WHAT’S GOING ON WITH THE AIRLINES?
What are the chances of flying somewhere nice this summer? While the Government continues to advise against all non-essential international travel, airlines are striving to get us moving again with a flurry of cheap deals and rigorous health-and-safety procedures. In the hope that travel restrictions and quarantines will be lifted soon, here’s the latest from our favourite carriers.
FACE-MASKS are compulsory. The airline will operate the first flight from London City when it re-opens tomorrow to the Isle of Man, and other routes now on sale include Ibiza, Malaga and Florence. Most departures are from Heathrow.
WE SAY: BA’s ‘book with confidence’ policy makes it a good pick for a trip later this year or next. If you book before August 31 for travel up to April 30, 2021, you can change the date and destination of your flight without an administration fee up to April 30, 2022. As with all carriers, any fare difference will be payable ( ba.com).
VIRGIN Atlantic’s take-off is set for July 20 to Orlando, Hong Kong, New York, Los Angeles and Shanghai. All passengers will be given a medical-grade face-mask along with a ‘wellbeing wipe’ and ‘stay well’ gel.
WE SAY: Virgin has high service standards and its measured return to flying will allow it to fine-tune how we are cared for. If a flight is cancelled, passengers can keep their ticket open as a credit valid until September 30, 2022 ( virginatlantic.com).
IT RE-STARTED flights within the UK this week and aims to have 75 per cent of its 1,022 routes operating in August. If you need to re-book, its schedules extend to May 2021.
WE SAY: Don’t expect many bargains, but there are attractive fares in September, such as Stansted to Cagliari, Sardinia, from £28.99 one-way ( easyjet.com).
RYANAIR will restore 90 per cent of its routes on July 1. It is waiving flight-change fees for bookings in July and August, but you can only travel to the same destination and complete your new journey by December 31.
See the ‘Where Can I Fly?’ section of its website. Fares from Stansted to Faro, Portugal, are as low as £12.99 ( ryanair.com).
THE airline has pushed its launch date back to July 15. If you are booked to fly before that date, you have until then to re-book without an administration charge. There are still tempting summer deals such as Birmingham to Bergerac, France, from £39 one-way in late August.
WE SAY: If Jet2.com does cancel your flight you will have a wide choice of places to re-book. A ‘refund credit note’ can be used for a different destination but is only valid for six months from issue ( jet2.com).
NEW routes from Luton to Spain and Greece in July. Some fares are very low, such as £8.99 for a one-way ticket to Milan. If your flight is cancelled you can get a travel credit plus 20 per cent to use at a later date.
WE SAY: A Wizz Flex fare lets you change the date, time and routing of your flight online any number of times. Book before midnight tomorrow for travel up to August 31 and you can add this to the airline’s basic fare for just one euro (90p), wizzair.com.