Plane Talking: December honeymoons, safety abroad and US travel

Summer is here and most of you have already planned your holidays or are thinking about future holidays. We’ve received some interesting questions this week: have rules changed about travel to the US, which countries pose a threat to travellers and where to go for a sunny December honeymoon? If you’d like your travel question answered by us, just post your comment at the bottom of this piece.

Q: I read about some changes to travel to the US that will happen shortly. Usually I fill in the green form during the flight. Will I not need to do that in the future?

Oonagh: The new rules apply to travellers from visa-waiver countries such as the UK and Ireland. The little form you used to fill in on your flight to the States - with information such as the name and address of your hotel - will, from January 2009, be no more. Instead, you will have to register your personal details online at least two days before you fly.

It may make life easier for flyers. Rummaging around hand luggage for your address book will no longer be necessary. It should also make life easier for frequent flyers to the US. This online questionnaire will need to be completed once every two years rather than on each flight. And those travelling at the last-minute - with 72 hours' notice - will be able to register without including flight details.

Plane Talking: green holidays, US travel, luggage

With the summer season almost in full swing, we’re answering our readers’ most pressing travel questions: can I take a summer holiday and remain “green”, can I fly to America on my soon-to-expire passport and how can I make a claim for a damaged walker? If you have a question you'd like answered in our next Plane Talking just leave a comment at the bottom of this piece. We'd love to hear from you.

Q: With the price of fuel going up and higher flight prices, are there ways of lessening my carbon footprint while travelling?

Seema: It may sound like an oxymoron: going on holiday (by plane presumably) while proclaiming to be eco-conscious, but there are many ways to stay green and still enjoy your trip without feeling guilty.

The first step is to use an online carbon calculator which determines the approximate amount of carbon dioxide produced when you fly or drive. A good website is carbonresponsible.com which has flight calculators and tips on how to reduce your carbon footprint. Most airlines offer travellers the chance to offset their emissions by paying a small fee during the booking process. British Airways, for example, uses the money to help fund projects around the world that reduce carbon emitted.

Plane Talking: Summer holidays

In our second week of Plane Talking – the column which answers your most frequent questions about flying – we’re tackling some important issues for those planning on taking summer holidays this year. How to find a good deal, how to have luxury travel while there’s a credit crunch and, the question we’re asked above all else, what can you take in your hand luggage when departing from a UK airport?

Q: I’m confused about the current rules for hand luggage. Everything seems to have changed so many times. Can I take a bottle of water in my bag? Can I take sun cream? What is not allowed?

Oonagh: Since January, the one-item restriction has been lifted at most airports. The maximum size for pieces of hand luggage is 56cm x 45cm x 25cm, including wheels, handles and external pockets. The airline you are flying with may stipulate a smaller bag however, and it may allow just one bag. Check with your airline in advance.

Passengers are allowed to bring small amounts of liquids (up to 100ml) through airport security. The liquids should be in separate containers in a resealable plastic bag. A small freezer bag would do.

Plane Talking: easyJet's email address, finding cheap flights and compensation

Reading the comments on this blog there are some common questions that frequently arise and problems that readers seek help on regularly. This new column, published fortnightly, aims to help you with any flying dilemmas you’re facing. To start with, we’re kicking off with the Top Three: the questions we read most often. If you’ve got a question you’d like answered by us, just post a comment at the bottom of this piece…

We look forward to hearing from you…

Sabrina Wolfe, Seema Salaam and Oonagh Shiel, editors Cheap Flight News

Q: What is easyJet’s email address?
Sabrina: This is the question we’re asked above all else. It’s not just about easyJet – you want to know the same thing for many of the other low-cost airlines. Readers get in touch with us all the time to see how they can contact the airline, either to change flight details, ask for some more information, or to make a complaint.

So Next Season: On a Boeing 787 Dreamliner

© The Boeing Company

Oonagh Shiel, Site Editor

Where will you be? Going West to East - normally the worst way to get jet lag – shortly (I hope) after 2007 on a First Choice, Continental Airlines or Northwest Airlines flight. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was previewed at the recent Farnborough Airshow.

Why? The Dreamliner will make jet lag a thing of the past. Eureka! No more exhausted stumbling into the Arrivals terminal to mumble greetings at family members; no more waking up at 4am and wondering if I can really start my day at that time; no more falling asleep at 3pm; no more trying to keep very grumpy small children awake until their normal bed time.

So Next Season: Playa de las Americas, Tenerife

© BOB diving

Sabrina Wolfe, Senior Site Editor

Where will you be? Tenerife

Why? Tenerife is a great island to visit for many reasons. It’s got fantastic weather all year round (the tourist website boasts that it has the “lowest temperature difference between summer and winter for anywhere in the world”); the famed black sand beaches; and a stunning landscape which includes volcanoes, mountains, deserts and a “lunar” peaks.

But, more than all this, Tenerife is also the only place in Europe where you can go BOB diving.

What’s on offer? BOB diving is a new type of diving for, well, those who don’t really like the normal sort. Always wanted to see the underwater world, but never fancied all that swimming around and getting your hair wet? Then BOB diving is perfect.

So Next Season: Belle Ile, Brittany

Hugo Burge, Head of International

Where will you be? Belle Ile, off the coast of Brittany.

Why? I hate myself for mentioning this spot but what can I do. The best thing about it is that no-one goes there! No celebrities (well none stupid enough to say so), just families and folks in the know. It’s hard to get there and ironically (for a posting on Cheapflights) has no major airport! Best way to get there is the train from Paris and then a ferry from Quiberon. There is a restaurant where apparently Mitterrand was a regular but I’m not sure that caused a stampede to this charming island.

What’s on offer? A small and quiet island where many folks bicycle around or drive in mini-mokes. It is desperately unfashionable and low key; a hang out for Parisians unwinding, families wanting beach holidays and artistes.

So Next Season

As you'd expect, the team at Cheapflights comprises experts from every part of the travel industry. Between us, there's not much we don't know about air travel, hotels and holidays... Inside Cheapflights is our section of the blog to let you know about the company, the people who work here and to share some of our insider knowledge!

So Next Season - an occasional series of interviews - offers tips from the Cheapflights team about the next big travel hotspot. Covering everything from the must-stay hotel of next year, to the beach resort that nobody else knows about yet, So Next Season is the place to watch for travellers who want to be in the know...