The Cheap Flights News weekly roundup

With the bank holiday weekend - the last before Christmas - comes a slew of savings and deals, some offering a quick, last-minute getaway (Czech Airlines, Swiss) and some requiring a bit of planning (British Airways, American Airlines). Jet2 has been busy launching routes and there was news for those 300 million travellers who are expected to take a religious holiday this year.

SAVINGS AND DEALS

Last-minute flights to Switzerland
Swiss Air Lines has cheap last-minute flights to Switzerland for this Bank Holiday weekend. Book as soon as possible.

Aer Arann sale: 'zero fares' on flights to Ireland
Book before midnight on Sunday, August 30, to snap up a "zero fare" flight to Ireland with Aer Arann.

British Airways' Worldwide Sale - flights from £39ow

Book before Tuesday, September 22: British Airways' Worldwide Sale is on now with flights to short-haul destinations around Europe as well as flights to the far-flung and exotic destinations in Asia and the Far East, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Travel dates vary, but in general look to fly this autumn.

The outstanding bargain flights include: London Heathrow to Genoa from £39; Basel, Bologna, Bordeaux, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Geneva or Marseille from £49, and Malaga, Athens or Helsinki from £64 one-way including taxes.

Eastern Airways offers new flights to Bergen

Eastern Airways (www.easternairways.com) will start flying from Aberdeen and Newcastle to Bergen in October, offering an important link to companies in the oil and gas industries as well as leisure travellers keen to see this charming old town.

One-way flights, with taxes, to the second-largest city in Norway, will cost from £89.

Graeme Ross, Eastern Airways’ Scotland director, said: “The announcement of two new direct services to Bergen from Aberdeen and Newcastle demonstrates our commitment to developing routes between the UK and Norway.

British Airways to add flight to St. Kitts

British Airways' flights to St. Kitts have proved so popular that the airline is to introduce another daily service from March 2010.

The airline flew more than 4,000 passengers to the tiny isle in the northern Leeward Islands in the first half of this year, and Richard Tams, Head of UK and Ireland Sales for British Airways, said: “We’re delighted to be increasing the number of flights into St. Kitts.

Czech Airlines' weekend discount - save 25%

Czech Airlines is swiping 25 per cent off the cost of flights to four popular European cities - Bologna, Moscow, Sofia and Budapest - this weekend.

Book by midnight on Sunday, August 30, to make savings on travel this autumn.

New base for Jet2 at East Midlands Airport

Jet2.com is to open a new base at East Midlands Airport (EMA). The low-cost carrier will offer flights to seven popular holiday destinations from EMA from May 2010.

There will be flights to Tenerife and Lanzarote, the popular Canary Islands, Corfu and Dalaman, the popular resort on the  south-western coast of Turkey.

Jet2 will also serve Heraklion (Greece), Paphos, on the south-west coast of Cyprus, and Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt.

Last-minute flights to Switzerland

Book asap: Swiss Air Lines has cheap last-minute flights to Switzerland for this Bank Holiday weekend. The fares are very good - Basel from £69, Geneva from £77 and Zurich from £100 return including taxes and charges.

At this late stage, we didn't find any £69 flights, but when we searched for flights from London City Airport to Geneva, departing tomorrow (Saturday, August 29) and returning on Tuesday (September 1), we found an Economy fare for £166.

American Airlines' cheap flights to the US - fly until 2010

Book by midnight on Monday, September 22: American Airlines is offering cheap flights to the United States, with one of the widest travel windows we've ever seen. Book now for travel until June 2010.

A selection of the fares on offer is as follows:

Fly from London Heathrow Airport to New York from £289, Boston from £299, Miami from £377 or Colorado from £382.

Aer Arann sale: 'zero fares' on flights to Ireland

Book before midnight on Sunday, August 30, to snap up a "zero fare" flight to Ireland with Aer Arann.

The Irish regional airline has selected five routes where all travellers pay are the taxes and the charges.

The specially selected routes are: Cardiff to Cork

Bing: Cheap flights getting even cheaper

New research published by Bing Travel shows that people travelling during the festive period now enjoy airfares that are 17 per cent lower than last year.

The travel website credited economic pressures with the fall in prices, noting that carriers have been slashing fares in a bid fill planes and keep routes open.

Lufthansa to Muslims: Spend Ramadan in Europe

It might not be top of their 'to-do' list this Ramadan, but Muslims in the Middle East are being offered discount fares on flights to Europe with Lufthansa.

The German flag carrier is offering "Ramadan Specials" for seats on many of its mid-haul routes, raising some eyebrows about the suitability of the special offer.

Ramadan is the holiest period in the Islamic calendar, with Muslims being discouraged from indulging in excesses. Many would say that includes overseas breaks.

Travellers spared bank holiday strike misery

Brits who are heading overseas this bank holiday weekend will be relieved to hear that strikes planned for several UK airports have been called off.

Industrial action was slated for Gatwick, Stansted and Manchester airports after talks over pay broke down between unions and the ground staff employer Swissport.

But the walkouts have been cancelled at the last minute, Personnel Today reports, with Unite seeking legal advice about what it now says is a contractual dispute.

New partnership for faith-based travel firms

The Africa Travel Association (ATA) is putting the spotlight on faith-based tourism after renewing its partnership with the World Religious Travel Association (WRTA).

With 300 million travellers expected to take a religious holiday this year, both organisations are keen to tap into the $18 billion (£11 billion) spent on the industry annually.

VLM axes London City to Isle of Man flights

VLM has announced that it no longer plans to resume direct flights between the Isle of Man and London City Airport this September.

The airline had originally said it would be restarting the service for the winter period, but flagging demand for business traffic has forced it to reconsider.

SAS offers free flights to Facebook users

Scandinavian Airlines, also known as SAS, is giving away 100 pairs of free flights to users of the social networking website Facebook.

The airline's promotional campaign is being run in conjunction with a 12-day seat sale, which features European fares from as low as £59.

EU lays down the law over airline emissions

Nearly 4,000 airlines face the prospect of being banned from European airports if they fail to significantly reduce their carbon footprints by 2012.

That's according to the latest issue of the EU's official gazette, which is vowing punitive action against commercial airlines, private jet operators and air forces.

The threat is intended to highlight new legislation – due to come into force on January 1, 2012 – which will ramp up pressure on carriers over CO2 emissions.

Robin Hood Airport hit by Ryanair pull-out

Robin Hood Airport has become the latest victim of Ryanair's purge of UK bases.

The airline is axing all its winter flights to Spain from the Doncaster airport, just months after confirming that the gateway's Dublin connection is also up for the chop.

Its drawdown forms part of a wider strategy to reduce operations at several UK airports which it accuses of levying unreasonably high fees charges on airlines.

Uncertainty grows about Excelsis Airways

There is growing uncertainty over whether a new airline based at Durham Tees Valley Airport will get off the ground, following an investigation by The Northern Echo.

Excelsis Airways was due to start taking bookings on flights to London City Airport next month, becoming the first new airline to be based in the region for more than 35 years.

But after tracking down the elusive man behind the carrier, Nigerian businessman Victor Bassey, The Echo has made some startling revelations about his fledgling company.

Jet2.com adds summer routes from Newcastle

Jet2.com has added five new summer routes to its flight schedule at Newcastle Airport.

The low-cost carrier will launch new services to Dalaman, Crete, Gran Canaria, Paphos and Sharm El Sheikh from May 2010, with fares starting from £59.99 one-way.

Luton Airport gains new flights to Romania

Passengers travelling from London Luton Airport will this winter be able to take advantage of brand new flights to Romania, courtesy of Blue Air.

The airline plans to operate two weekly flights to the historic city of Bacau, situated in the heart of Moldovia, with tickets for the route on sale now.

Virgin Atlantic teams up with Eurostar

Virgin Atlantic has entered into a new partnership with Eurostar (website: www.eurostar.com) which will allow customers to book onward connections to mainland Europe.

Passengers booking a flight to London Heathrow now have the option of reserving a seat on a high-speed train to continental Europe as part of their transaction.

easyJet, Luton Airport in talks about higher charges

EasyJet could move its operations from Luton Airport to another airport in the London area, according to a report in today's Daily Mail.

The newspaper reports that the airline and the airport are still trying to hammer out a deal on airport charges. If the talks fail, the airline could follow Ryanair and switch its aircraft to another airport rather than pay higher charges (see last week's article: Ryanair to axe flights from Manchester Airport).

Monarch ups the web discount on flights

Monarch Airlines is offering increased web discount on flights booked before midnight tomorrow (Tuesday, August 25) for travel before March 2010.

The holiday airline is offering an increase in the web discount of up to £20 off one-way flights (it's usually £5) and up to £40 off return flights (usually £10).

easyJet to trial check-in with handheld devices

Following in Air Canada's wake (see related story: Air Canada online check-in now available at London Heathrow), easyJet is to start trialling check-in via handheld devices.

The trial may start at a UK airport in October, according to a report in The Times.

The newspaper also reports that easyJet will give a presentation on its plans at a conference in Las Vegas next month.

Air Canada online check-in now available at London Heathrow

Online check-in is now available to Air Canada passengers departing from London Heathrow Airport.

Flyers can check-in - and print their boarding pass - between 24 hours and one hour before the flight is scheduled to depart.

Holidaymakers warned against buying fake goods abroad

Visiting a local market on the Continent and picking up a "Louis Vuitton" handbag or bling sunglasses for a few euros may strike holidaymakers as a harmless pursuit, but it could land them in hot water at the end of their stay.

French and Italian governments have recently introduced harsher penalties for those found buying and selling counterfeit goods.

In France, those caught buying fake items such as handbags, watches, designer gear, sports wear and sunglasses are subject to fines of up to €300,000 (about £260,000) or a prison sentence of three years.

The Cheap Flights News weekly roundup

This week started with the news that Ryanair was to axe 90 per cent of the flights it operates from Manchester Airport and relocate them to East Midlands, Leeds Bradford and Liverpool airports. An unseemly spat broke out between the airline (which said that as passengers are paying lower fares, airports should lower their charges) and the airport (which said it wouldn't "prostitute itself"). Manchester Airport moved quickly to replace the Irish airline with other carriers. And as for the Ryanair customers who hold bookings? The option of a refund or travelling from the other airports.

In other news, Heathrow Airport gained its first-ever resident writer and London got a new airport - London Oxford Airport - 62 miles from the capital...

Aer Lingus: new destinations from Gatwick from £19.99 ow

Aer Lingus is offering flights from London Gatwick to its "new" European destinations from £19.99 one-way including taxes and charges. Book now to snap up the cheapest flights.

Daily flights to Eindhoven, the Netherlands, start on October 25. Flights cost from £19.99 one-way with taxes.

Flights to Warsaw, capital of Poland, will also take off on October 25 and cost from £29.99 one-way including taxes. This will be a daily service.

SAS sale - fly from £59 one-way with taxes

Book before Monday, August 31: Scandinavian Airlines' (SAS) sale is in full swing with flights to Scandinavia's most popular cities starting from £59 one-way including taxes and charges. The list of destinations from London Heathrow is as follows:

Stockholm, Oslo, Stavanger and Gothenburg from £59
Copenhagen from £65
Helsinki from £67

Brussels Airlines' Big Weekend Sale on now

Sale ends at midnight on Sunday, August 23: Brussels Airlines' Big Weekend Sale is on now with discounted flights to more than 30 European cities.

The Belgium-based airline flies from London Gatwick and several regional airports around the UK. Among the stand-out bargains included in this sale are:

Birmingham-Geneva flights from £216 return including taxes

United flights to the US from £327 return incl taxes

Book before 5pm on Thursday, August 27: United Airlines is offering a little sweetener for travellers buying flights to the United States via online travel agent Opodo.

Purchase flights to the US and you could receive a Capital Bond voucher worth £30 that can be used at more than 160 retailers such as Hamleys, Selfridges and Argos. The number of vouchers available is capped at 90 so book now.

'Not enough long-haul flights' from Scotland

Scotland is suffering from a shortage of long-haul flights, travel agents have been warned.

Several transatlantic routes were axed from Scottish airports following the collapse of XL Airways last year, and according to an industry group the gap has yet to be filled.

Twitter users vent frustration at airlines

Disgruntled air passengers are increasingly turning to Twitter to vent their frustration at what they see as poor customer service by airlines, reports suggest.

Already reeling from the recession, beleaguered carriers are now battling on a new front as unhappy customers use the microblogging service to air their grievances.

"It's almost an underground rage factory," travel industry expert Terry Trippler told Reuters. "Rarely [do] I see Twitter messages praising an airline. It's usually attacking an airline."

Monarch beefs up flights to Canary Islands

No-frills airline Monarch has confirmed that its summer 2010 timetable will include scheduled flights to the Canary Islands from several of its UK bases.

The low-cost carrier will fly to Fuerteventura from Manchester Airport twice a week, in addition to operating weekly services from Birmingham, Gatwick and Luton airports.

It will also service the popular resort of Gran Canaria with two new weekly flights from Birmingham and Manchester airports, as well as a weekly one from Gatwick.

Decline in global air travel 'begins to slow'

There are signs that the fall in the number of global air passengers is beginning to stabilise.

Figures released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) indicate that the economic situation which has crippled the airline industry could be easing.

According to the group, year-on-year falls in air passenger numbers dropped to 7.1 per cent in June – a marked improvement on the 9.2 per cent slump in May.

New Ryanair routes for Edinburgh Airport

Within days of announcing its pull-out from Manchester Airport, Ryanair has confirmed that it will launch eight new services at Edinburgh Airport this winter.

The airline will boost its seasonal timetable to 26 routes, opening up air links with Barcelona, Brussels, Gdansk, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Memmingen, Oslo and Tenerife.

Heathrow Airport's T5 gains writer-in-residence

Heathrow Airport will play host to its first ever writer-in-residence this month, as a novel marketing campaign by airport owner BAA gets underway.

Philosopher Alain de Botton will spend an entire week living in the busy thoroughfare – wandering the premises unimpeded in search of creative inspiration.

The respected author will then plonk himself at a specially constructed desk in Terminal 5, where he will have to hammer out his latest book in full view of the public.

Flybe unveils part of summer 2010 schedule

Domestic low-cost carrier Flybe has begun taking bookings on a number of services in its newly unveiled summer 2010 route timetable.

The airline's updated schedule includes some 466 cheap flights from London Gatwick Airport, including a host of routes within the UK and Ireland.

Manchester Airport moves to fill Ryanair void

Talks are under way with several airlines to fill the void left by Ryanair's departure from Manchester Airport, the northern gateway has confirmed.

Ryanair this week announced that it is preparing to axe nine of its ten routes from the base, blaming unreasonably high airport charges for the decision.

But within hours Jet2.com had added three new routes – Venice, Gran Canaria and Kos – while easyJet and bmibaby are both said to be waiting in the wings.

Ryanair's departure will open up 44 weekly slots from October 1 onwards.

Drunk US pilot blames 'strong British beer'

A US pilot who attempted to fly a packed Boeing 777 while twice the legal alcohol limit has blamed strong British beer for his recklessness.

Captain Joseph Crites told a court that UK beverages are stronger than drinks in America, and he did not realise they would put him over the legal limit.

The American Airlines pilot was arrested at Heathrow Airport in May, when security guards smelled alcohol on his breath as he attempted to board his plane.

New flights to Turkey from Norwich Airport

Passengers travelling through Norwich Airport will soon be able to take advantage of a new connection with the popular Turkish resort of Dalaman.

Low-cost carrier Thomson Airways has confirmed that it will be adding the route to its 2010 timetable, operating flights once a week from the regional base.

Thomson Airways 'no longer charging for oxygen'

Passengers flying with Thomson Airways can breathe easy following news that the low-cost carrier will no longer charge extra for oxygen services.

Until now, any disabled passenger requiring supplementary oxygen cylinders was forced to pay either £75 on short-haul flights or £125 on long-haul flights.

Girl (9) charged for purse lost on Ryanair flight

Ryanair has hit the headlines for its surcharge policy once again, with a little girl being forced to pay €10 (£8.50) to have her lost purse returned to her.

Nine-year-old Emma Lally misplaced her purse, complete with pocket money, after taking it out to buy a present during a flight home to Dublin from Spain.

Despite her initial relief at learning that it had been found, Emma was left in tears after being told she must pay a €10 administrative fee to reclaim it.

British Airways snubbed as PM flies with Virgin

British Airways' reputation has been dealt a severe blow after Prime Minister Gordon Brown decided to fly with Virgin Atlantic on a trip to the US next month.

Cabinet members usually fly with the flag carrier on overseas business, but according to The Telegraph Virgin managed to undercut BA's price by 30 per cent.

Oxford Airport rebranded as a London gateway

Passengers flying into Oxford Airport are now being greeted with the somewhat surprising announcement that they have just touched down in London.

Despite being located in the quiet town of Kidlington – 62 miles from the capital – airport owners this week confirmed that the base is now called London Oxford Airport.

They said the re-branding would raise Oxford's international profile, but heritage campaigners are up in arms over what they see as a misleading and insulting move.

British Airways launches new Low-Fare Finder

British Airways (BA) has unveiled a handy tool for travellers on its website - the Low-Fare Finder. The easy-to-use chart lists BA's 150 destinations and allows users to see exactly when fares are lowest. It follows hard on the heels of the Value Calculator, launched in June, which compares the cost of BA flights with those of the major low-cost airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair.

The Low-Fare Finder covers flights to seven geographical regions from Europe, UK and Ireland to the Far East and Australia.

Feedback of the week: scales at the airport

The first in a new series highlighting the best piece of feedback submitted by our readers over the past week.

This week's feedback of the week is from Wiley who tells us that if you are stung at check-in for having luggage that's slightly over the weight limit, you should ask to see the certification for the scales they are using.

Wiley says: "The demand payment for the transit of baggage is a retail sale by weight and therefore the scales MUST be certified."

Ryanair to axe flights from Manchester Airport

Ryanair is to cut nine out of the ten routes it flies from Manchester Airport following the airport's recent refusal to cut its costs.

The routes that will cease, from October 1, are: Barcelona (Girona), Bremen, Brussels (Charleroi), Cagliari, Dusseldorf (Weeze), Frankfurt (Hahn), Marseille, Milan (Bergamo) and Shannon.

However, flights to these destinations will be switched to East Midlands, Leeds Bradford and Liverpool airports.

Melbourne flights - from £590 with Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways has already moved forward the launch dates for its flights to Amritsar and Goa, and now the growing airline has announced a new service from London to Melbourne.

Flights to Melbourne will take off three times per week between December 5 and 29. Outbound flights will operate on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and the return legs on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. From December 31, flights will go daily.

Talks at Liverpool Airport in bid to avert strike

Talks are being held today to try to avert a strike at Liverpool John Lennon Airport (www.liverpoolairport.com) that is planned for Thursday (August 20).

The dispute centres around redundancies and concerns 150 employees of Servisair. The talks today are being described by the GMB union as a "final effort".