Continental Airlines Passengers face charge for extra legroom in economy class

Continental Airlines flies to the United States from seven UK Airports: Bristol Airport, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast and London Heathrow.

From the middle of April it is introducing a £130 levy on exit row seats which have an additional seven inches of legroom. This would add 33% to the airline's cheapest return ticket to Newark which is one of the airports serving New York.

In the past passengers have not been expected to pay extra for different seats in the same cabin. But gradually cash-strapped carriers have imposed additional charges. The price will vary according to the length of the flight and also demand on the day so passengers will only be told of the additional cost when they check in at the airport. A charge of £65 for a one-way flight across the Atlantic has been given a 'guide' price by Continental, but they have also said it would be based on 'market demand' and admitted it could go even higher.

Last year British Airways announced fees for passengers who wanted to choose their seat in advance. It put a £50 price tag on exit row seats, and £20 for anyone picking an aisle or window seat. However it does not push the price up when a plane is full. Given that airlines tend to follow one another, similar charges could be introduced by other carriers.

UK Airport Strike Called Off

Baggage handlers and cabin crew at Stansted, Gatwick and Manchester airports have called off a series of 24 hour strikes.

Strikes were due to take place on bank holiday Monday and 29th August at the london airports, and on the 27th August at Manchester airport. This weekend is one of the busiest holiday weekends of the year, so the strikes would have been sure to cause a great deal of disruption for travellers.

A separate strike is still going ahead at Stansted airport involving over 30 security scanner operators. This will take place on Monday, although Stansted airport have issued a statement stating that the strike would cause "minimal, if any" disruption.

Easyjet Announces New Manchester Routes

Easyjet has announced the launch of two new routes from Manchester Airport, starting this December. The new destinations are Sofia, Bulgaria, and Geneva, Switzerland.

The new routes will be good news for people wanting to book winter ski holidays in the Alps, and also for those who have bought second homes in Bulgaria.

Manchester City Airport Wins Award

Manchester Airport has been awarded the Best Airport Award 2008 by the Airports Council International Europe.

The airport was the winner of the 10-25 million passenger category, and was praised for 'its simple, innovative approach to attracting airlines'.

New Ryanair Route Between Manchester & Frankfurt

Ryanair has announced a new flight route between Manchester Airport and Frankfurt Hahn, starting October 26.

Flights will operate four times per week, on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Ryanair expects to carry 60,000 passengers per year on the route.

This brings the total of Ryanair destinations available from Manchester to 7.

New £10 million Security Area For Manchester Airport

Manchester Airport has opened its new £10 million security area, in an attempt to speed up the security check process. It was recently voted one of the worst airports in the UK by passengers.

New X ray machines, costing £2.2 million, offer 3D, full-colour images of the contents of hand baggage, and vapour testing machines will test liquids to ensure no unauthorised substances get through the security area.

Additional measures to speed up the security process include additional security lanes, and the creation of a security hall, designed to make the whole process less stressful.

Monarch Publishes Winter 2008/2009 Flight Schedule

Monarch has published its new 2008/2009 winter flight schedule, with several new flight routes and additional services on existing routes from London Gatwick, London Luton, Birmingham International and Manchester Airports.

London Gatwick and Manchester Airports will see their first winter flights to Larnaca, with up to three flights per week.

The Manchester to Gibraltar route will be re-started, operating three times per week, and the number of flights operating between London Gatwick, Lanzarote and Tenerife, will be doubled.

New Easyjet Flights To Mykonos, Montpellier & Malaga

Easyjet launches four new flight routes this week from London Gatwick airport. New flight destinations include Mykonos, which has a twice weekly flight departing Sundays and Thursdays; Montpellier, with daily flights; and weekly flights to Ajaccio and Bastia.

Manchester Airport sees the launch of a new daily service to Malaga, and a twice weekly service to Crete.

Jet2.com Launches New Premium Upgrade Service - Jet2plus

The low cost airline Jet2.com has just launched a new premium upgrade service, offering passengers the opportunity to enjoy the following benefits:

• Priority check-in
• Fast track security
• VIP lounge access
• Premium in-flight meal
• Seating in the front cabin

The cost of the service is £27.99 for UK outbound flights and £24.99 for UK inbound flights.

The service is currently available on flights to and from the Canary Islands, Faro, Alicante, Malaga and Mallorca.

Jet2.com serves these destinations from the following airports: Newcastle, Leeds Bradford, Manchester, Blackpool and Belfast.

Manchester Airport Looking For Airline To Operate New York Flights

Manchester Airport bosses are holding talks with a number of airlines in the hope of securing a deal to operate what they believe is a lucrative route between Manchester and New York.

The daily BA service from Manchester to JFK airport is due to be 'suspended' in October, for 'commercial reasons'. The plane will move to Heathrow, to allow a plane to move from Heathrow to Gatwick, where a daily service to JFK will be started.

Two US airlines currently operate flights from Manchester. Delta Airlines operates flights from Manchester to JFK, while Continental flies from Manchester to Newark, New Jersey.

Virgin Atlantic Sale Fares To The Caribbean

Virgin Atlantic have launched sale fares to a range of caribbean holiday destinations, including Antigua, Barbados, Grenada & St Lucia.

Fares start at £392 for a return flight, departing from London Gatwick and Manchester airport.

The offer runs until 10pm April 29th.

Monarch Launches Winter Flight Schedule

Monarch Airlines have just launched their new winter 2008/2009 flight schedule from Luton airport and Birmingham airport.

In response to customer demand, there will be more flights to Tenerife and Lanzarote from both airports, plus more flights to Alicante and Malaga from Birmingham. Luton airport will see more flights to Gibraltar.

Winter schedules for Manchester airport and London Gatwick airport will be announced shortly.

Check out the Monarch website for more information and to book flights.

Flybe launches new flights

Low cost airline Flybe is starting 34 new flights to UK and European city destinations, including flights from Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh airports.

There will be two new year-round routes from Jersey to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and Dublin to Glasgow. Flybe will also be operating two new routes under a franchise agreement with Loganair from Dundee to Birmingham and Belfast.

Exeter airport will also see new flights operating to Brussels, with prices starting from 29.99 GBP one-way, and Dubrovnik starting from 69.99 GBP one-way.

Flights to Poland contribute to UK airport traffic growth

Flights to Poland accounted for 20% of the growth in traffic at UK airports last year, according to figures published by the Civil Aviation Authority.

The total number of passengers passing through UK airports in 2007 was 241 million, up 2.4% on the previous year. This equates to an extra 5.6 million passengers, of which 1 million came from Poland.

Transatlantic flights experienced an increase of 0.7 million passengers, rising from 21.7 to 22.4 million, reflecting the weakened position of the dollar.

Heathrow Airport handled the largest number of passengers, with 68 million passengers passing through the gates, or 28% of the total. Gatwick Airport handled 14.6%, Stansted Airport 10%, Manchester Airport 9%, and Luton Airport 4%.

Flight cancellations and delays at UK airports

Flights to and from UK airports, including Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester, Aberdeen and Glasgow International, continue to experience cancellations and delays due to the severe weather conditions.

Passengers travelling to and from all UK airports are advised to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport. Live UK flight departure and arrival information can be found on the UK Airport Guide, by visiting the information pages relating to the individual airport in question.

Second anniversary of George Best's death

George Best's sister, Barbara McNarry, marked the second anniversary of her brother's death by returning to Manchester which was the city that adopted him as its favourite son.She travelled to Manchester Airport from Belfast with 60 young dancers, who paid tribute to the legendary player by performing a routine in his memory at the Trafford Centre.

Barbara and her husband Norman travelled to Manchester from Belfast's George Best Airport on a Flybe plane that was also named after him.

Baggage handlers at Manchester Airport face redundancy

More than 180 baggage handlers are likely to be made redundant before Christmas from Manchester Airport.

Bosses say they need to make cuts at Ringway Handling Services because it is making a loss, but union leaders have blamed the "appalling management" of the firm and say the proposal to cut 188 posts is disgraceful. They also say the 139 workers set to remain with the company would have to take up inferior contracts, seeing their wages cut by between £50 and £80 a week.

Busy London Airports driving passengers to regional hubs

Regional hubs such as Birmingham Airport and Manchester Airport are currently experiencing substantial growth, partly as a result of rising congestion in London according to the Civil Aviation Authority.

42% of all UK passengers travelled through airports outside London in 2006 and annual passenger numbers at regional airports have exceeded 100 million for the first time. According to the CAA local hubs have met the demand for flights that cannot be fulfilled at airports in the capital.

Ricky Hatton flys out from Manchester for Vegas fight

Ricky Hatton has flown out from Manchester Airport to Las Vegas to take on Floyd Mayweather at the MGM Grand on December 8th. His coach Billy Graham says the 29 year old is mentally and physically ready for the most high-profile fight of his life and is determined to maintain his golden run.

Hatton has been training intensively in Denton, Manchester, for almost nine weeks and has bulked up to make the transition from light-welterweight to welterweight for the fight.

New route from Manchester to Tel Aviv

Thomsonfly has launched the first low-fare flight service from Manchester to Tel Aviv in Israel starting on November 1st. There will be three departures a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays using a 223-seat Boeing 757.

This new route has been introduced as part of Thomsonfly's winter schedule and could be extended to a year-round service if it proves popular.

Bmi announces growth in long haul services

BMI Airlines has experienced significant growth since introducing a long-haul service from Manchester to Barbados three years ago. They have added 17 additional routes to complement destinations including Chicago and Las Vegas and installed flat-bed reclining seats in the business-class cabins.

The airline has achieved on average 85% of capacity on most of its flights.

Easyjet poined to take over GB AIrways at Manchester Airport

Easyjet operates 19 routes from Liverpool John Lennon airport and is now hoping to expand into Manchester Airport with a £103.5m takeover of GB Airways.

GB currently operates as a BA franchise out of Gatwick and Heathrow airports, and Manchester operates six routes to Heraklion, Innsbruck and Salzburg in Austria, Malta, Paphos in Cyprus and Tenerife South.

Flybe opens 4 more Executive Lounges

Flybe has unveiled its new flagship Executive Lounges at Manchester, Exeter, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports as well as fully refurbishing its existing lounge at Jersey.


The new lounges offer panoramic views of the airport runways,plasma TV screens, Wi-Fi facilities, work stations and a café lounge seating area serving refreshments.

Fog causes flights to be cancelled from Manchester Airport

Manchester's Hilton Tower which has many famous residents, including Everton footballer Phil Neville,recently disappeared in a haze of fog.

The fog also caused misery at Manchester Airport as a number of flights had to be cancelled with Flybe scrapping all seven of its early morning services including flights to Exeter, Jersey, Southampton, Isle of Man, Edinburgh and Paris. Bmi cancelled flights to Aberdeen and Edinburgh.