Due to popular demand, award-winning low fares airline Monarch has added additional flights to Tenerife this Easter.

On 02, 09 and 16 April 2010 Monarch will be operating additional flights between Gatwick and Tenerife, bringing the total number of flights operated each Friday to five. In addition, on these dates, larger aircraft will be used to operate flights between Manchester and Tenerife, increasing the number of seats available by 46%.

The new flights and extra seats are available to book now via www.monarch.co.uk with fares starting from just £62.99 one way including taxes and charges.

Commenting on the additional flights to Tenerife this Easter, managing director of Monarch Flights and Holidays, Tim Jeans said, “We have seen continued demand for flights to Tenerife this Easter and the introduction of these additional services means an extra 3,000 seats will be available during this popular travel period. Our customers continue to choose our low fares and high quality service and these additional seats provide an even greater choice of low fare flights for those that haven’t yet booked their Easter get-away.”

Monarch operates scheduled flights from Birmingham, Gatwick, Luton and Manchester to a number of destinations throughout Mainland Spain, the Balearic and Canary Islands, Portugal, Gibraltar, Cyprus and Turkey. In addition to year-round low fares, Monarch also offers a unique range of tasty hot and cold meals that can be pre-booked or purchased onboard with prices from £2.00. Seats can be pre-booked from £7.50 per one-way flight to avoid the last minute free-for-all experienced on some other airlines, or from only £15, extra-legroom seats are available, which offer up to six inches of extra space.

Passengers travelling on scheduled flights can also avoid the queues at the airport and take advantage of online check-in, which is available between seven days and 4.5 hours prior to departure.

In addition to flights, Monarch also now offers a huge range of great value holidays, accommodation options, car hire and travel insurance.

For further information or to book Monarch Flights, Monarch Holidays or Monarch Hotels, please visit www.monarch.co.uk.

Award winning airline, Monarch, is expanding its portfolio of flights to the Greek Islands for Summer 2010, with the addition of new weekly services from Gatwick and Manchester to Santorini. Flights are available to book now via www.monarch.co.uk.

Formed by an ancient volcanic eruption, Santorini is famed for having the best sunsets in the world and boasts an astonishing blend of scenery, radiant white villages and spellbinding archaeological sites. Combined with dramatic black sand beaches and sophisticated nightlife, this stunning island is one of the most famous holiday destinations in Greece and provides the perfect location for that dream Greek getaway.

Monarch’s new charter flights to Santorini operate weekly (every Tuesday) from Gatwick and Manchester between 05 May and 05 October 2010. Flights start from £160 return, inclusive of all taxes and charges and can be booked now via www.monarch.co.uk.

Monarch operates scheduled and charter flights from a number of UK airports, including Birmingham, London Gatwick, London Luton and Manchester. Scheduled flights operate to destinations throughout Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, Turkey and Gibraltar, whilst charter services operate worldwide. In addition to flights, Monarch also now offers a huge range of great value holidays, accommodation options, car hire and travel insurance, all of which can be booked via monarch.co.uk.

For further information or to book Monarch flights, Monarch Holidays or Monarch Hotels, please visit www.monarch.co.uk.

Lithuanian low-cost carrier “Star1 Airlines” announced a new route from Edinburgh to Vilnius (Lithuania), commencing 28 of March.

“The “Star1 Airlines” decision to launch direct flights between Edinburgh and Vilnius will definitely help to attract more tourists from Scotland to Lithuania. We are happy to cooperate with them marketing Lithuania to the Scottish travel trade and travel writers.” – states Augusta Jaudegyte, the Director of Lithuanian National Tourism Office in the UK.

“Our constantly expanding market share and growing passenger flow enables “Star1 Airlines” to establish itself as the only Lithuanian low-cost airline and further develop new routes and services. We believe that low fares of flights combined with the high quality of service and individual attention to each client offers us a strong competitive position”, Martynas Laivys, the head of the company said.

The airline does not charge for luggage – one suitcase not exceeding 20 kg will be carried free of charge. “This is particularly important to our customers who travel for business or leisure purposes. Free luggage and flight check-in are some of our advantages which bring down the costs for each traveller”, says the head of “Star1 Airlines”.

“Star1 Airlines” will launch its regular flights between Edinburgh and Vilnius from 28 March on Thursdays and Sundays (as of May 7 – on Fridays and Sundays). Fares to Edinburgh including all fees start from just 99 litas (£25). For booking, visit www.star1.aero or call +44 1293 874 986.
Apart from Edinburgh, “Star1 Airlines” also operates direct flights from Vilnius to London (Stansted), Milan (Malpensa) and restores summer season flights to Dublin and Girona (Barcelona).

Lithuanian low-cost carrier “Star1 Airlines” belongs to the Star Team Group of companies which also owns a tour operator “Star1 Holidays”. During the first six months of operations, the company has carried nearly 66 thousand of passengers in its scheduled and charter flights, while the period’s turnover amounted to 28 million litas.

- Icelandic economic situation puts Iceland as a value destination in the spotlight

Iceland’s leading airline, Icelandair, has seen an increase in UK sales over the past year since the Icelandic economic situation has brought increased attention to the destination.

Travellers are flocking to Iceland due to the favourable currency exchange rate for UK visitors which has also been confirmed by the Lonely Planet World Travel Guide choosing Iceland as the 2010 best value destination for 2010.

“It seems that in the middle of the media interest we have been able to communicate the fact that this is a great time to visit Iceland, because as a traveller you simply get more for your money than ever before”, says Birkir Holm Gudnason, CEO of Icelandair.

Hjorvar Saeberg Hognason, General Manager UK, added, “If you compare what a pound got you on 1st February 2008 to 1st February 2010, you see an increase of 57%, so you can see why UK passengers are heading to Iceland in droves to experience the breathtaking nature and enjoy activities like searching for the northern lights. Whale watching season is just around the corner so we hope to see many travellers heading over to see the whales and amazing birdlife.”

Last week Icelandair added another three percent to its flight schedule, which was already ten percent up from last year, as a reaction to the rising interest in Iceland tourism.

Icelandair is one of Iceland’s longest established companies, connecting the world and Iceland for over 70 years.
For more information on Icelandair and to book flights visit www.icelandair.com

When it comes to air travel it seems that, although we complain about hidden charges, the budget airlines are gradually educating travellers to accept such charges for services that were once part of the headline flight price, according to new research released by BDRC Continental.

Budget airline travellers stressed more than anything else that they would like to see fewer hidden charges added to their ticket, yet budget airlines are still managing to convince customers that paying extra for an ever-widening range of services is acceptable.

Carried out in January, the survey asked travellers what extra charges are acceptable once they had paid for the flight. And the results suggest that some customers are prepared to pay for almost anything. 66% now think it acceptable to be charged for an extra item of hand luggage, 61% consider it appropriate to ask people to dig a little deeper in their pockets for priority boarding and 53% would accept the principle of additional charges for seat reservations.

There are now also significant numbers who feel it is acceptable to be charged for the privilege of being checked in by a member of staff (25%), to check in a bag at all (18%) and to pay for a ticket via a credit (26%) or debit card (15%) -see below.

When purchasing airline tickets extras are often charged separately. Which of these do you think are acceptable to charge for as extras on your ticket price?

66% An extra item of hand luggage
61% Priority boarding
53% A seat reservation charge
50% Surcharge on people over a certain weight
29% A carbon off-setting charge
27% Assistance to aircraft if have mobility problems
26% Paying for ticket on a credit card charge
25% To be checked in via a member of staff
18% To check in a bag
15% Paying for ticket on a debit card

Source: BDRC Continental (Q19) Base: All 20-64 year old online users (1005)

Steve Mills, Director of the Tourism, Travel and Leisure Team at BDRC Continental says: “Who would have thought five years ago that a quarter of us would now find it acceptable to pay extra just to be checked in? We all like to moan about these charges for ‘extras’, but the fact is those of us looking for bargain flights still look at the headline flight price when choosing an airline and neither have the time nor inclination to work out the final amount you end up being charged. The fact that this ‘unbundling’ of flight charges seems to be increasingly accepted by the public suggests that this practice is only likely to become more commonplace.”

So, how do these additional charges add up?

An extra item of hand luggage From £6.50 to £70 each way
Priority boarding From £4 to £16
A seat reservation charge From £4.50 to £10
A carbon off-setting charge Depending on flight distance – (e.g. flight from LGW to Alicante = £3.12 per passenger)
Paying for ticket on a credit card charge From 2.5% of transaction to £10
To be checked in via a member of staff From £6 to £80
To check in a bag From £8 to £15
Paying for ticket on a debit card From £2.95 to £10

So, in essence, a traveller could be paying in the region of an extra £284.12 on top of the ticket price – not such a budget conscious option after all.

We don’t even generally like travelling on budget airlines, with the survey finding that 49% of those with an opinion of budget airlines had not enjoyed their experience, compared with only 23% among scheduled airline travellers. However, further lowering prices seems to trump all quality measures when it comes to aspects that the public would like to see improved – for both budget and scheduled airlines.

Leading regional airline kicks key flight from Dublin to Southampton into touch for crucial England-Ireland rugby  clash.

Flybe, the UK’s Number One Domestic Airline and one of Europe’s largest regional airlines, will be using one of  its larger aircraft on the last flight of the day from Dublin to Southampton on Friday 26th to cope with the  increased demand from Irish fans wanting to travel to London to watch their team’s crucial Six Nations Rugby match  against England at Twickenham on Saturday.

The airline will operate one of its popular 118-seat Embraer jet aircraft on the 2035 departure from Dublin in  making sure that no Irish rugby fan will miss out and limited seats are still available for booking now at  www.flybe.com

The move re-iterates Flybe’s commitment to bringing affordable, convenient travel to its customers and builds on  Flybe’s tradition of championing sporting activity in the regions in which it operates.

Flybe’s Chief Commercial Officer, Mike Rutter, says: “At Flybe, we always try to respond quickly to the needs of  our passengers and the aircraft upgrade from our usual 78-seat Q-400 is a perfect example of this.

“We never fail to be amazed by the sporting passion demonstrated by our passengers as they travel to support their  teams and are only too happy to help them fly their team’s flag wherever possible.”

Survey of more than 1,000 passengers by Cheapflights.co.uk points to overwhelming lack of sympathy for “overpaid and underworked” British Airways cabin crew

The travelling public is firmly behind British Airways in its dispute with striking cabin crew, new research from Cheapflights UK reveals.

A total of 1,087 passengers were surveyed by the company between Tuesday 16 February and Monday 22 February, with the online poll closing two hours before the strike was announced. Participants were asked whether they would support BA cabin crew if industrial action was called, choosing from three responses: Yes, No or Maybe.

The results point to overwhelming support for BA in the dispute over pay and working conditions. Exactly 75 per cent of respondents (818 people) said they had no sympathy whatsoever for cabin crew, describing them as “overpaid and underworked”.

A mere 20 per cent (213 people) voiced support for the flag carrier’s flight attendants, whom they endorsed as being “the best in the industry”. The remaining 5 per cent (56 people) seemed cynically indecisive, saying they would consider backing the strike but only if their flight was not affected by any disruption it brought about.

“This survey definitively adds the flying public to the chorus of voices already pleading with cabin crew to see sense and call off the strike,” commented Joseph Sikorsky, Global Brand Director of Cheapflights Media and a former BA head office employee.

“BA cabin crew are far more privileged than their counterparts at airlines such as Virgin Atlantic, bmi and easyJet. The changes that have been made to their working conditions reflect fundamental restructuring which is vital if the flag carrier is to avoid the fate of so many other airlines that ceased operations during the recession.”

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) last month declared that 2009 was the single worst year for the airline industry since World War II.

Falling passenger numbers and strained yields drove the majority of airlines into the red during the downturn, with legacy carriers such as British Airways being particularly hard hit due to their reliance on the collapsing premium market for Business and First Class cabins. BA posted losses of £401 million in 2008/09 and is widely expected to follow that up with even greater losses – perhaps running as high as £600 million – this financial year.

“The numbers speak for themselves, and our survey shows that passengers have no illusions about the gravity of BA’s predicament,” Sikorsky said. “Cabin crew will only add to their woes if they press on with this damaging and unjustifiable strike.”

FEBRUARY 2010 – today nowfly.co.uk unveils the latest version of its successful travel search engine. It’s now even easier to use, with a new look and feel, but still generates fantastically quick results.

nowfly.co.uk successfully launched at the start of 2009 and was rated by Times Online as one of the top ten travel websites. It was also acknowledged by the Daily Telegraph in November 2009.

nowfly.co.uk is also launching its new e-newsletter that’s packed with great flights deals and a selection of articles from its travel column ‘zip it’, as well as offering exclusive offers to its readers. “The newsletter is snappy, topical and has relevant content that will certainly appeal to our users” comments Dan Hart, CEO. “We will avoid the usual boring topics that get churned out week in, week out, and will also offer some great exclusive offers – the first of which is a free TraceMe Luggage tag.”

As part of the launch of the e-newsletter, nowfly.co.uk is also offering a prize-draw of £250 cash*. Participants simply need to add their email details in the email submission box on nowfly.co.uk’s home page.

Using cutting-edge technology, nowfly.co.uk searches over 340 airline websites, including those of 90 low-cost carriers as well as scheduled and charter airlines, to find the very lowest fares available at any moment. But nowfly.co.uk is not just about flights. The new site is also the place to find hotels, hire cars and other travel extras so that users can build their own bespoke holiday. It also features a great selection of inspiring travel tips and ideas, ranging from ‘top ski chalets for families’ to ‘top winter suntraps’. There’s also some great tips that have been contributed from some well-known faces including James, Cracknell, Scott Maslen and Gabby Logan.
*Subject to Terms and Conditions

Last week airBaltic announced a new route from London (Gatwick) to Vilnius, Lithuania.

“The airBaltic decision to relaunch direct flights between London and Vilnius will definitely help to attract more tourists from the UK to Lithuania. The airline is already established in the UK market as the major carrier to the Baltic Countries and we are happy to cooperate with them marketing Lithuania to the British travel trade and to British travel writers.” – states Augusta Jaudegyte, the Director of Lithuanian National Tourism Office in the UK.

Direct flights to London will commence on March 4 and will operate twice a week on Thursdays and Saturday. Additional flights on Mondays and Wednesdays will be introduced on March 27, increasing the frequency to four times a week.

Tero Taskila, Chief Commercial Officer of airBaltic: “Due to, its recently reduced charges, Vilnius airport has now become more attractive for airlines, and we are delighted to offer the new London-Vilnius service for leisure and business travellers.”

Neil Taylor, author of the Bradt Guide to the Baltic Cities: “It is good that an airline eager to work with the travel trade and with the travel media has returned to this route. airBaltic are bound to make a success of it and I am sure we can look forward to increased services from them between Britain and Lithuania”

Passengers will board a Boeing 737 aircraft for a flight of two hours and 55 minutes. One-way ticket prices start at around £23, including airport fees and service charges. A full schedule of flights can be found at www.airbaltic.com.

From April 29th 2010 „Star1 Airlines“ is increasing the number of
flights it operates each between London Stansted and Vilnius. By
adding an additional flight Thursdays the route from London Stansted
to Vilnius will now be operated six times per week with no flight on
Saturdays.

“The route between London and Vilnius is now well established with a
strong base of regular passengers from both the business community and
London-based Lithuanians.” said Jurate Rupsiene, Manager
Communication at „Star1 Airlines“.

The announcement of increased frequency comes in the week that a
competing airline has cancelled all its regular flights between
Vilnius and London Gatwick as of spring 2010.

As of April 29 „Star1 Airlines“ will fly to London Stansted airport
every day, except Saturday. This is already the second increase this
year – as of January 2nd the company increased the number of weekly
flights to London from 4 to 5. “Star1 Airlines” is a part of “Star
Team Group”, which also contains tour operator “Star1 Holidays”.
Currently the company operates direct scheduled flights from Vilnius
to London and Milan.