Ryanair has launched its newest route from Edinburgh, Scotland, to Szczecin, Poland. The budget airline will operate two round-trip flights per week on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
One-way fares for this new route start from £29.99 including taxes, with additional fees for extras like checked luggage and meals.
Low-cost carrier Flybe has announced it will be expanding its services from East Midlands and Birmingham airports in the UK. This comes just days after news that BmiBaby will be reducing the frequency of these routes and eventually ceasing all operations later this year.
Flybe will be doubling its weekday flights to from Birminghand to Belfast City Airport to four a day. The airline also plans to operate additional flights from East Midlands to Amsterdam, Paris, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Jersey in the coming months.
On May 3, 2012, Cimber Sterling Airlines cancelled all flights, later declaring bankruptcy. All flights are cancelled and travelers have been advised to seek alternative transport.
Budget airlines easyJet and Vueling are offering ‘rescue fares’ for stranded travelers.
Budget airline BMI Baby has announced it will cease all operations by September 2012, with certain routes from Belfast and East Midlands terminated as of June 11. The airline has been looking for a new buyer, but has been unable to find one.
Routes terminated from June 11, 2012 include those from East Midlands airport in central England to Amsterdam, Paris, Geneva, Nice, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Newquay. Routes from Birmingham and Belfast are also affected. Services from London Heathrow are currently unchanged.
Travelers holding tickets for the the canceled routes after June 11 should contact BMI Baby customer service for a refund or alternative travel arrangements.
British budget airline Flybe has dropped its £9 flat fee for passengers paying for by debit card for flights booked online. This change comes just at Britain’s Office of Fair Trading is considering action against airlines that pass on the debit card transaction fees to the consumer.
Most budget airlines currently charge a transaction fee per flight leg, per passenger. Flybe’s decision to drop this fee may lead to other budget airlines like Ryanair or EasyJet having to drop theirs too in order to remain competitive.
easyJet, the UK-based budget airline, has announced a new direct route from Manchester to Tel Aviv, Israel. The new route will begin November 1, 2012, and operate year-round.
The initial schedule will be two flights per week. One-way fares start from £82.99 inclusive of taxes.
Budget airline Ryanair has announced some surprising changes to their summer 2012 schedule, canceling routes and reducing departures out of Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport. The axed routes are Liverpool to Milan, Rome, and Rimini in Italy, as well as to Almeria, Spain.
Passengers affected by the cancellations will be given the choice of a full refund or tickets on an alternative route.
The new European budget airline Volotea launched on April 5, 2012. The airline is currently based in Venice, Italy, offers domestic flights to popular leisure destinations like Palermo, Brindisi, Olbia, and Cagliari.
Volotea has big plans for expansion, and has announced it will offer international routes to Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, and Spain. Volotea will offer flights to 53 destinations by August 2012.
New European budget airline Iberia Express officially launched on March 25, 2012. Based in Madrid, Iberia Express will debut as a domestic airline serving Spain and eventually add international routs.
Iberia Express destinations include Vigo, Santiago and Granada, Menorca, Ibiza, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and La Palma. The airline plans to expand to Ireland, Italy, Greece, Latvia and Netherlands in the future.
Budget airline Ryanair has announced its newest destination will be Montenegro. Direct flights from London, Brussels and Milan are scheduled to begin in June 2012.
Ryanair flights to Montenegro will be seasonal and available from March to October each year. Ryanair has entered into an agreement with the Montenegro tourism board and agreed to operate flights until at least 2016.
