of information about each passenger entering the US, including credit card details and phone numbers.

Ryanair is best for Dublin to London passengers

Figures released by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) show that Ryanair was the most popular choice for passengers travelling from Dublin to London during the first four months of this year.

The Irish low-cost carrier managed to capture 45 per cent of the market share on the route between the two capital cities, with Aer Lingus in second place with 33 per cent and British Midland in third with 15 per cent.

Liverpool gets first flights to Prague

Flyglobespan is adding a service between Prague and Liverpool John Lennon Airport to its network.

Starting in November, Flyglobespan is offering one-way tickets to Prague, on the UK’s most popular city break destinations, starting from £29.99.

The daily service from Liverpool is the airline’s second offering from the airport as it recently announced that it would begin flights to Tenerife, also from November.

Children fly for less with Centralwings

Book by Sunday, June 4: Centralwings, the Polish low-cost airline, is offering “free” flights to young fliers aged between two and 16 years. There is a fixed fee of £19.89 or €24.89 (if departing from a eurozone country).

Children up to the age of two, fly free.

More time to book a Wizz Air autumn fare

Book by Monday, June 12: Wizz Air’s autumn flights sale has rolled over and will now close in the middle of June.

Flights for travel between Sunday, October 29, and Wednesday, December 13, are available from £0.01 one-way excluding taxes.

With taxes, flights from London Luton to Gdansk and Poznan cost from £14.99 one-way.

Latest from Cheapflights in the US

If you are looking to travel around the US this summer then our Cheapflights site has some hints and tips as airports could be very crowded over the coming months.

Many Americans are dumping their cars in favour of flying as the cost of fuel increases, so regular columnist Jerry Chandler offers some advice (see The long, hot summer).

He warns that airports are going to be busy with queues at check-in and security, so travel light, fly from minor airports and look to book morning flights as there is less risk of delays due to thunderstorms.

Passengers urged to leave plenty of time for check-in

Checking in for flights has been made simpler with the advent of online check-in services, but passengers should still leave plenty of time before their departure.

A recent court case involving low-cost airline Jet2 highlighted the danger of cutting it too fine when catching a flight.

A Jet2 passenger, who has not been named, was unhappy when he missed his flight from Manchester to Budapest during the school holidays and took the airline to court.

Virgin's Stateside Sale offers US deals

Holidaymakers planning to venture across the Atlantic this summer can take advantage of Virgin Atlantic's Stateside Sale.

Bookings for the discounted US routes must be made before June 15 and fares begin at £348, including taxes and charges.

Eight popular holiday destinations are featured in the sale.

Aer Lingus’ three-day winter sale

Sale ends at midnight on Thursday, June 1: Aer Lingus, the Irish national airline, is having a three-day sale with one-way fares excluding taxes from €5. Travel between November 7 and December 20.

Taxes, fees and charges add up to about €40 per one-way flight from Dublin to Madrid in mid-November for example.

From Dublin Airport: fly to Hamburg, Bordeaux, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hamburg, Lyon, Munich, Paris and Zurich from €5.

Alicante, Barcelona, Berlin, Budapest, Faro, Krakow, Lisbon, Madrid, Malaga, Milan (Linate), Nice, Poznan, Prague, Riga, Rome, Venice, Vienna and Warsaw from €10.

London, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester from €1.

New Leeds link to Dordogne from Flybe

Low-cost airline Flybe has launched yet another new route to France, this time between Leeds Bradford Airport and the town of Bergerac in the Dordogne region.

The weekly link builds on recent new connections between Southampton and Norwich and French locations such as Angers and Paris Charles de Gaulle.

Fares are priced from £46.99 one-way, including taxes and charges.

Kenya Airways ups European links

Kenya Airways is poised to up its service between the UK and Nairobi to ten flights a week this summer.

Additional Friday, Saturday and Sunday daylight flights will take off from Terminal 4 at London Heathrow.

Meanwhile, Kenya Airways is also increasing service between Amsterdam and Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, partly in response to demand from UK customers.

Cheap BA Europe flights with The Scotsman

Readers of The Scotsman can take advantage of discounted British Airways flights to European cities as part of a special offer being run this weekend.

Tickets to fifteen destinations are on offer from as little as £39 one-way including taxes, with flights taking off from Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports.

Getaway calendar - June

May 29 - June 1: Chianti Wine Festival, Italy
The Mostra del Chianti takes place in June each year in the Tuscan town of Montespertoli. Local law has it that last year's wine can be uncorked at the start of June, so, in good Italian style, a wine celebration has grown up around the event. The local Chianti makers all set up stalls in the Piazza del Popolo, the town square. Grab a festival wineglass (yours for about €5) and spend an afternoon sampling the year's vintage from the different stalls...

Travel: The closest airport to Montespertoli is Pisa. You can fly there from the UK with Ryanair, BA, Thomsonfly, Jet2.com and easyJet.

May 30 - June 13: Annual World Sacred Music Festival, Morocco
The locations themselves for events at the World Sacred Music Festival are enough to make you jump on the first plane to Fez. Free concerts are held "in the vast Bab Boujloud Square and late at night with Sufi brotherhood musicians in the Dar Tazi Gardens," but if you are prepared to spend a bit of money, you can attend one of the paying concerts, "under a giant Barbary oak in the gardens of the Batha Museum and in the Arabian Nights splendour of the Bab Makina palace courtyard."

Honeymoon heaven and horse hunger - Sunday travel section digest

Ding dong. The bells are going to chime for four happy couples in The Observer's honeymoon clinic. All are looking for the paradise in which to start their lives of wedded bliss - and three experts to help them.

There is also some dos and don'ts of planning a honeymoon - don't arrange a surprise honeymoon without telling the new Mr/Mrs what type of clothes to pack, but do arrange innoculations in advance, while Rafael Behr recalls his honeymoon heaven, and Olivia Stewart-Liberty relives her honeymoon hell. Ghastly is the word. "The only sound was the scrape of cutlery on plate." With her then-husband now her ex-husband, for Stewart-Liberty's next honeymoon she will be going with "(a) the right man to (b) a city where there will be the option of (c) meeting up with a lot of friends".

Susan d'Arcy (The Sunday Times) lines up ten of the best deserted paradises - that could do for a honeymoon - and Sholto Byrnes (Independent on Sunday) goes somewhere that sounds romantically made-up - Sarawak, the Malaysian state ("across the South China Sea on the island of Borneo") that Somerset Maugham described as a "terribly jungly place".

Nantes – the hottest place in France?

Nantes, in the west of France, sits on the Loire river and is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for travellers from the UK and Ireland.

Recently it was voted one of the best places in France to live in as it offers the chance to enjoy the sea, which is just 30 minutes away to the west, yet is within touching distance of many chateau along the Loire.

Fly the skies the Air France way

If you are looking to pass a few minutes over the Bank Holiday weekend then Air France has a devilishly difficult online game.

Fly Further is a straightforward idea and involves you piloting a jet through the skies whilst looking to avoid thunderstorms and aiming to pick up a tail wind to keep your passengers happy.

Celebrity continent, football country - What the Saturday papers say

While the world waits with bated breath for this year's celebrity birth, Sarah Turner (The Times) tracks Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's journeys around Africa. Following in the footsteps of Brangelina needn't cost the earth, Turner writes, and countries to circle include Tanzania, Sierra Leone and Chad (countries Jolie visited as part of her role as a goodwill ambassador for Unicef), Kenya (where her relationship with Pitt blossomed) and Cape Town (where the couple went partying). In the same paper, Jill Crawshaw looks at Kenya’s "tourist renaissance" after the 2002 bombing of the Paradise Beach Hotel.

And in The Independent, Stuart Butler visits Benin in West Africa. Benin, once known as Dahomey, is the home of voodoo, but Butler finds not the "pure evil portrayed by Hollywood". It might, in fact, be the world's "least understood religion".

Mile-high reading: Wizz Air's in-flight magazine reviewed

Forgot to bring the latest Dan Brown book with you on the plane? Already seen all the in-flight films? Time to look in the seat pocket in front for some light reading. We're reviewing the in-flight magazines from all the main airlines that fly to the UK, so you'll know which ones are worth a look. The good news: they're almost all substantially better than a certain blockbuster about Opus Dei and the descendants of Christ.

Wizzit is Wizz Air's in-flight mag: a trilingual, handbag-sized glossy. Unlike many other airlines' magazines, it doesn't include celebrity interviews, fashion, vox-pops or events calendars. Instead, the magazine contains many (excellent) articles focused around Wizz Air destinations.

The Spring issue (February to April) had a Valentine's Day tie-in with a quick rundown on the most romantic Wizz Air destinations (Wroclaw and Krakow put in an appearance alongside the more obvious Paris and Rome); a mouth-watering article about Hungarian goulash; a run-down of Sofia; and an article by Duncan Rhodes about the Post and Telecommunications Museum in Wroclaw with one of the best introductions ever seen in an in-flight mag:

The Cheapflights round-up

As summer approaches, UK airlines are offering special deals for trips to sunny locations in Europe and beyond.

Meanwhile, Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary has made an offer of a different kind – to walk naked through central Warsaw if Polish airline LOT scraps its fuel surcharge.

SN Brussels improves comfort on Africa flights

Belgian airline SN Brussels has made some improvements that will make its flights connecting Europe and Africa more comfortable for passengers.

For travellers to Africa seeking low-cost fares in economy class, new ergonomically-designed seats will afford more legroom and personal space, while taller people can benefit from a new adjustable headrest.

Thomsonfly's fares for footie fans and avoiders

Book by Tuesday, May 30: Thomsonfly has released fares for lovers of football and those less enamoured of the national game. Travel in June and July.

Flights for football addicts include:

- Jersey, Amsterdam and Paris from £16.99.
- Cologne from £29.30 (flight operated by partner airline HLX.com).
- Pisa from £38.56.
- Malaga and Faro from £41.06.

Fares are one-way and include taxes.

Manx link to Liverpool dropped

Aer Arann has said it will be ending its service between the Isle of Man and Liverpool John Lennon Airport in the middle of June.

From May 28 the airline will reduce the number of flights on the route from five round trips to three on selected days, with the last flight set to operate on June 18.

Passengers booked on services beyond this date will be offered a full refund.

No-frills airlines welcome airport monopoly inquiry

Low-cost airlines easyJet and Ryanair have welcomed the news that the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is to look into the UK airports market and establish whether or not it works well for customers in its current state.

At present, BAA owns and runs airports that handle almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of passenger traffic in the UK, with this figure rising to 86 per cent in Scotland and more than 90 per cent in London.

Ryanair offer was 'misleading'

Irish airline Ryanair has been criticised by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for producing a "misleading" special offer.

The low-cost carrier promised to give away three million tickets for free, provided that passengers paid taxes and charges.

But according to the ASA, Ryanair veered from the truth because it failed to specify that the offer did not apply to Fridays or at certain other times.

bmi regional ends Stornoway connection

Regional airline bmi regional is to suspend its service between Edinburgh and Stornoway, on the island of Lewis, because it is not economically viable.

The airline said that the link would stop on July 29; passengers with tickets booked for after this cancellation date can either get a refund or can transfer to the new Loganair service.

easyJet's beach and city fares from £15.99

easyJet is offering "bake on the beach" fares for travel in June. The low-cost pioneer has thousands of seats to cities in Spain and the South of France from £20.99 one-way including taxes.

The cities covered are: Bilbao from £20.99; Asturias from £25.99; Valencia from £30.99; Nice from £31.99; Ibiza from £40.99; Sardinia (Olbia and Cagliari) and Almeria from £45.99; and Malaga from £46.99.

Fly from a tenner - with taxes

Book by midnight on Monday, May 29: Ryanair's latest promotion is "fly for £10" one-way including taxes and charges.

The offer covers dozens of "free" (pay the taxes and charges) flights from most of Ryanair's airports around the UK including London Luton and Stansted, East Midlands, Liverpool, Glasgow, Newcastle, Bournemouth, Blackpool, Doncaster Shefffield and Manchester to popular cities such as Milan, Dublin, Rome, Murcia (Alicante), Venice, Barcelona (Girona) and Krakow.

Summer flights from KLM from £74

KLM's "summer breaks in Europe" fares start from £74 (to Amsterdam) return including taxes. Fly from London Heathrow.

Other cheap return flights (with taxes) on offer include Geneva from £135; Vienna from £136; Warsaw from £149; Helsinki from £156; and Kiev from £205.

'Fuel Monty' challenge from Ryanair

Ryanair has thrown down the gauntlet to Polish national airline LOT by vowing that chief executive Michael O'Leary would walk naked through Warsaw if LOT removed its fuel surcharge.

Low-cost carrier Ryanair is fiercely opposed to fuel surcharges and has guaranteed never to introduce them.

Last week a spokesman for LOT, which has fuel surcharges of up to €75, announced that Ryanair would "drop its trousers" for extra publicity and flamboyant Ryanair head Michael O'Leary has taken them at their word.

Ryanair plans new routes to Morocco

Ryanair has signed an accord with the Moroccan government that could see the airline operate up to 20 new routes to the country.

The five-year agreement comes after six months of talks between the airline and the government that commits Ryanair to carrying one million passengers per annum by the end of the agreed period.

Earlier this month Ryanair announced it would begin flights from the French airport of Marseilles to three cities in Morocco - Fez, Marrakesh and Oujda.

Changes to French destinations

Two airlines that operate flights from the UK and Ireland to France have announced changes to the airports they fly from.

Aer Arann has said it will no longer operate flights from Angers Airport, in the west of France, to Cork or Manchester and instead fly to Nantes, approximately 100km away.

Flybe launches four new Norwich links

Flybe begins flying four new low-cost connections from Norwich today (May 25), to Manchester, Exeter, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Bordeaux.

To inaugurate the Manchester link, Coronation Street stars Samia Smith and Bill Tarmey flew into Norwich Airport this morning on the route's first take-off from Manchester International Airport.

Flights between the northwest and East Anglia will operate daily, providing low-cost travel for both business and leisure travellers. Tickets cost from £21.99 one-way, including taxes and charges.

EasyJet offers flight-switch option for early birds

Low-cost airline easyJet has launched a new service that will allow passengers to switch to an earlier flight.

The change means that people arriving at the airport early could be able to take a free seat on an earlier departure at no extra cost.

Flights can only be switched for departures leaving on the same day and passengers must still arrive at least half an hour before the plane is due to leave.

British Airways named official airline of EuroPride 06

British Airways (BA) has been named the official airline of EuroPride London 06, the largest gay and lesbian cultural celebration in Europe.

The chief executive of the event, Jason Pollock, said EuroPride was "thrilled" to have BA on board, saying: "As the official airline of the international festival, British Airways will be flying travellers from around the world to join Londoners for this unique celebration of diversity."

bmibaby offers city break discounts

Low-cost airline bmibaby is calling on girls wanting to escape the football fever to leave the boys at home and take advantage of £14.99 flights to European cities in June and July.

For online bookings made before May 31, the airline is offering discounted airfares from Birmingham, Cardiff, Durham Tees Valley, Manchester and Nottingham East Midlands. The following prices are for one-way tickets including taxes and charges.

From Birmingham, passengers can fly to Belfast, Cork or Knock in Ireland from £14.99; to Amsterdam, Bordeaux or Prague from £19.99; and to Nice from £24.99.

BA flying to Ataturk as usual

British Airways flights to Ataturk Airport in Istanbul have not been affected by the recent fire that broke out there.

The cause of the blaze is not yet known but it is thought to have started in the cargo area of the airport and led to columns of smoke over 100 feet high.

Preliminary reports suggest that the fire could have been started by an electrical short circuit or combustible chemicals.

Flyglobespan's winter flights from £29.99

Flyglobespan, the Scottish no-friller, has released its latest batch of winter flights. Travel between November and March 2007.

Fly from Glasgow to Prague (on Mondays and Fridays) from £29.99 and to Fuerteventura (on Tuesdays) from £59.99.

Virgin’s far-flung flights from £357

Book by Wednesday, May 31: Virgin Atlantic has flights to Mumbai and Delhi from £357 return including taxes and charges. Travel until June 30.

Other special fares include:

- Hong Kong from £378. Book by June 8 and fly until June 21.

- Johannesburg from £482 for travel by June 30. Flights from August 1-19 cost from £744 and from August 20-31, from £637. Book by June 12.

Final flight of Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer

The Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer is to take its place in aviation history after being retired to the Smithsonian's famed collection at the National Air and Space Museum in the US.

Flown for the last time by legendary pilot Steve Fossett, who piloted the airplane through two record-breaking flights, the Global Flyer was delivered to Washington Dulles International Airport.

Complimentary meal offered by EuroManx

EuroManx Airlines is working hard to establish itself as the carrier of choice from the Isle of Man.

The airline has said that it will now offer a complimentary meal to all passengers on its flights to London City Airport and Manchester.

Originally meals were only offered to members of the EuroManx frequent flyer scheme, called EuroClub, but now a free meal is available to all.

Centralwings’ last-minute fares from £40

Book by Sunday, May 28. Centralwings, the low-cost Polish airline, is offering last-minute flights from £19 / €29 plus a fixed passenger fee of £ 19.89 / €24.89 one-way.

Travel between Tuesday, May 30, and Thursday, June 22. Routes from the UK and Ireland included in this promotion are as follows:

- London to Krakow and Warsaw.
- Edinburgh to Gdansk, Katowice and Warsaw.
- Dublin to Katowice and Wroclaw.
- Shannon to Warsaw.

Ryanair passengers can Check'n'Go on Irish routes

Ryanair has made check-in easier and quicker by introducing its online Check'n'Go service on Irish routes for passengers travelling with only hand luggage.

As of yesterday, passengers on all flights from Shannon and Cork, as well as from Dublin to the UK, will be able to visit the Ryanair website and check in up to 72 hours before their plane is due to depart.

The service will be extended to all other European routes from Dublin beginning Monday, May 29, subject to Department of Transport approval.