Online auction for bargain flights

The Guardian, in its excellent Travel section, has an online auction whereby readers can bid on some real bargain flights to Spain and further afield (see http://www.guardianauctions.co.uk).

Having taken a look at this new service this morning, it appears that not many users are aware of this online flights auction, because most of the flights remain at the starting price and there is little evidence of very much bidding among users.

People who travel frequently to Spain and can afford to be flexible about dates might find a real bargain. Unlike most online low cost airline websites, all flights are return, usually either one or two-week returns, but the bidding price does not include tax and charges.

This week online users of the Guardian can make a bid on the following flights to Spanish destinations (the price is the starting price at the time of writing):

• 1 week return flight from Luton to the Costa Brava, departs 6/6/06: £40
• 1 week return flight from Luton to Ibiza, departs 9/6/06: £40
• 14 night return flight from Birmingham to the Costa Brava, departs 10/6/06: £40
• 1 week return flight from Glasgow to Ibiza, departs 7/6/06: £40
• 14 night return flight from Luton to the Costa Dorada, departs 6/6/06: £40
• 1 week return flight from Luton to Gran Canaria, departs 8/6/06: £40

Flybe flights sale to Spanish destinations

The low cost airline Flybe has launched its "Biggest ever Sale" and includes some flights to Spain in its special offers.

Flybe was voted best low-cost business airline in 2005 and one of the factors that differentiate this company from other low cost airlines is that it offers business class on some flights. Flybe allows passengers to pre-book seats, from 5, and so avoid the rush to get the best seats when boarding. The airline also claims to have 31 inches more leg room than its competitors, which may be perk for larger passengers. And passengers wanting to check in online can do so between 24 hours and 2 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Although the company began as a small airline flying passangers from Jersey to mainland Britain and 83% of its flights are still domestic, Flybe does operate routes to Spain - Alicante, Murcia, Malaga and Palma de Mallorca - from Birmingham, Exeter, Norwich and Southampton airports.

The following routes are included in Flybe's special Summer sale (price includes taxes and charges and corresponds to one-way flights):

• Birmingham to Murcia, Malaga and Alicante from £59.99
• Exeter to Murcia, Malaga, Alicante and Palma from £59.99
• Southampton to Palma from £49.99
• Southampton to Alicante and Malaga from £59.99
• Norwich to Alicante from £44.99
• Norwich to Malaga from £55.99
• Norwich to Murcia from £54.99
  
  
  
  
  
  

Monarch special offer for passengers flying to Barcelona or Malaga

Tour and transfer company Viator has announced a special 10% discount for all passengers flying to Barcelona and Malaga with low cost airline Monarch. Passengers who book their holidays before 31st May 2006 can get a discount on the following tours:

Day trips in Barcelona:

• Montserrat - a morning trip.
• Full day seeing the sights in Barcelona
• Full day bus trip to Montserrat, winery and Sitges.

Day trips in Malaga:

• A ferry trip to Tangier
• Gibraltar
• Granada

Monarch has also launched some special offer low cost flights for passengers who book their Winter flights early. Seats are available on scheduled flights for as little as £31 (one-way). Monarch Winter flights to Spain include the following new routes:

• Gatwick to Tenerife - 3 flights a week
• Manchester to Lanzarote - 2 flights a week
• Manchester to Menorca
• Birmingham to Murcia, Almeria & Faro

Online check-in with low-cost airlines

This year several low-cost airlines have launched a service enabling their customers to do an online check in, print their boarding pass and avoid the usual queues at the check-in desks in airports.

Ryanair already offers this service to passengers flying from several destinations. Customers can obtain their boarding card from 72 to 4 hours before the scheduled flight departure time and are allowed to carry hand luggage weighing up to 10 kilos.

British airline Bmibaby which specialises in cheap flights has launched a new service for passengers flying from East Midlands Airport. The service is available to travellers carrying hand luggage weighing less than seven kilograms and if it proves popular, Bmibaby plans to expand its online check-in to the other airports it flies from.

Easyjet does not yet offer on-line check in although it does offer offer a self-check-in service in Nottingham East Midlands airport which it plans to expand across all other airports in the future.

Important things to remember when doing an online check in

• Put your printed boarding card in your passport as soon as you have finished the online check-in procedure to avoid leaving it at home. You will need to present both at airport security and if you forget it some airlines charge a fee for having to reissue a boarding card
• Check the hand luggage weight allowance - it varies from airline to airline
• Online check in is not usually available for passengers travelling with prams, wheelchairs or similar equipment
• Once the online-check in procedure is carried out, passengers are no longer able to make any changes to their flight booking

Cheapest flights from Belfast to Spain

Two of the biggest UK low-cost airlines are offering cheap flights from Belfast airport to several Spanish destinations.

Although it is more difficult to find the same kind of deals available from other international airports in the UK, it is still possible to find some bargain flights. These are the best offers we have found available for a two week return flight to Spain from Belfast in June:

Jet2:

• Belfast to Barcelona for as low as £77.96(including airport tax and charges)
• Belfast to Murcia (and cheap flights in July and August are already scarce on this route)

Easyjet:

• Belfast to Alicante, for £182.48
• Belfast to Malaga, for £182.48
• Belfast to Palma Mallorca lowest priced flights are selling for £157.48

Another option available to air passangers flying to Spain from Belfast is to do the journey via London. Cheap flights with Easyjet from Belfast to London Gatwick start at just under £20, and return flights from Gatwick to Alicante in June start at £38.98, so it is actually cheaper to fly to Spain from Belfast if you don't mind having a longer journey and travelling via London.

Cheap weekend breaks in Spain

The company Dialaflight is offering special deals for people wanting to spend a weekend break in some of Spain's most popular cities. Special offers include return flights and hotel accommodation in a twin room for one night. The following Spanish destinations are available:

• Weekend break in Barcelona: Flying with Iberia. 1 night at the 2* Bonanova Park with breakfast From £159. Valid from 17/04/2006 to 31/10/2006 (see visitors guide to Barcelona).
• Weekend break in Madrid: Exclusive offer flying with British Airways. 1 night at the 4* Florida Norte with breakfast From £115.
• Weekend break in Seville: Flying with British Airways. 1 night at the 4* Al-andalus with breakfast from £119.
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• Weekend break in Marbella: Flying with Iberia. 1 night at the 4* Hotel Las Piramides
  From £169. Valid from 01/04/2006 to 30/06/2006 (see visitors guide to Malaga)

• Weekend break in beautiful Salamanca: Flying with British Airways. 1 night at the 3* Silken Rona Dalba Hotel with breakfast from £105. Valid from 01/05/2006 to 31/10/2006. (see visitors guide to Salamanca)
• Weekend break in Valencia: Flying with Iberia. 1 night at the 3* Husa Serrano with breakfast from £149. Valid from 01/05/2006 to 14/07/2006 (see visitors guide to Valencia)
  

Special hotel deal in Benidorm in August

Despite the fact that for years now tourism experts have been announcing the inevitable decline of the mass sun+sand tourism model, the popularity of Benidorm has never waned, and as a tourist destination it seems to go from strength to strength.

These days Benidorm still receives thousands of holidaymakers attracted by the availability of cheap flights and hotels, but it has also succeeded in diversifying its offer in order to attract more choosy tourists and more and more visitors looking for a cheap break in Spain are starting to consider Benidorm.

And infact Benidorm does actually have alot going for it and has made a big attempt in recent years to move away from the reputation it started to gain as one of Spain's more shabby sun+sea resort in the eighties. New golf courses, water, nature and theme parks, excellent restaurants in Benidorm itself and further up the coast, some of the province's most beautiful coastline in nearby Altea, Javea and Denia....

This year, in June, two new five-star luxury hotels will open in Benidorm, and both have announced a special offer to coincide with the event - luxury rooms at a special rate of just 55 euros per night during August. The hotels belong to the Sheraton and Westin luxury hotel chains respectively and will normally charge anything up to 300 euros for one night.

For further information on this special offer contact either hotel:
Sheraton Real de Faula Golf Resort Tel. (34)(96) 688 9449
Westin Real de Faula Golf Resort & Spa Tel. (34)(96) 680-3852

Related:
Cheap flight to the Costa Blanca
Visitors guide to Alicante
Hotels in the Costa Blanca
Restaurants in the Costa Blanca

Special offer flight from Luton to Malaga

Low cost airline Monarch has just launched a special offer flight from Luton to Malaga one-way for £14.99. The flight is today's "Bargain of the day!" and the deal is valid for passengers flying from Luton to Malaga on 11th June. The flight departs from Luton at 21.05.

Anyone wanting to take advantage of this cheap flight to Malaga should visit Monarch's website and enter the details of the required return flight at the top of the right hand column on the homepage. Return flights do not enter into the speciall offer, and so are inevitably a little more expensive. But some cheap flights from Malaga to Luton are still available in June, some for as low as £24.99.

The prices stated above exlude taxes and charges which are £25.93 on the outbound flight - more than the price of the seat! Anyone interested in this special offer should try and book as soon as possible - there are only six seats left on the flight at the time of writing.

Related:

• Cheap flights to Malaga,
• What to do and see in Malaga,
• Restaurants in Malaga,
• Hotels in Malaga
  
  
  

Cheap flights link Spain to Central Europe

Low cost airline SkyEurope, has launched a set of new special offers from Barcelona to several Central and Eastern European destinations. The Slovakian company flies to some of Central Europe's most beautiful cities including Prague, Bratislava, Cracovia, Strasbourg and Budapest.

SkyEurope is the leading Central European low-cost airline and with its five bases in Budapest, Krakow, Warsaw, Prague and Bratislava,it is the first multi-based airline in the region of Central Europe. The airline started operating cheap flights in 2002 and currently fliles to 37 destinations in 19 countries with 70 different routes.

Some examples of prices from Barcelona to different aiports can be found below:

• Barcelona - Praga from € 14
• Barcelona - Salzburg from € 14
• Barcelona - Bratislava from € 19
• Barcelona - Budapest from € 19
• Barcelona - Cracovia from € 19
• Barcelona - Vienna from € 29
  
  
  
  

Cheap flights to Ibiza

Ibiza is one of Spain's most popular tourist destinations, especially among young adults looking for sunny days on lovely beaches and an exciting nightlife with all kind of entertainment on offer. For this reason, anyone planning on going to Ibiza this Summer would be wise to book now rather than leaving it too late, as prices get higher the nearer we get to high season.

The cheapest flights we have been able to find at the time of writing if you book now and fly in July or August are the following:

• Jet2: Cheap flights from Leeds Bradford to Ibiza in July start at £29 outbound and £39 return, and in August there are still some flights available to for £29 outbound (during the last week of August)
• Easyjet: Flights available from London to Ibiza in July starting at £35.99 outbound and £41.49 return and cheap flights from London to Ibiza in August are still available at £65.99 outbound with return flights for lower than £96.49 already more difficult to find
• Thomsonfly: Special offer cheap flights from Manchester to Ibiza start at £45.23 outbound in July and for as low as £18.23 in August (Monday 28th August). Return flights from Ibiza to Manchester in July are available at €47.56 in July and €70.56 in August

Ibiza is also increasingly popular among Spanish people, which is why the new low-cost Spanish flight companies also offer cheap flights to the islands from some of Spain's major cities. So in high season if it is difficult to find a cheap flight to Ibiza, one option is to find a bargain flight to another Spanish airport with a British low cost airline, and then another cheap flight with a Spanish company from that airport to Ibiza.

People who want to fly to Ibiza from a Spanish destination should try the low cost airline Vueling. They offer cheap flights from Barcelona to Ibiza in July for 35 euros outbound and 30 euros return and flights from Valencia to Ibiza for 30 euros outbound and 20 euros return also in July.

Related links: What to do and see in Ibiza, Hotels in Ibiza

Cheap flights to the Costa Blanca

According to Diario Información, the most popular daily newspaper in the Province of Alicante, tour operator TUI has prepared a strategy to tackle the growing strength of Easyjet, the leading low-cost company linking this area to British airports by increasing the offer of cheap flights to the Costa Blanca, Spain.

Tui plans to triple the number of flights offered at the moment to and from Alicante airport and the UK, in an attempt to capture the increasing number of Brits who own property in Spain and travel regularly between this country and the UK.

According to the article, in October Thomsonfly.com (owned by German tour operator TUI) will launch a new programme of 47 weekly flights linking Alicante with different British airports. Last October the company offered 17 weekly flights.

TUI hopes that this new offer of cheap flights to and from the Costa Blanca will help Thomsonfly to recover some of the ground gained by Easyjet in recent years.

Related: What to do and see in Alicante, Hotels in Alicante, Restaurants in Alicante, Restaurants in the Costa Blanca, Cheap flights to Alicante in June.

Cheap flights to Spain in June

Low cost flight company Excel have just launched some special offers of cheap June flights to Spain. There is a limited number of these special deals, and they are only available to people who book their ticket online.

The special offers are the following:

Week return flight from London Gatwick - Alicante, Saturday 10th June 2006 to Saturday 17th June 2006, £74.00 return. Excel adds a credit/debit card charge (£5.00) and a passenger charge (£25.00) per booking, so the final price is £104. This flight departs from Gatwick on 10th June 2006 at 05.00 (arriving at Alicante airport at 08.25) and the return flight departs from Alicante on 17th June 2006 at 0925

Week return flight from London Gatwick - Malaga, Tuesday 13th June 2006 to Tuesday 20th June 2006, £39.00 return. With the credit/debit card charge (£5.00) and passenger charge (£10.00) per booking, the final price is a very cheap £69.00. This flight departs from Gatwick at 15.25 on 13th June and the return flight leaves Malaga at 20.05 on 20th June.

Week return flight from Manchester to Menorca, Friday 16th June 2006 to Friday 23rd June 2006, £96.00 return. After adding the card charge (£5.00) and passenger charge (£10.00), the total price of this flight is £126.00. This cheap flight departs from Manchester airport on 16th Jun at 18.10 and returns from Mahon, Menorca on 23rd June at 22.40.

Related links: What to do and see in Alicante; What to do and see in Menorca; What to do and see in Malaga.