Dutch drop air passenger tax today

London, 30 June 2009: Cheapflights Ltd, the pioneer and an international leader in independent online flight price search and comparison has been a long-term opponent of the UK’s regressive Air Passenger Duty. Cheapflights believes the tax to simply be a revenue generator to fill Treasury coffers rather than an environmental tax. The Dutch Government have recognised that their version of the tax was actually counterproductive for their economy as a whole and that since aviation is a global industry, it also had no meaningful environmental impact on the industry’s global carbon foot-print.

Chris Cuddy, Cheapflights’ CEO said: “We applaud the Dutch Government’s willingness to drop a tax that they recognised as having serious knock-on and un-looked for negative effects on their aviation industry and national economy. We again call on the UK Government to follow the Dutch Government’s lead – the planned November increases in APD are a tax too far which will actively hinder the UK’s economic recovery.”

Need-to-know advice before and during your visit to America

UK passport holders

June 23, 2009: With the holiday season upon us Cheapflights.co.uk, the international online flight and travel price comparison company, suggests that before visiting the USA it pays to check that you know the new visa rules before flying.  Cheapflights also has some useful tips to help smooth your transit through domestic US airports once you are there.  Also be sure to print out our “before you fly check list” – this and lots of other travel information can be found on Cheapflights' Travel Tips.

Under the United States Visa Waiver Program (VWP), UK citizens entering the US by air or sea have to apply online for the new American Department of Homeland Security’s mandatory Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) - this is intended to replace the current paper visa and allows you to stay for up to three months.  However, if you want to stay longer you will still need a tourist B2 paper visa.   At present though, even with the mandatory ESTA, you will still be given the old I-94W (for VWP Citizens) on board the aircraft.  This is a temporary measure until all airlines flying into the US are able to process ESTAs electronically. DO remember without fail to save the portion of the I-94W given back to you on passing through immigration so as to be able to hand to immigration when you leave.

Cheapflights Welcomes The European Low Fares Airline Association’s Call For Chancellor Alastair Darling to axe Air Passenger Duty

London, April 21, 2009:  Cheapflights Ltd., a leading international flight price search site and consumer champion welcomes the European Low Fares Airline Association’s pre-budget call this week for the Chancellor to axe Air Passenger Duty (APD) or ‘at the very least’ to scrap the proposed increase due on November 1.

In November 2008 Chancellor Alastair Darling stated: "….. At a time when the economy slows down…….…trying to get more tax out of people that would make a difficult situation worse, so what you do is you support the economy by helping businesses, by helping people." 1

Cheapflights launches new website for Australia and New Zealand

London, 14 April 2009: Cheapflights Ltd, the pioneer and an international leader in independent online flight price comparison announces the launch of its newest travel search website serving Australia and New Zealand, www.cheapflights.com.au.

The website is based on the popular search box navigation format that quickly provides users with deals from providers of flights, or packages of flights plus hotel deals by date. It also provides current “hot deals” hand-selected by Cheapflights’ travel experts which may include flights through to package deals. In addition, Cheapflights’ knowledgeable editorial team have developed more than 1,000 custom travel guides including helpful travel tips which are expanded regularly.

Main Eurozone destination airfares and hotel prices down in March

Cheapflights sees March fares reduced up to 75% on year ago - trivago hotel index prices down by as much as 27%

London, April 1, 2009: Cheapflights.co.uk, the pioneer of and an international leader in independent online flight price search and comparison, together with trivago.co.uk, the hotel price search site and consumer hotel review site, have compared Eurozone March air fares and hotel prices against a year and six months ago respectively.

Cheapflights data confirms great deals available compared to early 2008

Up To 39% Fare Reductions on Certain Routes

London 5th March 2009: Cheapflights Ltd., the pioneer of and an international leader in independent online flight price search and comparison has reviewed fares promoted by its newsletter alert service in January and February 2008 and those a year on in 2009. Cheapflights www.cheapflights.co.uk has found that fares for popular destinations such as Hong Kong and Dubai have decreased up to 39% year on year (see appendix below for examples). Media reports also indicate that hotels in the USA and in the Mediterranean are heavily discounting room prices; in Greece to as low as £5 a night. It is evident therefore that destinations which rely heavily on tourism offer the best value for money by including reduced flight prices, bargain hotel deals and value added activities.

Escape the winter blues with summer bargains

Recession and bad weather combine to send sun seeking Brits to warmer pastures.

As snow, sleet and rain descend upon it, the UK swaps fleeces for flip-flops in search of bargain busting destinations according to Cheapflights.co.uk, the UK’s leading price comparison website where you search the most deals on the market.

Francesca Ecsery, General Manager for Cheapflights.co.uk says, “The initial excitement of snow was short lived as parts of the UK turned to slush while others iced over leaving many stranded or stuck at home.

This combined with the recession gloom and lingering post holiday blues has sent Brits trolling sunnier climes in search for quite literally, light at the end of an overcast tunnel.

So when it comes to turning the heat up on the temperatures but turning it down on your wallet, as consumer champion, we recommend you move away from the Eurozone tradition and set your sights on long and mid haul destinations instead.

Cheapflights' Canadian site traffic up 100% year on year

2.6 million visits to Cheapflights.ca in 2008

London & Boston, Ma., 9 February 2009: Cheapflights, the international leader in flights price search and comparison, with sites in North America, UK and Germany, announces that its Canadian site (www.cheapflights.ca) received 2.6 million visits over the past year. The site has seen solid growth during 2008 and in January 2009, visits were up 100% year on year.

Cheapflights.ca was “light launched” in April 2007 and has been until recently providing Canadian consumers with a multi-partner search by date tool and also hand-picked deals service when new functionality and content were added. This has clearly been of interest to Canadian consumers looking for value for money flight deals and is reflected in the increasing traffic on www.cheapflights.ca.

Nearly half million Brits sign up to new US ESTA online visitor registration scheme

January 20 2009, London: Cheapflights.co.uk understands that the new US Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) online registration which came into force on January 12 has had 450,000 successful applications processed as at that date. Currently about 30,000 UK citizens are signing up per day according to the US Embassy sources.

All nationals and citizens of the 35 Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries – including the UK – are now required by law to get travel authorization prior to boarding the airplane. It’s strongly recommended – but not required – that travellers apply for ESTA approval at least 72 hours before departure. The U.S. Government does not charge a fee for ESTA. There are media reports that airlines are allowing passengers to board for the US without an ESTA and supplying the old I-94W Immigration Forms to passengers. Travellers should not count on this and should ensure they have the new ESTA BEFORE they travel.

Cheapflights welcomes Heathrow third runway decision

January 15 2009: London: Cheapflights Ltd., the pioneer of and an international leader of independent online flight price search and comparison welcomes the Government's decision to allow a third runway for Heathrow.

Heathrow is the world’s busiest international airport and is currently running at an untenable 99% capacity. As an island nation, the UK depends on efficient overseas transport links for both business and leisure.

Cheapflights.co.uk therefore welcomes this strategic travel infrastructure investment which is vital to the UK's future economic well-being.

The additional runway brings with it the prospect of lower fares, more consumer choice, and the ability of Heathrow better to compete with European competitors such as Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Paris.

Travelmole APD Petition

Cheapflights.co.uk is very pleased to join with Travelmole in calling for the Travel Industry to petition the Prime Minister to re-think the new four-tier Air Passenger Duty. Cheapflights has been a long-term critic of Air Passenger Duty, and has regularly called for its abolition.

Cheapflights regrets delay on Heathrow third runway decision

5 December 2008: London: Cheapflights Ltd., the pioneer and international leader of independent online flight price search and comparison is disappointed that the Government's decision on the third runway for Heathrow has been delayed. The airport is the world’s busiest international airport and is currently running at an untenable 99% capacity.

As an island nation, the UK depends on efficient overseas transport links for both business and leisure. Cheapflights.co.uk therefore believes any strategic travel infrastructure investment will be a vital contribution to the UK's future economic well-being. A third runway brings with it the prospect of lower fares; more consumer choice; and the ability of Heathrow better to compete with European competitors such as Frankfurt, Schiphol and Paris. Especially in today's difficult financial environment, failure to increase Heathrow capacity would be an economic own goal and would threaten many of the 600,000 UK jobs that aviation directly and indirectly supports.

Cheapflights backs APD petition

Cheapflights.co.uk has backed a Travel Mole petition against the government's proposed increases in Air Passenger Duty (APD).

The independent travel website, which helps consumers find flight deals, is calling on the aviation industry to sign up to an online petition that urges Prime Minister Gordon Brown to rethink the taxation changes.

Cheapflights comments on pre budget report re passenger duty

Cheapflights welcomes the decision to drop the proposed Aircraft Duty but regrets that by retaining a modified Air Passenger Duty, the Chancellor has made no provision to reduce the tax burden for consumers, especially lower income travellers. Air travel is the only viable mode of transport for both leisure and business travellers for mid to long haul destinations. The increase in Air Passenger Duty, especially on long-haul, stated by the Chancellor as being for environmental reasons, actually harms the environment by delaying the introduction of fuel efficient and cleaner emissions aircraft.** Furthermore, the option for travellers to fly from Paris or Brussels to long haul destinations looks increasingly attractive for both economy and for business class passengers with APD at £110 and £170 respectively.

UK Airlines have faced a devastating past year with a number succumbing to the lethal effect of historically high fuel prices resulting in many job losses in the UK. Taxes which make it more expensive to travel do not help fill aircraft and make them more environmentally "efficient". Neither does the current collapse of jet fuel prices assist UK airlines. Down 27% year on year (Source: The Jet Fuel Price Monitor - a joint IATA - Platts initiative), the crash of Sterling versus the dollar more than offsets jet fuel's Dollar price. In reality UK airlines are paying approximately 37.5% more now for fuel in Sterling than they were a year ago.

Contact:

Cheapflights Ltd:

John Barrington-Carver; Corporate PR

Tel: +44 (0) 207 467 3535

Mobile +44 (0) 7831 655 630

e-mail: corporate-pr@cheapflights.com

**Confirming the very challenging times being experienced by the global aviation industry, AF/KLM has just cancelled an order for new fuel efficient aircraft

Cheapflights calls again for immediate scrapping of taxes on air travel

Cheapflights welcomes Chancellor's intention to "…..Support the economy by helping businesses, by helping people."

London 24 November 2008: Cheapflights Ltd., a leading international flight price search and comparison site welcomed the Chancellor of the Exchequer's statement last week in which Alistair Darling stated:

"….. At a time when the economy slows down…….…trying to get more tax out of people that would make a difficult situation worse, so what you do is you support the economy by helping businesses, by helping people."

Cheapflights therefore looks forward with interest to the Chancellor's Monday PBR Statement when he has the opportunity not only to help the UK aviation industry, but also the millions of UK leisure and business travellers by ending Air Passenger Duty (APD).

The ins and outs of visiting the US

17 November 2008: With US Thanksgiving celebrations looming shortly at the end of this month, many UK citizens may be planning a trip to the US. However, before you go a quick visit to the US Embassy site is time well spent as it contains a huge amount of information which visitors to the US may find useful, (including the names of the President's household pets).

We all know that getting a visa is a bore and can be time consuming. The good news is that most British and EU citizens travelling on a valid, individual machine readable passport, with a return or onward ticket, and those who are staying for less than 90 days, qualify for the Visa Waiver Program. There are specific conditions, however, so please review the information concerning visa-free travel on the American Embassy London Nonimmigrant Visas Services Home Page before you arrange your flight.

US Customs and Immigration procedures entering the US can be daunting, but there is one tip which may help when leaving the US. How often have you found that that small slip of paper a border official slipped back into your passport when you arrived had gone missing by the time your visit ended? In the US this elusive piece of paper is the bottom part of the I-94 or I-94W forms given to you to complete by your airline before you arrive in the US. Make sure you keep this safe during your visit as losing it will certainly complicate your life, especially if you are planning a return trip to America.

If you do lose the form, the following information about I-94 and I-94W can be found on the US Embassy's website.

When visiting a particular state, a number of tourist destinations have representation in the UK. A list of their UK contact telephone numbers can be found on http://www.usembassy.org.uk/rctour.html.

Please remember that none of these state tourist offices are qualified to answer visa-related information for which you should check via the Embassy web page for a phone helpline.

 

© Cheapflights Ltd

Competition winners

Congratulations to the following winners of Cheapflights' recent competitions:

Newsletter sign-up £250 giveaway
Each month we give away £250 to one lucky newsletter subscriber. Congratulations to:

2009:

May's winner: Grace Kenny from Dundalk
April's winner: Vincent Cannon from Norfolk
March's winner: Stephen Taylor-Parker from North Yorkshire
February's winner: Cynthia Lamptey from Stevenage
January’s winner: Beryl MacDonald from Swindon

2008:
November's winner: Petr Hurta from London
October’s winner: Jason Cox from Merseyside
September’s winner: Mr Tom Marshall from Carlisle
August’s winner: Mrs Angela Lockey from East Grinstead
July’s winner: Ms Sharon Young from Birmingham

WALL•E Competition:

Ten WALL•E travel packs were offered that included a fabulous portable DVD player from LG, Disney.Pixar's Wall•E on DVD, the fun filled Wall•E game for Nintendo DS and much more.

The winners are:

Adedamola Adebomi from Wolverhampton

Sarah Wilson from Co. Armagh

Parita Shah from Middlesex

Carol Doyle from Liverpool

Margaret Marshall from Cannock

Steve Keel from Somerset

Ann Cooper from Chesterfield

Kay Rose from Lincolnshire

Sarah Collett from Birmingham

Kerri Fieldhouse from Hull

A place in my heart writing competition winner (October 1, 2008):
Congratulations to Mr Hamish Smith from Earlsfield, London whose story is now published on our Cheap Flights News blog

Competition to win flights to Los Angeles (October 1, 2008):
Cheapflights' newsletter gave one lucky subscriber the chance to win two return flights to Los Angeles with Air France.

The lucky winner was Ms Anna Cecilia Yngvesson from London

Cheapflights launches new website in Germany

www.cheapflug.de - The Next Step in Cheapflights' International Expansion

27 October 2008: London: Cheapflights Ltd, the pioneer and international leader in independent flights price comparison, is expanding its reach and market position further with the launch of a new site in Germany - www.cheapflug.de. The German site is based on Cheapflights' new common technology platform which successfully powers Cheapflights' successful websites in the UK and US. This approach will enable Cheapflug.de to introduce new features rapidly beyond the initial “light” site launched earlier this month. Cheapflug.de is Cheapflights' first non-English language site and will initially be managed from London which is the Company's technical hub for European operations. Cheapflights selected Germany as its first continental European launch due to Germany's leading position in outbound tourism from Europe, its strong business economy, plus the positive encouragement from leading German flight providers. The Cheapflug.de site carries flight deals departing from Germany and from airports in Austria as well as those airports close to Germany's borders with neighbouring countries.

World's sexiest ski destinations 2008

Sex in the snow replaces sex in the city as Canada’s Banff outperforms searches to other sexy ski destinations by more than 50 per cent. For flights to Banff search here.

As the credit crunch bites harder than ever, Cheapflights.co.uk, the UK’s leading flight price comparison website, figures out what’s hot for budget skiing with a little sexy appeal this winter.

Read our special Ski Travel page here.

Searches for September show Canada up as the sexiest destination for the approaching ski season. What makes it sexy? Not only does the long haul bring more bang for your buck, but Banff, set within the majesty of the Canadian Rockies, boasts 120 million year old mountains, 1,000 glaciers and snowfalls of 33.6cm in November, rising to 43.9cm in December.* Skiers can get to Banff from Calgary airport via the Banff Airporter shuttle service. Search our website for flights to Calgary as well as our Travel Guides for more details about the destination.

Britain's pet hates about airport departures

Cheapflights.co.uk reveals that British travellers’ top pet hate for airport departures are unexplained delays.

In an age where 32 percent* of flights in the UK are experiencing delays, the website polled its viewers finding that long delays without updates stole 27 percent of their votes.

Following at a close second was the frustration aired by passengers having to put liquids in plastic bags when passing through security. Nadine Hallak, Travel Expert for Cheapflights.co.uk says, “The number of times I’ve accidentally walked through check-in with a bottle of water in my bag makes it hard to take some the existing security procedures seriously.”

Cheapflights listed for fifth consecutive year in Sunday Times Microsoft Tech Track 100

London & Boston, 29 September 2008: Cheapflights Ltd., a pioneer and international leader in independent flights price comparison is pleased to announce that it has been included in The 2008 Sunday Times Microsoft Tech Track 100 league table for a fifth consecutive year. The full findings were published in a special 8-page colour broadsheet supplement in the business section of The Sunday Times on 28 September and on www.fasttrack.co.uk. The 2008 Tech Track 100 ranked Britain's fastest-growing private technology companies based on sales growth over the latest three year period from 2004/5 to 2007/8.

Ranked in 38th place, up from 64th place last year, Cheapflights is the fastest growing in the table of only three companies in this year's 100 league table to have featured in it for the past five consecutive years. Cheapflights is also the fastest growing travel search company to be included in the table. While the award is based on revenue growth, Cheapflights has also consistently grown profits each year since its launch 12 years ago.

Yves Rossy competes Channel crossing

Cheapflights extends its warmest congratulations to "Fusionman" Yves Rossy who today successfully recreated Louis Bleriot's epic Calais to Dover flight of nearly 100 years ago. The dare-devil birdman crossed the Channel, not in a plane, but literally wearing his own-design carbon-fibre wing strapped to his back. Only 30 litres of fuel powering four mini jet engines saw "Fusionman" traverse the Straits of Dover in just under 15 minutes compared to Louis Bleriot's equally hazardous 37 minute flight in 1909.

Cheapflights.co.uk calls on Chancellor to axe the air passenger duty tax

XL and other failures make immediate action imperative


London, 22 September 2008: Cheapflights.co.uk, the UK's leading price comparison site online for flight deals, today called on Chancellor Alistair Darling immediately to axe Air Passenger Duty.

The collapse of XL, the UK's third largest tour operator, has added urgency to the need to get rid of this tax that was originally imposed at a modest level in 1994 and at the beginning of a sustained economic boom when the average price of crude oil was $15.66 per barrel. The Department for Transport concluded in the December 2003 White Paper, The Future of Air Transport, that any action taken to tackle the environmental impacts of aviation must take into account the effects on competitiveness of UK aviation and the impact on consumers. Clearly this is doubly relevant at this time.

Cheapflights.co.uk uncovers the naked truth

London 18 September, 2008: Research reveals a trend towards nudity as increasing numbers of holiday makers prefer to strip off on the beach.

According to recent figures, participation in nudism is growing by 20 percent annually*. A recent poll from Cheapflights.co.uk also shows that ten percent of its viewers would choose to leave their clothes behind on holiday.

If you’re among those anti-clothing travellers and would like to be fully stripped of your inhibitions by getting your kit off on holiday; follow Cheapflights.co.uk’s latest guide to the world’s best Nude Beaches.

Cheapflights.ca strengthens Canadian team

London & Boston, Ma., 10 September, 2008: Cheapflights, the international leader in flights price comparison, with sites in the UK and USA beta launched its Canadian site (www.cheapflights.ca) ("CFCA") in April last year. The Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Lorraine Jackson as Senior Business Development Manager for the Canadian site. Based in Toronto, Lorraine will report to Cheapflights' Head of International, Mo Bulbrook. She will take on the responsibility of building a stronger relationship with our advertising partners and bring new travel partners onto the CFCA site.

Lorraine has in depth experience in the Canadian travel market place and has worked for travel companies, American Airlines, Sabre Travel Network and for the last several years at Worldspan (now Travelport Inc) as the Canada Manager & Market Development Strategist for their Travel Distribution Solutions.

Canada is a natural market for Cheapflights into which to expand. It enjoys both high internet penetration - more than 19 million users and a proliferation of broadband access - some 59 per cent of the population*. In addition, the web is the preferred means of researching travel** and the second most popular type of online purchase after books and magazines***. The market is ideal for the Cheapflights product because of price competition caused by many players including; travel agents, consolidators tour operators as well as scheduled, charter and low-cost airlines as well as the "long-tail" of small and specialist agencies.

Cheapflights announces UK site full relaunch

London 8 August, 2008: Cheapflights Ltd. ("Cheapflights" or "the Company"), a leading UK and North American internet media travel company providing flight price search and comparison is pleased to announce the full relaunch of its UK site www.cheapflights.co.uk having successfully completed the beta phase launched six weeks ago on 27th June. The UK relaunch follows the well-received full relaunch of its US site www.cheapflights.com in February this year following rigorous stress testing there of the new technology platform behind the new sites.

Since 1996, the Company has always striven to innovate and provide a cutting edge service both to its users and to its travel advertising partners. Cheapflights believe that the very rapid response speed and the major increase in travel data available on the new site will provide viewers with a great user experience starting on the Homepage.

Cheapflights' all destination summer travel trends versus 2007

Eurozone and London UK searches down - US and 'Good Value' destinations up

US June searches for UK up 73%

29 July, London: Cheapflights Ltd. ("Cheapflights" or "the Company"), a leading UK and North American internet media travel company providing flight price search and comparison has researched UK consumers' recent flight search preferences for all destinations compared to a year ago based on consumers searching its site for all destinations in May and June this year.

It is clear from the findings that currency and other economic influences are causing the traditional Top Ten destination patters to change. The UK findings based on the total number of page views* for May and June show that while New York and the traditional Spanish beach destinations maintain their Top Ten rankings, the Spanish Eurozone resorts, with the exception of Alicante, have largely had fewer people browse for flight offers. This is consistent with the trend away for Euro destinations noted by Cheapflights in April this year caused by the Euro's strength against Sterling. As far as the US is concerned, while the Dollar/Sterling rate is still at comparative levels to last year, Orlando has seen a 29% increase in page views which has pushed it up into 4th place. New York, traditionally always at number one, has also seen an 8.9% increase in page views by UK consumers.

Vote for Cheapflights in industry awards

Regular visitors to Cheapflights.co.uk now have a chance to voice their support for our range of fare-busting services.

We've just learnt that our page has been nominated in the Best Flight Booking Website category of the British Travel Awards - widely regarded as the Oscars of the travel industry.

The accolade is intended to be an easily-recognisable benchmark of excellence in the holidaying sector and everyone at Cheapflights.co.uk is thrilled to be up for the award.

Cheapflights concludes strategic options review

London & Boston, 23rd June, 2008: Cheapflights Ltd. ("Cheapflights" or "the Company"), a leading UK and North American internet media travel company providing online flight price search and comparison announces that it has concluded its strategic review which commenced in May 2007. Shareholders have decided that, in view of prevailing sentiment in the financial markets, Cheapflights will not proceed with a liquidity event until such time as market conditions change.

The review was intended to provide shareholders with alternatives to obtain a return on their original investment. These included an assessment of the relative attractiveness of a strategic partnership, an IPO or a private equity investment.

Cheapflights strengthens board

Rick Medlock appointed Non-Executive Director

London and Boston, May 20, 2008: Cheapflights Ltd. ("Cheapflights"), a leading UK and North American internet media travel company, which pioneered online flight price search and comparison in 1996, announces the appointment of Rick Medlock to the Board as Non-Executive Director with immediate effect.

Mr Medlock, who is currently Chief Financial Officer of Inmarsat Plc, the LSE-listed mobile satellite communications company, will Chair the Audit Committee of the Cheapflights Board. He brings more than 25 years’ experience in senior and board-level financial positions in private equity funded and public companies in Europe and the US. Mr Medlock’s previous roles include CFO of NDS, the leading pay-TV technology company, and CFO of Policy Management Systems, a leading insurance software provider. He also chairs the Audit Committee and is a non-executive director of Thus plc, the alternative network telecom operator. A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales, Rick qualified with Arthur Andersen in 1985. He graduated in 1982 from St Johns’s College, Cambridge with a BA in economics.

Google Executive Joins Cheapflights' Board

Liane Hornsey appointed Non-Executive Director

London & Boston, 5 May 2008: Cheapflights Ltd. ("Cheapflights"), a leading UK and North American internet media travel company, which pioneered online flight price search and comparison in 1996, announces the appointment of Liane Hornsey to the Board as Non-Executive Director with effect from 1st May 2008.

Ms. Hornsey will Chair the Remuneration Committee of the Cheapflights Board. She has 20 years working experience across Sales, Marketing and HR and is currently Google’s Director of People Operations for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Past experience includes Group HR Director for Lastminute.com and NTL (now Virgin Media) and she has worked in a variety of roles at Bertelsmann Music Group and British Telecom.

Commenting, Cheapflights' CEO, Chris Cuddy said: "Liane's international experience with fast growing online media companies, will be a huge asset as we chart our next period of growth. I look forward to working with her."

Cheapflights announces new head of international development

London and Boston (USA) April 14, 2008: Cheapflights Ltd. ("Cheapflights"), a leading UK and North American internet media travel company providing flight price search and comparison announces that Senior Vice President Mo Bulbrook has been promoted to Head of International. A veteran of the travel industry, Mo Bulbrook is also one of Cheapflights' longest standing employees. She takes over the role from Hugo Burge who she has assisted in the successful launch of both of Cheapflights' North American sites, namely the US site www.cheapflights.com in 2003 and the soft launch of the Canadian site, www.cheapflights.ca, in April 2007. Mo will now have responsibility for developing the Cheapflights presence both in Europe and other continents.

Hugo Burge has determined that the time is right to hand over the baton as Head of International to Mo Bulbrook. Hugo will continue to focus on his role as Cheapflights Vice-Chairman and will assist Cheapflights in an advisory capacity, particularly around company strategy and international growth.

Cheapflights’ CEO, Chris Cuddy commented: “Hugo’s contributions to Cheapflights to date have been immense. He has helped drive virtually every aspect of the business including signing some of our earliest advertising partners, providing insightful guidance to the product, and launching the US office. Along the way, Hugo has always reminded us to “think big” and “put the customer first” as we “build a better mousetrap.”

Cheapflights restructures Board

Group Managing Director promoted to CEO - David Soskin becomes Vice-Chairman

London, March 10, 2008: Cheapflights Ltd. ("Cheapflights" or "the Company"), a leading UK and North American internet media travel company, which pioneered online flight price search and comparison in 1996, announces the restructuring of its Board to position itself for its next phase of growth and international expansion.

Chris Cuddy, formerly Group Managing Director, will assume the responsibilities of CEO from David Soskin. David will become Vice-Chairman and remain on the Board and will continue to represent the interests of existing shareholders as the Company contemplates its liquidity options.

From the TTG blogs: A love of long-haul

Francesca Ecsery, Cheapflights' general manager, is writing a regular blog for Travel Trade Gazette's website, ttglive.com. Here is her latest post.

Our traffic flow for this year shows that the most popular destinations for 2008 revolve somewhat around the usual suspects like Tenerife, Lanzarote, and Gran Canaria, but also include Dubai, Orlando, Bangkok, Barbados, Goa, and Sharm El-Sheikh.

At first glance, you might think that there’s nothing really new about this information, but actually there is. If you examine the trend a bit more closely, you’ll see that long haul destinations seem to be the favourite for 2008 and there are a few reasons why this is so.

As we’ve witnessed in the UK, costs of living and travel continue to rise while the pound maintains its strength. The rest of Europe and the Euro are not exactly on the same path, but are not very far off because although they offer a diverse choice of destinations, your money doesn’t take you as far as it would further afield.

Enjoy your flight - Cheapflights' viral marketing

Dreamy? Titillating? Funny? If this is your idea of an enjoyable flight then Cheapflights is the place to find it, because its new viral marketing campaign is a real trip – literally.

Cheapflights.co.uk, the UK’s leading flight price comparison website, has launched a viral marketing campaign specifically targeted to 18-34 year olds. The interactive campaign entitled, “Enjoy Your Flight”, plays on the idea that your dream holiday commences from the moment you board the plane.

Before you begin, you’re invited to choose between either a steward or stewardess, James and Joanna, to host you during the flight. From there, the journey takes off into video animation where the user interacts with a range of in-flight activities. There is also a risqué element involved, but only by choice upon clicking the “fantasy” button.

Cheapflights wins Website of the Year travel award - again!

Cheapflights.co.uk has triumphed again at the Website of the Year Awards, taking home the Best Travel Site prize for 2007.

The awards are won by those sites scoring the highest average on content, navigation and design, and are voted for by consumers. This year more than 550,000 votes were cast, up from 350,000 last year.

Reclaiming the title for the second time in a row indicates the continuing popularity of Cheapflights, which pioneered the online travel price comparison model in 1996 and receives 5.25 million global unique user visits each month.

Cheapflights.co.uk comments on new government tax proposals for UK aviation industry

London, October 12, 2007: Cheapflights Ltd., the leading UK and North American internet media travel company, which pioneered online flight price search and comparison in 1996 has reviewed the Chancellor's Pre Budget Review proposals on the taxation of the UK aviation industry.

In view of the broad nature of the proposals announced by the Government, it is only possible to make general comments until a consultation process is undertaken. However, there are a number of fundamental issues which the Government must consider when introducing the new UK aviation industry taxation regime.

The planned change on 1 November 2009 from the current Air Passenger Duty (APD), paid for by passengers, to a tax on both passenger, and now freight aircraft flights as well, will mean that passengers will still pay - albeit indirectly as operators seek to meet the cost of taxation. Importantly, there could also be a significant 'downstream' negative knock-on effect on the UK's air-travel, tourism and aviation support industries. These depend on the continued financial health of aviation in the UK and employ hundreds of thousands of workers(1). It could also potentially affect London's status as a global financial centre by making it less attractive to visit or to have operations based in London.

Cheapflights regrets that the FTO's legal challenge to increased Air Passenger Duty has failed

London: September 5, 2007: Cheapflights Ltd., the leading UK and North American internet media travel company, which pioneered online flight price search and comparison in 1996, regrets that the UK High Court judicial review has backed the British government’s increased “green” tax on air travel via its doubling of Air Passenger Duty (APD) retrospectively and failed to uphold a case against the tax presented by the Federation of Tour Operators (FTO).

Cheapflights supports any initiative to reduce global emissions of CO2 and other global warming gases but questions the effectiveness (apart from raising revenue for the Treasury) of unilateral UK action through the "blunt instrument" of direct taxation on the UK aviation industry. Furthermore the British Air Transport Association figure for UK aviation CO2 emissions is just 0.1 per cent of total global CO2.

According to DEFRA the two major contributors to UK CO2 are the road transport and residential sectors, both of which have seen an increase in CO2 emissions since 1990 and now account for over 50 per cent of the UK's carbon footprint. In contrast, based on UK aviation fuel bunkering records, UK and International carriers using British airports account for only an estimated 6 per cent of the UK's total CO2 emissions.

London no longer a top ten destination for Americans

London Drops From 7th Position in July 2006 to 15th in July 2007

London, August 20, 2007: Cheapflights Ltd., the leading UK and North American internet media travel company, which pioneered online flight price search and comparison in 1996, has analysed the number of clicks that were made searching for flight deals to London in July 2006 and 2007 on its US site www.cheapflights.com. While Cheapflights.com's July 2007 traffic has grown strongly over July 2006, both overall and for London, the city's lower destination ranking demonstrates the significant effect the dollar's weakness has had on US air travel to the UK.

In July 2006 London was ranked the 7th most popular destination for which deals were sought on Cheapflights’ US site. In July 2007, that ranking has dropped sharply out of the top ten destinations to 15th. This follows the US dollar's significant decline against the Pound year on year. According to the US Federal Reserve's monthly average exchange rate for July 2006 the Dollar stood at 1.8433: In July 2007, the average exchange rate was 2.0355 which has clearly deterred potential US tourists from coming to the UK.

Normally the top main destinations sought by Cheapflights' US users are seasonally stable with little variation. Predictably these are the leisure destinations of Las Vegas (1), Orlando (2) and Atlanta (6) and the business destinations of New York (3), Chicago (4), and Los Angeles (6). London's drop from its normal 7th position to 15th is very unusual and likely linked to the increased expense of travel driven by rising exchange rates.

Triumphing the Triathlon

Have you been waiting for a little inspiration to get you off your sofa? How does competing in a triathlon (while sweating buckets) for a good cause sound?

Well that’s exactly what our very own Sian Jewsbury did last week at the London Triathlon. The event took place on the hottest day of the year and involved 750 metres of swimming (in a wet suit – ooh la la), 20 kilometres of biking (after falling once) and 5 kilometres of running (as she battled a stitch), which Sian managed to complete in 2 hours and 16 seconds.

Credit cards abroad – what you should know before you go

London, August 7, 2007: Cheapflights.co.uk, the UK’s leading flight price comparison site, has researched credit card charges abroad to give travellers a better idea of what to expect when paying by plastic. The findings included APR* on purchases, ATM fees and interest fees charged for cash withdrawals when abroad, as well as emergency telephone numbers.

Travelling with a Bank of Scotland One credit card will help shop-till-you-drop consumers breathe easy with APR on purchases abroad coming in the lowest at 9.90%. This is in contrast to Marks & Spencer &MORE and Nationwide BS Classic cards which both charge 17.90% on purchases. ATM withdrawal fees range from 1.5% to 3% and minimum charges start at £2. Capital One credit card users face the highest minimum charge – a whopping £5 is the price they will pay for getting cash out overseas.

Cheapflights wins 3i Growth Strategy of the Year Award at S.E. Region National Business Awards, sponsored by Orange

London, July 13, 2007: Cheapflights Ltd., the leading UK and North American internet media travel company which pioneered online flight price comparison in 1996 is pleased to announce it has won the 3i Growth Strategy of the Year Award at the S.E. Region National Business Awards sponsored by Orange. Held at London's Royal Lancaster Hotel on July 12, the National Business Awards ceremony celebrates the achievements of businesses from the London and S.E Region in a number of categories.

The 3i award goes to the company that can best demonstrate an organic growth strategy (rather than M & A activity) that has achieved outstanding levels of sales, profit and market share improvement.

Cheapflights will now go forward to the national award level against the winners of the category from other regions.

Before you check-in, check out our checklist

Cheapflights.co.uk brings consumers another handy tool to help your holiday run smoothly

Holiday packing is something many of us leave until the night before, knowing full well that the odds of forgetting something crucial are very high. The UK’s leading flight price comparison site, Cheapflights.co.uk, now has a new handy travel checklist to make packing for your holiday that little bit easier.

The travel checklist is a pdf that can be printed out and ticked off by travellers to ease the holiday packing process. The sheet is completely free and comes just in time for school holidays and the summer peak season of travelling.

Cheapflights appoints Global Manager of Analytics

June 25 2007, London (UK) and Boston, Ma.: Cheapflights Ltd., the leading UK and North American internet travel media company which pioneered online flight price comparison, is pleased to announce that Dr. Brian Fitzgerald has joined the Company in the newly created role of Global Analytics Manager.

Based in London and reporting to Group Managing Director Chris Cuddy, Brian will lead Cheapflights' activities to build and manage a common, trusted, global tracking and reporting platform for the Group world-wide. He will develop the analytic tools and capabilities to help maintain and accelerate the rapid global growth already achieved and currently planned.

Brian brings more than ten years of experience in a variety of analytic, reporting, and technical roles. His work includes acting as Product Manager for Search Reporting at IAC Search and Media (Ask.com), and Technical Computing Manager at Marconi Applied Technologies. Previously, Brian also served as a Research Scientist for more than five years with a focus on thermo-physics at National Physical laboratory and environmental radiation at Clarkson University.

Cheapflights announces the senior appointment of United Kingdom General Manager

12th June, 2007, London (UK): Cheapflights Ltd., the leading UK and North American internet travel media company which pioneered online flight price comparison, is pleased to announce that Francesca Ecsery will join the Company as General Manager, United Kingdom with effect from 1st August, 2007.

Based in London, Francesca will report directly to Chris Cuddy, Cheapflights' Group Managing Director. Francesca comes to Cheapflights with in-depth knowledge and experience of the travel industry gained over fourteen years. She was most recently Managing Director, International Division, of STA Travel, the student and under-26 travel company whose business extends over 76 countries, 32 of which were secured under her leadership.

She also built STA's presence in the Chinese market place into a contributor to group profits and, in addition, led STA's travel ventures in Africa.

Ten Years On, Diana, Princess of Wales, still inspires volunteers

Latest Cheapflights.co.uk online survey reveals top places for Britons to volunteer

Cheapflights.co.uk – the UK’s leading flight price comparison website – has encouraged people to consider volunteering abroad through its latest poll. To highlight the role Diana, Princess of Wales, played in raising awareness of charitable causes, Cheapflights selected five high-profile charities including some visited by the Princess. The poll asked voters to choose the location they would consider visiting to volunteer.

The No. 1 destination for Cheapflights’ users - with 37 per cent of the vote - was the Brazil Youth Outreach, portrayed in the award-winning movie City of God, which helps abandoned street children.

Raising AIDS awareness in Tanzania was the second most popular location in which to volunteer with 23 per cent of the votes. The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina across the US Gulf Coast in 2005 still affects many and there is plenty of work still to be done. Volunteering with Habitat for Humanity to rebuild destroyed houses came third with 18 per cent.

Cheapflights appoints strategic adviser

24 May, 2007, London (UK) & Boston, Mass. USA: Cheapflights Ltd., ("Cheapflights" or "the Company") announces that it has appointed LongAcre Partners Limited ("LongAcre") to advise it in relation to its strategic options. Cheapflights is the leading UK and North American internet qualified lead generation company focused on air travel. It pioneered online flight price comparison in 1996.

As an internet company which has been consistently profitable since its launch in 1996, Cheapflights has achieved its dramatic growth, including in the United States, from internally generated cash flow. LongAcre Partners’ role will be to advise the Company on its funding strategy, including an assessment of the relative attractiveness of private equity investment; IPO; or strategic partnerships.

David Soskin, CEO of Cheapflights, commented:
"We are looking to LongAcre to advise us on the optimum way to fuel our future growth, as well as to reward our shareholders and staff. We have no preconceptions as to the manner in which this can be achieved. Cheapflights is currently experiencing dramatic growth in Europe and North America. In considering our strategic options, LongAcre will take into account not only our shareholders and dedicated employees, but also the interests of our millions of users and the hundreds of travel industry advertising partners whose loyalty has been such a vital component of our success to date."

Cheapflights flies into 2007 with ten travel and business nominations and awards

UK site maintains leading top ten position in Neilsen//NetRatings Survey

Cheapflights.co.uk, the profitable, award-winning and leading UK flights price search and comparison site has started the year well in respect of industry accolades with 10 Internet, travel and business nominations and awards already secured.:

Cheapflights wins Best Travel Website at the Metrixlab 2006 Website of the Year Awards. More than 350,000 votes were cast to select the websites for each category. The title Best Website is provided to the site with the highest average score on content, navigation and design.

Cheapflights.co.uk wins the Wildcard Category of the Imperatives Digital Awards. The website was rated for its easy-to-understand travel results, helpful advice and blog site, Cheap Flight News.

Cheapflights launches new website in Canada

www.cheapflights.ca - Next step in Cheapflights' international expansion

24 April 2007: London UK & Boston MA. Cheapflights, the international leader in flights price comparison, is further expanding its reach and market position with the launch of a site in Canada - www.cheapflights.ca

Canada is a natural market for Cheapflights into which to expand. It enjoys both high internet penetration - more than 19 million users and a proliferation of broadband access - some 59 per cent of the population*. In addition, the web is the preferred means of researching travel** and the second most popular type of online purchase after books and magazines***. The market is ideal for the Cheapflights product because of price competition caused by charter flights, price discounting and low-cost airlines.

Howzat Media invests in third web start-up

London, 28 February 2007: HOWZAT media LLP ("HOWZAT"), the investment vehicle for start-up and early stage dotcom companies, recently launched by successful internet entrepreneurs Hugo Burge and David Soskin from Cheapflights.co.uk, has today completed its third investment, namely in TrustedPlaces.com ("TrustedPlaces") (www.trustedplaces.com). HOWZAT have provided angel funding of £500,000 and Hugo Burge will be taking a place on the Board of TrustedPlaces.