Air Southwest adds new flights to network

Low-cost airline Air Southwest has launched new routes from Plymouth and Newquay airports, in a major expansion of its regional network.

Air Southwest now offers passengers a choice of flights from Plymouth to Newcastle, Glasgow, Dublin and Cork and later this year will begin a winter service to Chambéry, gateway to the French Alps.

Newquay Airport will also offer Air Southwest flights to Glasgow, Newcastle and again later this year a link to Chambéry, with an increased service to Cork following a successful summer-only service last year.

Easier transfers at Gatwick for Southwest flyers

Air Southwest has announced that it has made transfers easier for customers travelling from Newquay and Plymouth to London Gatwick Airport and onwards within the UK.

The low-cost regional airline has launched a new scheme that will allow passengers catching connecting domestic flights with British Airways, who are carrying just hand baggage, to avoid going through arrivals or re-clear security at the airport.

This will also apply for customers returning with British Airways and Air Southwest through London Gatwick, but is only available to those whose scheduled connection is not more than two hours after their arrival into the airport.

Air Southwest launch Business Plus service from Bristol

Business customers travelling on Air Southwest flights from Bristol Airport will be able to take advantage of special benefits following the launch of a new service.

The airline's Business Plus service provides passengers with fully flexible business fares, as well as a range of extras such as access to executive lounges at most airports served by Air Southwest.

Air Southwest will give Business Plus customers the opportunity to change flights any time they like up to two hours before departure, at no extra charge, plus use of a dedicated fast track security channel once they have checked-in for their flight.

Win a Rick Stein Christmas hamper with Air Southwest

Book by November 30: Air Southwest is offering passengers the chance to win a Rick Stein Christmas hamper when they book a flight.

The airline flies from Plymouth, Newquay and Bristol to London Gatwick, Manchester, Leeds Bradford, Jersey and Dublin, with prices beginning at £27 (one-way, including taxes and charges).

There are five Christmas hampers up for grabs, stuffed full of goodies from the Padstow-based TV chef. These include Rick Stein's deli olives, chocolate cookies, cranberry sauce, fudge, strawberry jam, a John Dory waffle tea towel and a bottle of Australian Shiraz.

Air Southwest adds routes from Plymouth and Newquay

Air Southwest has announced plans to double the number of routes it operates from Plymouth City Airport, and to add three new routes from Newquay Airport.

From Plymouth, there will be new daily flights to Gatwick and Newcastle, four-times weekly flights to Cork and a three-times weekly service to Dublin. They will all begin on April 28, 2008 and will operate year-round.

From Newquay, there will be daily flights to Glasgow and Newcastle, six-times weekly flights to Cork, and weekly flights to the Alpine ski gateway destination of Chambery. They will begin on April 28 and operate year-round, with the exception of the Chambery route, which will begin on December 20, 2008 and continue until March 28, 2009.

Air Southwest to begin Newquay to Cork flights

Air Southwest is to begin a new service between Newquay Airport and Cork in southern Ireland from May 4 this year.

With prices beginning at £27 one-way (including taxes), flights will initially operate three times per week on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays. From June, an additional flight will operate on Wednesdays.

The trip takes less than an hour, with flights leaving Newquay at 11.20am and touching down in Cork at 12.10pm. Coming back, flights take off at 12.55pm and land back in Cornwall at 1.45pm.

Extra air passenger duty to be collected by airline

Air Southwest has said that following the announcement in December of an increase in the air passenger duty (APD) some passengers will be contacted and asked to pay extra.

The APD is set to increase on February 1 from £5 to £10 on short-haul flights and the government has advised that the increase in tax must also be collected on bookings made before December 6, the date Gordon Brown made the announcement.

Customers of Air Southwest who are affected by these changes will receive an email in the next few days explaining the increase, and it will also feature a link to a secure page where payment of the additional tax can be made.

Air Southwest to cancel Bristol to Norwich route

Air Southwest will cancel its daily Bristol to Norwich service early next year.

The Plymouth-based airline is due to scrap the route on January 14 – less than a year after it was launched – because of commercial issues.

Since April, flights have been operating every day of the week and the early signs were that it would be a popular connection. However, it has not worked out as planned and Air Southwest will be using its resources elsewhere from next month.

New flights between Plymouth and Manchester

Air Southwest is to add to its service between Plymouth and Manchester with the addition of a second daily flight.

The new 6.30am Plymouth departure is set to start on January 15 and means passengers will be able to fly to Manchester and back on the same day.

One-way tickets will start from £33, including taxes and charges, and the early morning flight will join the existing 1.35pm departure from Plymouth to the north west of England.

More flights on Newquay to Gatwick route

Air Southwest has increased the frequency of flights it offers between Newquay and Gatwick by adding a fifth daily service to its network.

The flight will operate Monday to Friday and go direct, rather than stopping en route at Plymouth City Airport. Flights depart Newquay at 11.20am and return from Gatwick at 1pm. The flight takes approximately 70 minutes.

This Wednesday (November 1) sees the launch of Air Southwest’s new summer schedule, which means all routes will be available for sale up until October 2007.

Students mark Air Southwest's expansion

© Air Southwest

Air Southwest's expansion of its Newquay to London Gatwick service has been captured imaginatively by students from Newquay Tretherras School.

A class of 30 students from year nine created a huge representation of an aeroplane on the sports field at the school, in reference to the fact that Air Southwest's service has been increased by an extra 500 seats per week.

The students were asked to translate a shape from a small image to an enormous design using 500 chairs and the result was reportedly striking.

Win a wine-tasting trip with Air Southwest

Air Southwest has teamed up with Cornish vineyard Camel Valley to give away return flights to Newquay and a wine-tasting tour.

The winner of the competition will receive a pair of return flights from one of the following airports: London Gatwick, Manchester, Leeds Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff and Dublin.

To enter, visit the competition page and enter your details – no purchase is necessary.

Additional flights on Gatwick service from Air Southwest

Air Southwest has announced that it is to expand the frequency of flights it operates between Newquay and Gatwick.

From October 30 the airline will add an additional flight to the current four flights it provides during the week on the route from the South West of England to London.

The new service will depart Newquay at 11.20am and land at Gatwick at 1pm. The airline will continue to provide four flights daily at weekends.

New Bristol to Norwich service from Air Southwest

Air Southwest has expanded its schedule with flights to Norwich and Leeds from Bristol International Airport.

And the low-cost airline, which flies to more destinations from the south-west hub than any other domestic carrier, also added a morning flight to Manchester.

The Norwich flight is the first daily service between Bristol and the East Anglia destination.

New Air Southwest service to Cardiff

Air Southwest has started new services from Cardiff International Airport to Manchester and Newquay.

Part of the regional airline's new spring schedule, the cheap flights from Wales will start from £19 one-way, including taxes.

Airline offers all-in Jersey breaks

Air Southwest is aiming to take all the stress out of planning a trip to Jersey through a new partnership with Majestic Tours.

The budget airline flies to the picturesque island from Bristol and Plymouth but is hoping to attract more passengers by offering all-inclusive weekly breaks in partnership with the coach holiday firm.

Air Southwest name plane after competition

Cloud Surfer will be the name on the side of a new Air Southwest jet following a competition by the airline.

The name was suggested by a number of people but the lucky person to be drawn from a hat was Jacky Trevivian, from Truro, who wins four return tickets from Newquay Airport.

Air Southwest offers cut-price Jersey breaks

No-frills airline Air Southwest is hoping to tempt more fliers onto its Plymouth to Jersey service by launching a brochure offering cut-price breaks to the island.

The brochure has been produced in partnership with two Jersey hotels and features all-in weekend breaks starting from £159 per person.

Free tickets if you name a plane

Cornish travellers should get their thinking caps on fast if they want to win free tickets with Air Southwest.

Whoever comes up with the best name for its new Dash 8-300 aircraft – due to be delivered in February - will be rewarded with four return tickets to any destination the budget airline serves from Newquay.

Twin stewardesses take to skies

If you're 25,000-feet up in the air and think you're seeing double then it's probably not the altitude.

At least that's if you're flying with no-frills airline Air Southwest, which has just unveiled identical twins as part of its new cabin crew line-up.

32-year-olds Mandy and Michelle Cole were born three minutes apart and will now take to the skies together as part of the budget airline's flight team.

New routes launched by Air Southwest

Low-cost outfit Air Southwest has announced a major expansion of its network including new flights to South Wales and the east of England.

The no-frills airline will begin daily, return flights to Cardiff from both Newquay Airport and Manchester on April 10, 2006.

The airline has also said it will begin a service for the first time to Norwich Airport from Bristol on the same day and will base an aircraft and dedicated crew at Bristol.

Cheap flights to boost Cornish tourism

Holidaymakers looking to do a little island hopping can now take advantage of a new fare from low cost airline, Air Southwest.

The budget carrier is operating daily return flights between Cornwall and Dublin from £19 and has just teamed up with VisitCornwall for a high profile promotional campaign based around the "thrill" and "chill" of the English county.

Air Southwest offers up Jersey treat

Air Southwest is offering passengers low-cost flight deals to Jersey to coincide with the annual Channel Islands Tennerfest.

The Tennerfest sees the Islands' top restaurants open their doors to the general public, offering up gourmet three course menus for £10.

For the duration of the festival, which runs from now until November 12, Air Southwest is offering flights from Plymouth and Bristol to Jersey at low-cost rates. Tickets start from £29 each-way, including taxes.

New routes from Air Southwest

Air Southwest, the low fares regional airline, has started new routes to Newquay from Leeds Bradford, Manchester, Bristol, and Dublin airports.

Fares from Bristol and Dublin to Newquay will start from just £19 one-way, including all charges, and from to Leeds Bradford and Manchester airports from just £29 one-way.

The airline already operates a service from London Gatwick to Newquay, but the new routes will bring the south west of England in reach of both tourists and business travellers.