Flybe makes all prices online transparent

Flybe has announced that the fares promoted across its website will be completely transparent and feature both the basic flight cost plus all fixed non-optional costs.

The low-cost operator joins a number of other airlines, including easyJet and Wizz Air, in making this move as pressure from the European Union also grows to ensure ticket prices are clear for customers.

Prices on the Flybe site will now be clearly featured from the outset and include government taxes - air passenger duty, any passenger service charges and security and airport fees.

Monarch to work alongside Kenyan tour specialist

Monarch Airlines is to link up with Kenyan travel specialists African Safari Club to offer flights between Gatwick and Mombasa.

The Monarch service will offer one flight a week, starting in November, and will replace African Safari Club's in-house airline, meaning passengers will enjoy extended holiday durations, an increased baggage allowance as well as on board enhancements including extra legroom.

Ryanair to decrease Stansted service this winter

Low-cost airline Ryanair has announced that it will reduce the number of aircraft it operates from Stansted Airport this winter from 40 to 33, as it protests higher charges brought in by airport operator BAA.

In a statement to announce the carrier's record first quarter profits, chief executive Michael O'Leary said: "We continue to press for the break-up of the BAA airport monopoly which provides abject facilities, a third rate service and charges extortionate prices, particularly at Stansted.

"This winter we will sit seven of our 40 Stansted-based aircraft on the ground because Stansted's higher airport charges make it more profitable to ground these aircraft during the winter rather than fly them."

Qantas introduces 'Buy Now, Pay Later' ticketing

Australian national airline Qantas has announced a new payment method that will allow passengers to defer payment when they book online.

Available to those buying international tickets, The Book Now Pay Later feature on www.qantas.com will give travellers more flexibility by letting them pay closer to their departure date.

To secure a booking, passengers will be charged a holding fee of A$25 (£10.60). They will then be told when the full payment is due, and the holding fee will be refunded following this payment. Alternatively, customers can choose to pay immediately as normal.

Air Berlin named best European budget carrier

Air Berlin is the best low-cost airline in Europe, according to the latest Skytrax World Airline Awards, which also saw Singapore Airlines, BA and Virgin Atlantic take home prizes.

The no-frills German carrier came out on top in the survey of passengers from more than 90 different countries, although it lost out to Jetstar Airways for the Best Low-Cost Airline Worldwide title.

Celebrating the win, Joachim Hunold, Air Berlin's chief executive, said: "We will make every effort, not only to keep our quality of service, but to improve it even further. This award from Skytrax is a strong incentive for us."

Lufthansa links UK with Karachi

UK passengers will be able to benefit from a new link to Pakistan when Lufthansa resumes flights to Karachi on October 28. The German flag-carrier will operate non-stop flights to Pakistan's largest city three times a week from Frankfurt, with British passengers able to connect from flights from the UK.

"We expect a solid market growth in Pakistan and by that a further demand on this connection," said Lufthansa spokesman Dr Karl-Rudolf Rupprecht.

The link is likely to be popular with business travellers as Karachi is Pakistan's traditional commercial centre, with a population of around 13 million.

Ryanair unveils record profits

Budget airline Ryanair has announced record profits for the first quarter of the year, as well as an increase in passenger traffic.

Profits over the three-month period (to June 30) came in at €139 million, 20 per cent higher than last year and far more than analysts had expected. The airline also doubled its forecast for full-year earnings growth, leading to the biggest gain in Ryanair stock for two and a half years.

Traffic increased by 18 per cent to 12.6 million passengers, up from 10.7 million at the same time in 2006.

Internet access to be offered on Qantas

Qantas is to offer internet access to all its passengers who travel on the new Airbus A380 when the airline takes delivery of its first aircraft next year.

The on board entertainment system will allow people to browse the web, as well as check their emails, but also offers wireless connectivity for laptop users, power points at all seats and even offers a pilot's eye view of take-off, landing and cruising from an external camera.

Qantas’ John Borghetti said: "There has never been anything like this on board a commercial aircraft. Customers in all classes will also be able to stay connected with in seat email and internet access or using their personal laptops to connect to a wireless network."

It's child's play with Emirates' goodie bags

Children heading back through Newcastle Airport over the coming weeks will be given a special Emirates' goodie bag to mark the launch of the airline's new route to Dubai.

With the first flight set to take off on September 1, Emirates staff will be handing out thousands of brightly coloured ruck sacks at the airport’s arrival gates to children returning home from holidays with their parents.

Inside the bags children will find fold-out maps of the world, coloured pencils and Emirates’ luggage tags, as well as a copy of the colourful magazine e-kids produced exclusively for Emirates’ young fliers.

Rewards for Flybe frequent fliers

Flybe has launched its frequent flyer scheme, called Rewards4all, which promises free flights for travellers who collect sufficient points.

The new service assigns points to members automatically as they book tickets and it will not matter what type of ticket is booked, points will still be earned.

So even leisure travellers flying on a £19.99 return ticket will earn points, in this case two, which can be redeemed for a free return flight once 16 points are accumulated. Reaching 20 points gives people a year’s free access to Flybe's airport executive lounges.

Exchange holiday memories for free tickets

Holidaymakers have been offered the chance to get their hands on some free air tickets, simply by revealing all about a memorable travel experience.

Singapore Airlines has launched a competition as part of its 60th anniversary celebrations, asking travellers to share their holiday recollections with the world.

Participants need to tag their memory as either humorous, touching, inspiring, adventurous or enjoyable and Singapore Airlines will hand a pair of economy class tickets to the winners in all five categories.

Coventry Airport still hoping to expand

The owners of Coventry Airport have lodged an appeal against a recent planning decision.

Government ministers last month ruled that the airport should not be allowed to construct a permanent terminal building to accommodate up to two million passengers a year.

The airport's managing director Chris Orphanou remains confident that there is still hope. "Our legal team has advised us that the decision is seriously flawed in law. We will be seeking a new inquiry."

Aer Arann promotes Ireland’s Seven Wonders

Aer Arann has this week urged holidaymakers in the UK to explore the Seven Wonders of the West Coast of Ireland.

The airline, which runs 40 routes from Ireland to the UK and northern France, saw passenger numbers soar to 1.1 million a year in 2006.

Demand for Aer Arann's services is due in part to Ireland's blossoming tourism industry and the Dublin-based carrier has now drawn attention to seven highlights that will continue to attract fliers.

Virgin Atlantic scoops award for business class lounge

© Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic's Clubhouse has fought off stiff competition from rival airlines to collect this year's award for the Best Business Class Lounge.

Skytrax's World Airline Awards placed Virgin Atlantic's Clubhouse lounge ahead of Cathay Pacific's equivalent in Hong Kong, confirming its reputation as one of the world's leading carriers for business travellers.

Edward Plaisted, chief executive officer of Skytrax, said: "This is a hotly contested section of the Awards, and our congratulations go to Virgin Atlantic for securing this win. Business class passengers are a very demanding lot, and with the extensive range of high quality business lounges around the world, it is a great accolade for Virgin to get this vote of approval and satisfaction."

Government concerned about "Heathrow hassle"

Concerns about excessive delays and poor customer experience at Heathrow are shared by the government, according to the new economic secretary to the Treasury.

Kitty Ussher, in an interview with the Financial Times, revealed that ministers are particularly worried that problems at Heathrow will jeopardise London's reputation as a leading centre for business.

"I want multinational companies to feel really confident about housing their annual general meetings here," she insisted.

Weekly news round-up

If you're dreaming of escaping the drab British weather, there are a number of current special deals that may appeal. Qantas has cheaper flights to Australia and New Zealand in its Dreamtime sale, while Delta, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways are all offering cheap fares to the States.

Those planning ahead may be interested in new Gatwick to Chambery (Alps) flights from Astraeus and Ryanair's major winter expansion. Check out the best offers and most interesting new routes below.

Bid to win tickets on first A380 flight

There is sure to be much fanfare and celebration when Singapore Airlines becomes the first airline to offer commercial flights on the giant Airbus A380 aircraft later this year.

The lucky winner could be entitled to participate in an eBay auction that Singapore Airlines is set to launch that ensures successful bidders a seat on the jet, with all proceeds being donated to charity.

Chew Choon Seng, CEO of Singapore Airlines, said: “The first commercial A380 flight will be a moment in aviation history. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, on an aircraft that will mark a new chapter in air travel.

Special Lufthansa Rail&Fly deals

© Lufthansa

Passengers on Lufthansa flights can now enjoy a hassle-free journey to the airport after the airline announced the launch of low-cost Rail&Fly tickets.

The cut price tickets are available to passengers booked on an international Lufthansa flight and allow travel from more than 5,600 train stations in Germany to nearly all the German airports served by the airline.

Monarch drops Aberdeen to Malaga route

Monarch has announced that it will be ending flights between Aberdeen and Malaga from the end of October, despite it proving popular among travellers.

The airline told the This is Aberdeen website that the cost of operating the route was too expensive as it was not able to base an aircraft at Aberdeen, meaning it had to transport crew from Manchester.

Astraeus to start Gatwick to Chambery route

A new service between London Gatwick and the popular ski resort gateway destination of Chambery in the French Alps is to begin later this year.

Astraeus Flystar will operate the five times weekly flight during the winter season from December to April. Flights, costing from £142 return including taxes, will take off on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays (two flights on Saturdays and Sundays).

Chambery is located just an hour away from many well-known ski resorts including Meribel, Les Arcs and Tignes, and other airlines with flights to tignes and the other resorts nearby include Jet2.com.

Fast track security airport charge criticised

A controversial system at Liverpool John Lennon Airport (JLA) that allows passengers to pay £2 to avoid long queues at security has been criticised.

The "fast lane" scheme was brought in by JLA to allow those willing to pay a little extra to progress more quickly than those waiting in the regular queues. Since last summer's aviation security alert, pre-departure checks have taken longer and led to passenger bottlenecks, so there is clearly a demand for this option.

At first airport managers wishing to recoup steep security outlays had wanted to make the £2 charge compulsory, but they backed down after pressure from airlines including easyJet.

Cheaper US flights from Virgin

This deal has expired

Offer ends 10pm, August 10: Virgin Atlantic is offering discounted economy fares to a number of destinations in the US. Fares quoted are for return flights, including taxes and charges.

With the prices given below, the first is for travel between November 1 and December 14, and the second is for travel between August 22 and October 31.

easyJet moves to make fares more transparent

© easyJet

Low-coster easyJet has revamped its website so that it displays all-inclusive pricing from the beginning of the booking process.

The airline said it agreed with the Office of Fair Trading's move to make all-inclusive pricing compulsory, and said that it had always used transparent pricing in its advertising.

It only ever externalised the government's air passenger duty and local airport charges at the beginning of the online booking process, it said, in order to highlight the varying costs at different airports.

Ryanair has 250,000 1p flights on sale

This deal has expired

Book today (Friday, July 27): Budget airline Ryanair has launched a day-long sale with 250,000 seats available for one penny, including taxes, for travel between November and January.

The special "one penny management" offer comes as a response to a comment made by the House of Commons Select Committee, which said Ryanair had a "ten penny management".

Passengers to Gatwick should allow for more time

Drivers heading to Gatwick Airport are being advised to allow more time for their journey as resurfacing work begins on the M25 near junction seven.

The work begins on July 30 and is expected to last a month, and whilst the resurfacing will take place overnight people heading to the airport are being warned of road closures and diversions.

Qantas to introduce premium economy class

Australian national airline Qantas will introduce premium economy class on its flights from London.

The new seat class, designed to appeal to economy travellers looking for a little more comfort and enhanced service, will be rolled out on the airline's fleet of Boeing 747-400 aircraft, beginning in February 2008.

It will also be introduced on its A380 superjumbos when they are delivered in August next year.

Audio books, free texts and more for KLM passengers

Dutch airline KLM is in the process of expanding its range of in-flight entertainment to help keep long-haul passengers amused.

The carrier, which flies to destinations across the world from its Amsterdam Schiphol hub, will introduce innovations such as audio books, language lessons, a business program and free texting/email onboard its intercontinental fleet over the coming few months.

During August, September and October the in-flight texting and email function, which usually costs $2.50 per message, will be available to use free of charge.

Committee: Check-in times need to be speedier

Speeding up check-in times should be a priority for the aviation industry, according to the transport select committee of MPs.

In a report into passengers' experience of air travel, the committee found that hand luggage restrictions and extra searches had made air travel more uncomfortable and that more needed to be done to improve the situation.

"Speeding up check-in times and reducing the security queue should be a priority," the report stated, claiming that long queues could pose security threats themselves.

Welcome Hosts to help out at Gatwick

Passengers flying from Gatwick Airport this weekend will be greeted by "Welcome Hosts" who will help with any queries.

They are a team of youngsters from local schools who will be dressed in bright yellow t-shirts and will act as mobile information desks. The hosts will be able to help travellers who have questions about check-in, connections and airport facilities, and will be on hand in both the North and South Terminals.

This coming weekend is set to be a particularly busy one at Gatwick as holidaymakers look to escape the UK's dreary summer. The airport is expecting more than 530,000 passengers to pass through between Friday July 27 and Monday July 30, with the most popular destinations including Palma de Mallorca, Malaga, Faro and Tenerife.

easyJet adds Gdansk and Innsbruck to network

Low-cost airline easyJet is to add two new cities to its network of destinations available to UK travellers: Gdansk (Poland) and Innsbruck (Austria).

The carrier will further boost its central and eastern European network by expanding its services to Bucharest, the capital of Romania, and has also recently announced new services to Madeira, Lisbon and Krakow for the 2007/08 winter season.

A new daily London Gatwick to Gdansk service will begin on October 1, with fares starting at £24.99 one-way (including taxes).

New routes added to Ryanair winter schedule

Ryanair has announced the launch of 13 new routes from four UK airports and is to offer flights for the first time from Belfast City Airport (as previously reported by Cheapflights).

The low cost airline is to begin flights from Belfast to Liverpool, Glasgow and East Midlands airports, with each route being served by a daily service when they launch on October 30.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport will be home to eight new routes with links to Budapest, the Polish cities of Bydgoszcz and Lodz, as well as Grenoble, Salzburg, Fuerteventura and Tenerife joining the service to Belfast.

Air travel for disabled passengers made easier

New laws that will make air travel easier for disabled passengers across Europe have been welcomed by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).

Legislation has been introduced that will make it illegal for airlines to refuse bookings on the grounds of disability. It will apply to all passenger flights within the European Union.

Those people being denied boarding because of disability or reduced mobility (including those who have broken a leg while on holiday, for example) will be able to complain to the Disability Rights Commission, which can then refer the airline to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Air passenger complaints increase

A spate of flight cancellations and delays last year caused a surge in complaints to the Air Transport Users Council (AUC), the aviation watchdog.

The body announced in its annual report that it received more than 12,000 complaints in the 2006-07 period, up by 22 per cent compared to the figure for the previous 12 months. Some 6,289 of these were complaints in writing, and 5,757 were made over the telephone.

Various events that were widely covered in the media had an impact on customer dissatisfaction. For example, two major factors contributing to the rise in complaints about cancellations (which increased from 1,500 to 4,500) were the security alert last August and the thick fog at Heathrow in December.

Glasgow Airport offers travel for assistance dogs

It will be possible for guide dog owners to fly with their assistance dogs in the cabin of an aircraft after the launch of a new scheme at Glasgow Airport.

The airport is the first in Scotland to register for the Pet Travel Scheme that allows registered guide dogs, and other assistance dogs, to fly with their owners to certain approved European destinations and return to Scotland directly.

Until now, passengers travelling with guide and other assistance dogs had to return home via other airports authorised under the Pet Travel Scheme, such as Manchester, Gatwick or Heathrow.

Silverjet’s second New York service delayed

Business class only airline Silverjet has said it is to delay the launch of its second flight between Luton and New York's Newark Airport.

Additional maintenance work is necessary on one of its aircraft which will be carried out as soon as possible, but may result in a delay of a number of weeks in the launch of the second link across the Atlantic.

Silverjet has cancelled the second service until September 20, with details on its launch set to be announced at a later date, although passengers who have booked tickets on the service will either be offered seats on the existing flight or a full refund.

Ryanair has £10 tickets to Europe

This deal has expired

Book by Thursday, July 26: Ryanair is offering a large selection of flights from airports across the UK from £10 one-way, including taxes and charges.

Travel between November 5 and February 8, on any day except Friday or Sunday. Blackout period runs from December 18 to January 8. Below is just a small selection of routes on offer.

Discount US fares from £293 with Delta

Delta Air Lines has a number of special offers on flights from the UK to the US, including Gatwick to New York from £293. All fares quoted are for return flights including taxes and extras.

Travel between August 22 and October 31, Monday to Thursday. There is no set expiry date for the offer but, according to the airline, the deals may end at any time.

easyJet to ground Belfast to Rome route

easyJet is to stop operating flights between Belfast and Rome (Ciampino) over the winter season.

The route, which was established in July 2005 with help from the Air Route Development Fund and has carried around 4,000 passengers a month since then, will not fly over the coming winter months.

An easyJet spokesman explained: "As airlines often change their schedules to meet seasonal demand, easyJet will not offer a Rome schedule this winter. Instead we will use the capacity on both our Geneva and our new Krakow route, on which there is more demand during the winter months."

Rainy days drive people to head to the sun

As the grey clouds of the summer gather once again it would appear many people are being driven to destinations overseas by the weather.

Ryanair has found an almost direct correlation between the number of tickets booked for flights from Dublin Airport and rainfall statistics recorded at the airport by the Irish meteorological service Met Eireann.

SkyEurope is bound for Luton this winter

Low-cost airline SkyEurope is to start operating flights into London Luton Airport from later this year as it adds a number of new routes to its winter schedule.

The airline has announced it will leave Stansted and operate flights from Luton to Košice, Poprad Tatry and Bratislava, in Slovakia, as well as the popular Austrian destination of Vienna.

A new service between Dublin and Košice will be added to the airline's network alongside a route between Cork and Bratislava.

Industrial action at Scottish airports suspended

Strike action set to hit airports in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland next week has been put on hold by union officials.

The suspension of the strike by the Unite union, which represents the fire fighters that were set to walk out, has been made to allow discussions to take place with the Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL).

Inglis Lyon, managing director of HIAL, said: “We have maintained a constructive dialogue with the union. Unite has talked further with its members and it has now advised that industrial action planned to start next Monday is suspended so that further talks can take place.

Emirates' cheaper worldwide fares from Newcastle

Offer ends August 31: Dubai-based airline Emirates has a number of worldwide destinations on sale from Newcastle Airport, where it will begin flights on September 1.

The following fares (which include taxes and charges) are available for outbound travel between September 1 and December 9, or between January 16 and March 31:

Jet2.com announces record bookings and cheap deals

Budget airline Jet2.com has reported increased sales at its Jet2holidays.com subsidiary, as the miserable weather encouraged more and more Britons to book summer and winter sun holidays.

"The summer has been abysmal in the UK and we have already seen a surge in bookings for package holidays to the sun for the remainder of the summer," said Jet2holidays.com's general manager, Mandy Round.

"Early bookings figures indicate that there will be a knock-on effect for winter as families who have holidayed in the UK look for cheap winter deals to the sun."

Leeds Bradford Aircoach officially launched

A coach service that runs between York and Leeds Bradford Airport has been officially launched by the Lord Mayor of York.

The Aircoach, run by First, actually began operating at the end of February but it was not until Friday (July 20) that it was inaugurated on an official basis.

The Lord Mayor, councillor Irene Waudby, joined representatives from First, Leeds Bradford Airport and airline Jet2.com to mark the event.

Chicago from £449 in BA late deals

This deal has expired

Book by August 1: A variety of destinations in the US and Europe have been discounted in British Airways' late deals offer. Examples are Chicago from £449 return and Madrid from £49 one-way. Fly from London for July/August travel (check www.ba.com for exact dates).

The following US destinations are available (fares are for return flights, including taxes):

Save money at Virgin Atlantic onboard shop

Virgin Atlantic is offering money off vouchers to spend onboard flights for those passengers checking in online this summer.

The offer applies to Virgin flights between August 1 and September 30 departing from Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester.

When customers check in online, they will be able to print off vouchers from their check-in confirmation email and take them to the airport.

Airport fee blamed for scrapping of routes

Flybe is withdrawing flights between Norwich International and the Spanish resorts of Malaga and Alicante, claiming a fee charged by the East Anglian airport makes the routes uncompetitive. However the airport's owners say the airline is just using the development fee as an excuse and that its competitors were able to generate more revenue at lower costs.

The airport's managing director, Richard Jenner, told the Eastern Daily Press that he thought Flybe was finding it difficult to compete with similar services from Stansted in terms of price and frequency and claimed "we don't believe £3 makes that much of a difference".

Lie-flat seats coming to United Airlines

United Airlines has announced that it will introduce lie-flat beds in its business class cabins on international flights.

This will make United, which flies from London Heathrow, the first US airline to offer fully flat beds for business class passengers.

The new seats will be rolled out from this autumn and the carrier's entire fleet will be kitted out by late 2009. They recline to 180 degrees and measure six foot two inches in length.

Qantas offers Australia from £761

Qantas Airlines' Dreamtime special offers include flights from the UK to Australia and New Zealand from £761 (return including taxes).

These prices are for departures between April 16 and June 15 next year, and there is no rush because the sale is valid until June 15 2008.

For travel from London via Asia, the following destinations are on offer:

Ryanair flights to Tenerife swap airports

Ryanair is to stop flying to Tenerife North Airport later this year, and instead operate out of the island’s south airport.

The Travel Mole website reports that the airline will end flights to the north airport on October 14 with flights to Tenerife using the island's south airport commencing from October 18.

The flights affected will be those from Dublin, Shannon and Girona (Barcelona) with the reason for the move being demand from passengers to use Tenerife's larger airport.