Easyjet flight sale ends at midnight - a day too late for Easyjet maybe

We all know that the price of airline tickets fluctuate and that the idea of an airline flight sale has to be taken with a pinch of volcanic dust and that booking a flight at the moment is a bit like playing Russian roulette with a loaded Eyjafjallajokull but some of these airlines need all the marketing and luck they can create.

Take Easyjet, which announced today that the volcano will wipe around £75m off its profits this year = bad luck.

And in the wake of the volcano shower, it announced a 20%-off sale = marketing. 

But then BA announced 20 days of strikes = good luck (for Easyjet, not so great for British Airways).

But the sale doesn't finish until midnight tonight, thus reducing any extra income by up to 20% = bad luck (for Easyjet).

Still what do we care. The sale runs until midnight. Just remember the 'up to' monsters are at play but we did find one or two great offers.

Easyjet home page

 

Related

Travel insurance deals

Ash cloud delays flight compensation

Buy a pot of ash

 

Nice pic of Sicily:

 

Cashing in on Volcanic ash

Coming to terms this week with my role as former stranded holiday volcano man and still recovering from a terrifying, dusty night flight from Egypt to Lithuania, I find that I have come through the ordeal with a restored faith in the human condition.

While stories abound of car hire companies doubling prices and the like, my journey has been one of kindness and understanding. Even the Gatwick airport car park waived any excess charge for showing up six days late.

But not everyone is so philanthropic.

One company trying to cash in by paying Google for the term Volcano is www.vacuumcleanerbags.co.uk. But hey, it made me laugh.

Related

Volcano compensation - find out what you are entitled to

Can you spot what's wrong with this convertible?

Something to do with the roof, maybe?

 

 

Here's a reminder for Avis of what convertibles used to look like.

 

Related

How I saved £500 on car hire

When the hotel comparison site messed up

Cheaper car insurance

 

£900 transatlantic cruise

Here's your chance to join the maiden voyage of a new liner from Southampton. Now why does this sound so familiar? There's even an ice bar on board.  The deal includes 10 nights, including two in New York and flight home. But at £895, it's a deal worth checking out; the ship has 17 restaurants for heaven's sake.

>> Learn more about the £899 cruise to New York deal on Travelzoo

UPDATE: Apologies to people arriving at this post from our newsletter but it appears that the deal has now sold out. It's still worth a look because even at full price I think it's a fair price for crossing the Atlantic and back.

Also worth a look:

>> Cruise tips and deals from our sister site, Travel Mail

>> Hand-picked travel deals from Travel Mail

>> Caribbean cruise FROM £995

Related

= Our cruise was sunk by £892 surcharge

= Too old to go on a cruise?

= More cruise stories

New flight comparison service, yeah I know another one, but this one's pretty good

I was in Belgium the other day and two things stick in my mind. One: Eurotunnel seemed quieter than I've ever seen any cross-Channel service in my years of hopping across to the Continent, and Two: until the prices come down, I don't think I'll bother again - 20 quid for moules frites in an Antwerp street caff and there wasn't even that many frites, or moules for that matter. Tsk.

So now that continental Europe is probably the most expensive place in the history of Earth, if you must go - and driving through the tunnel is not your thing - there's a new flights comparison service from the wonderful Travelzoo people. Here:

http://uk.fly.com/default.aspx

What I like it it's speed (even through our nuclear-proof proxy server) and the sliders on the lefthand side that allow you to filter time slots with moronic ease. It offers worldwide flights not just Europe.

Related

Latest tourist exchange rates

How hotel comparison site Venere wrecked my last trip to Belgium

Ryanair: share your low-cost airline stories with Panorama

Everyone has a Ryanair story. Here's some about Ryanair's idea to charge for using the toilet. In my case, having learned to travel without baggage and ignoring the near-fisticuffs between an official ambassador for the British Moron Party and a fellow Italian passenger over a seat, my stories are largely positive. So what's your story?

It's a question BBC show Panarama is asking. It says:

'Panorama is planning a programme on Ryanair and its 'no frills' business model - and we'd like your help. Their take on low cost flying has been hugely successful - in terms of the number of scheduled international passengers carried it's now the world's biggest airline. 

'We're planning to run our programme next month when Ryanair goes over to 100% online ticketing.  Whilst some love the way the company has revolutionised the airline industry its customer service policy leaves others cold.

'What's your take on the Ryanair experience? If you're a Ryanair passenger, an employee, an airport operator or an aircraft manufacturer and you've got something you think we should know about Ryanair - good and bad, then please email panorama@bbc.co.ukand put 'Ryanair' in the subject heading.'

If you have a moment this lunchtime, you may want to get your experiences off your chest.

Related

Panorama website

This is Money forums

Travel insurance deal finder

Ryanair news archive
Including such classics as
    'Ryanair to make passengers to take luggage to the plane'
    'Now Ryanair wants to charge for check-in'
    'Sarkozy suing Ryanair over advert'

And finally...

How to get a Visa Electron to avoid Ryanair's payment charge

British Airways low fare finder

Good grief, British Airways seems to be doing something right for a change - it's launched a helpful bit on its website for potential customers to find and book its lowest fares. European flights still look dearer than Easyjet but it's a start. Check out:

BA lowest fare finder

Related

British Airways asks staff to work for nothing

British Airways share price

British Airways battle for survival

British Airways rated worst on delays and luggage (archive)

BA passengers hit by baggage meltdown (archive)

>> Latest deals: Find a low-cost trravel insurance policy

Ryanair's £1 flight sale

 

Yawn. A low-cost airline is selling low-cost flights again. It's only a matter of time before they start paying us to travel - before adding on loads of hidden extras.

Funny enough, it looked like that time had come this morning when Ryanair was advertising a flight for -£1. But using, presumably a special money-making algorithm, that minus-a-pound flight turned into a £219.99 one further down the page.

There are none-the-less some deals to be had (book by close of play on 30 July).

>> Check out Ryanair's latest £1 offers

Related

>> How to get a Visa Electron card to avoid Ryanair's credit card charge

>> Low-cost, high quality travel insurance

Cheapest sat nav, including European maps

 

If you can't read a map, a road sign or think for yourself then in-car satellite navigation could be for you. But it's expensive. Well, here's one for less than £50, including UK and European maps plus speed camera alerts. Worth a look:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/161002/show_product_overview

 

Related

>> Check your broadband speed

>> Finally, the one-size-fits-all phone charger

Cheapest sun tan lotion?

There a few things that evoke the feeling of being on holiday than the smell of freshly applied sun cream.

And there are few things that epitomise the stench of a rip-off than the way that sun creams are priced.

At Tesco, Garnier Ambre Solaire Kids Colour Control Sun Spray is £5 a bottle.

But Sainsbury's has a 2for1 offer on it. Price: £11.99 a bottle. But they'll graciously give you another 'free' one. Do the maths.

See the comparison at MySupermarket

 
Click pic to enlarge

 

 

Related

Bargains & rip-offs

NEW: Skyscanner hotels search tool

Skyscanner is one of the must-check comparison sites for flights and car hire. Now it has launched a hotel search. I found deals that weren't available on Tripadvisor or the likes of Expedia. There's a decent range of sites being searched and results appear in one page rather than separate windows. Add it to your list.

http://www.skyscanner.net/hotels/

 

Related

Cheaper holiday insurance

Cheaper car insurance

Holiday articles tips and advice (general)

Holiday article tips and advice (money)

Latest travel bargains: late deals, cheap flights and money off hotels, villas and holidays (Travel Mail)

Holidays from £15 - Daily Mail offer

You need to act quick to take advantage of this one. Because it's a token collect. Six from the Daily Mail newspaper and one from the Mail on Sunday and the last one is being printed on 10 July.  So you need to start today, tomorrow or Saturday.

Price is per person (based on four sharing). So what's the catch? Well it's in a caravan. But I've stayed in these vans several times and they're not only fine but are in fine locations. And for a few quid a head who's complaining?

Find out more and book here:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1195507/UK-Family-Holidays-just-15-.html?ITO=1490

PS. There are two tokens in today's paper to get you going.

NOW READ: Ryanair's latest £5 seat sale - in the school summer holidays 

New York flights approaching £200 threshold

Just how much are the airlines suffering? Well, you can now fly to New York for £216 return.

http://www.flightcentre.co.uk/promotions/travel-zoo

Related

Latest tourist exchange rates

British Airways 'at risk' if pay cut is rejected

Major airlines could go bust soon, says Branson

Ryanair £5 summer flights (July and August)

Ryanair is the Marmite of the skies. You love it or you hate it.

You respect the low prices, the fact it has shaken up the market for the good, its record on punctuality and the go-getting attitude of the chief executive Michael O'Leary - or you hate the fact you don't get an allocated seat, the extra charges such as pay-to-check-in and pay-to-pay unless you have an elusive Electron card and the customer's-always-wrong attitude of the chief executive.

Whatever side of the perimeter fence you sit, you can't deny that flying halfway across Europe for a fiver plus taxes and other cr*p is a fine way to see our bit of the world, especially if the deal is available in the school summer holidays, which this time it is.

Check out the latest £5 flights here:

http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/?klc=y

>> NOW READ: The most useful page on the internet: Ryanair's list of charges

Related

Cheaper holiday insurance

Cheaper car insurance

Holiday articles tips and advice (general)

Holiday article tips and advice (money)

Latest travel bargains: late deals, cheap flights and money off hotels, villas and holidays (Travel Mail)

Annual European breakdown insurance for less than £60

The big two former motoring clubs, the AA and the RAC, offer breakdown insurance that can sometimes feel like they're trying to break the bank balance.

But here's one that offers similar all-encompasing cover such as at-home recovery and tow-home from the UK and Europe for just 60 quid for a year - even for older cars.

Go to Gocompare and click on Breakdown cover.

http://www.gocompare.com/insurance/

Related

You can insurance loads for less - check out our products here

Half-price hotels - UK summer sale from Accor group

Not content with cutting prices at its hotel chains across continental Europe (promotion now closed), the Accor group is now slashing prices at Novotels, Mercures, Ibises and Etaps in Britain.

As ever, the 'Up to' monsters are at work so the deals are only up to 50% off. The full discount is pretty limited but if Newcastle Airport for £36 a night is your thing, check it out:

http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/promotion/specials/uk-hotel-summer-sale.shtml

It's for bookings made until 29 June, for stays in July and August.

Premier Inns is also cutting prices, with rooms from £29. But you have to book three weeks in advance.

http://www.premierinn.com/pti/premieroffers.do

Related

Cheaper holiday insurance

Cheaper car insurance

Holiday articles tips and advice (general)

Holiday article tips and advice (money)

Latest travel bargains: late deals, cheap flights and money off hotels, villas and holidays (Travel Mail)

near Newcastle Airport

Save £5 (10%) on the inflatable HandiRack roof rack

If you needed evidence that we truly are in the 21st century then check this out: the inflatable roof rack. Nope, it's not a joke. It is, we think, a stroke of geniuis. You can keep it in the boot, whip it out and strap on your boat, your wardrobe or your surfboard. It's Australian. It fits all cars with doors. And until 1 July it's on offer at £50, down from £55.

Find out more about HandiRack

Related

Cheaper holiday insurance

Cheaper car insurance

Holiday articles tips and advice (general)

Holiday article tips and advice (money)

Oz, New Zealand flights sale: from £357 return

This is getting ridiculous. Fly to Australia and New Zealand from September to December for less than £400 with Singapore Airlines.  Understandably there aren't many dates left. But worth a look nonetheless.

http://www.netflights.com/airlineoffers/singapore-airlines/?srcid=C_1

Related

Cheaper holiday insurance

Cheaper car insurance

Holiday articles tips and advice (general)

Holiday article tips and advice (money)

£50 Boots voucher if you book your holiday on Expedia

Says Expedia.co.uk: "Book Any Holiday for travel between the 20th July 2009 and 31st October 2009 for 4 Nights or more to receive a £50 Boots Gift Card, Hurry this offer is only available until the 22nd June 2009"

http://www.expedia.co.uk/daily/voucher/tc_travelhook2_uk.aspx

Details of the offer will show up once you've selected a trip.

Related

Decent, affordable travel insurance

Latest tourist rates 

New car rental comparison service

Another site to add to our ever growing armoury of sites to check out before doing stuff is mercifully probably one worth checking out.

It's a car rental comparing tool from the people at the flights comparison service, Skyscanner. 

Here you go:

http://www.skyscanner.net/car-hire/

Related

Cheaper holiday insurance

Cheaper car insurance

Holiday articles tips and advice (general)

Holiday article tips and advice (money)

More French holiday discounts

Continuing this little series of Nobody Wants To Go To France Any More Because it's Too Damn Expensive But It Seems They've Cottoned On And Are Dropping Prices, I bring you another holiday sale.

This time from PV-Holidays, where discounts of between 20% and 40% are available for the summer holidays. PV run usually upmarket holiday villages for families.  

The offer includes the brands Pierre & Vacances, Maeva, Latitudes Hotels, Residences MGM. Adagio City Aparthotels are not included in this offer. The discount is available on bookings made for stays of minimum 2 nights between 7 May 2009 and 15 November 2009.

http://www.pv-holidays.com/

Related

Latest euro rates

Travel money deals and news

Flybe flights sale extended

Only until the end of today, but there are some interesting offers available through to the end of August.

http://www.flybe.com/

Related

Travel Mail holiday offers

Travel insurance deals finder

600,000 hotel rooms from £26 - only six days to book

Something odd is happening in France. The former most popular holiday destination in the world appears to be having trouble attracting tourists.

It doesn't take a qualified head doctor to work out that it may have something to do with it now being one of the most wretchedly expensive holiday destinations out there. But it does seem as if the problem is being remedied somewhat.

The Accor Group, behind such names as Formule 1, Mercure, Etap, Novotel and Ibis, has slashed prices for bookings made until 1 June. It is offering 600,000 rooms across France and the rest of Europe from £26 a night but bookings must be made within a six-day window, which began yesterday.

Check out Accor's Happy Nights promotions here

Eurotunnel is at it too, offering 70% off hotels in the north of France.

Check out Eurotunnel's hotels offers here

In Paris, big, smart hotels are also having to take a ride down the discount route. The Meridien Montparnasse, for example, is dolling out rooms down from mega bucks to 111€ a night.

And Active Hotels is offering Paris hotels for 30€ a night, and even London rooms for just £5  - although I couldn't find any so not such a great offer as it makes out.

Related

Sort out your travel insurance

Our latest travel news 

Probably the most useful page on the internet - Ryanair's list of charges

People love to knock Ryanair and with the ever-more imaginative ways of finding things to charge for I can't help but feel the company is getting harder to defend. Oh, yeah, it's still cheap sometimes and pretty reliable.

But with latest ruse which means you cannot now fly with Ryanair without paying to check in - £5 to check in online, £40 if you show up at the airport without having checked in online - it struck me that the most useful page on the whole of the world wide web is probably Ryanair's list of charges.

At least if would be if it was a bit clearer. For example, the 'Not Checked in Online Fine £40' is referred to as the 'Airport Boarding Card Re-issue - Booked via a Call Centre or Airport £40.'

Anyway, here's the page. Bookmark it, print it, check it regularly, memorise it or click on the image to admire it in full pop-up glory.

http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/faqs.php?sect=CHARGES

Related

Travel insurance - get some without hidden extras

Legoland annual pass for just £10

It's true. Although it is only for children. But if you buy and collect your pass before the end of May you'll pay but a tenner. A saving of £43 on the annual children's pass at Legoland, a park suited to younger children. The adult's pass costs £71. Day tickets for adults cost £22.

For this and more Legoland offers visit Lastminute.com

Related

More money saving theme parks tip can be found in my book

Richard Browning

Beach towels 2 for £5 and other deals from the Webless wonders

It's always interesting to see that some of our more successful low-cost High Street stores don't bother spending (wasting?) money only fancy online presence.

Take Primark: Profits up | Website rubbish

Or TK Maxx (parent company TJX): sales up | you can't buy stuff online

And Bon Marche (Peacock Group):  Sales up | Nothing to buy online

If such cod analysis offered any kind of insight into retailing, which is probably doesn't, you could argue that maybe Woolworths should never have bothered with a website. Although those in the know clearly disagree as the brand is already back up and running on line at Woolworths.co.uk.

More interesting still are the High Street stores that have a strong presence in the real world with only a half-hearted online store.

One such is QS, which is currently offering a brilliant deal for beach towels at 2 for £5 in store. But you'll hear none of this on its website, which has a small collection of shoes, hoodies and, yes, towels but, no, no sizes so it's unlikely they'll sell any of them online.

Oh and QS stores are doing rather well too.

Could this really mean the High Street is finally winning the battle against cyberspace? Only way to find out is to go shopping in town and see for yourself.

Related

Recession could be over by August

Crisis and recession: Latest predictions

Retail sales rise fastest in five years (Guardian)

Shop for a better credit card

The man in Seat Sixty-One: affordable rail traffic across the UK and Europe

If, like me, you find the reality of trying to get a family from A to B on a train a jaw-droppingly expensive and therefore an almost always abandoned experience, check out The man in Seat Sixty-One.

One of the train ticketing websites, Trainline.com, has today been pushing its latest brilliant offer of tickets for just £9 in June and July. But as ever when I try to book I find it would cost a family of four more than £300 to visit Newcastle from London for the weekend. Not bad, you may argue. But not £9 each way each either. Not on the days and times I want to go and not as cheap as jumping in the car.

But help is here. There are alternatives to Trainline.com and there is a world of affordable rail travel out there if only you can work out the fares and the timetables. And that is where the man in seat sixty-one comes in.

Seat sixty-one is 'The Man's' favourite seat on the Eurostar trains between London and the Continent. He's done it a few times, you see. And he argues that the Eurostar has opened up Britain to a network of railway freedom that previously we could only oggle at from the cliffs of Dover.

Whether you can find the affordable fares he promises is something I have not been able to do. But it doesn't really matter because spending a lunch hour studying the possiblities is a wonderful bit of escapism. Check out...

http://www.seat61.com/

http://www.seat61.com/UKtravel.htm

And once you're hooked: buy the book

Related
 

Train travel from Travel Mail

Travel insurance deals

First ever British Airways business class sale

For the first time ever, British Airways has launched a 2-for-1 promotion on all Club World flights from Gatwick and Heathrow for travel throughout the summer.

According to Travelzoo, the specialist travel offers website: 'When we checked this morning, we found return fares to New York from £1,666 for two people - by far the cheapest price we could find for flights of this calibre.'

The discount applies to all return routes in Club World, including the following (prices are for two people and include all taxes):

Mumbai from £1,604
Miami International from £1,959
Antigua from £2,000
Hong Kong from £2,633
Cape Town International from £2,996
Rio de Janeiro International from £3,022

This offer must be booked before midnight, 5 May, for travel between 1 June and 31 October, but dates vary by route.

Yeah, OK, it's still expensive. But..

...on board you'll enjoy individual flat beds, touch-screen telly and menus designed by some of the world's top chefs. You'll also have access to an exclusive lounge with complimentary food and drinks before boarding. Check out...

BA's business class sale

Related

Travel insurance that won't break the bank

 

Australia for less than £500

It seems its against the law to publish words without mentioning latest karaoke sensation Susan Boyle so there, I've done my bit and now for something interesting.

You can flying to Australia - and back - in May and June for £489. Ridiculous. Check out...

Malaysia Airlines special offers on Trailfinders

Related

Ridiculously cheap travel insurance

 

 

London discounts

According to recent statistics from the flight search website, Skyscanner, the most popular destination for flights from the UK this easter is... wait for it... no, not Florida or France or in fact anywhere in Europe or the rest of the world, but London.

People really are cutting back on foreign travel. Yet, London isn't the cheapest of destinations. There are however some interesting discounts out there. This one caught my eye. 

Save money on Madam Tussauds, London Eye and Tower Bridge 

If you are heading for the capital, the site has other offers worth a look

http://www.discount-london.com/

Related

Millions shun air travel in the crunch

Restaurant offers

South East offers