READY FOR TAKE-OFF

THE Government continues to advise British nationals to avoid all non-essential international journeys, but airlines are revving up to take to the skies. Here’s what you need to know. . .

EASYJET TAKES OFF

FROM June 15, flights will be available from ten UK airports including Bristol, Liverpool, Newcastle and Edinburgh. All will be domestic apart from Gatwick to Nice. No on-board food; daily deep-cleaning of aircraft, hospital-grade air filtration and social distancing ‘where seats are available’.

IT’S A BARGAIN: Gatwick to Glasgow from £34.99 one-way in late June (easyjet.com).

BRITISH AIRWAYS WAITS

BRITISH Airways is tight-lipped about the future and is waiting for the Government to lift its advice for travellers. It has extended the validity of vouchers issued for a disrupted flight until April 30, 2022.

IT’S A BARGAIN: Gatwick to Lanzarote from £51 one-way in July (ba.com).

RYANAIR RETURNS

NOW flying a small selection of routes from Stansted to European cities including Lisbon, Berlin and Bucharest. Yesterday, a daily flight to Porto launched and there are regular connections to Dublin from seven UK airports. Should travel restrictions in the EU be lifted, the carrier plans to reinstate 40 per cent of its normal flight schedule from July 1. Passengers will be required to wear face masks, pass temperature checks and provide contact information for their stay.

IT’S A BARGAIN: Stansted to Faro from £33 one-way in late June (ryanair.com).

JET2.COM FLIES AGAIN

FLIGHTS are set to start again from July 1: passengers booked to fly before then will be contacted to discuss their options. The airline has been praised for its treatment of customers during the crisis, and its owners raised £172 million to bolster operations.

IT’S A BARGAIN: Manchester to Dubrovnik from £30 one-way in late June (jet2.com).

WIZZ AIR MILESTONE

THE Hungarian carrier celebrated its 16th birthday this week and was one of the first to announce a return to flying this summer. Destinations to be served from Luton ‘pending no further travel restrictions’ include four Greek islands, from July 1.

IT’S A BARGAIN: Luton to Rhodes from £32.99 one-way in July and to Marrakesh from £35.99 one-way in October (wizzair.com).

VIRGIN UPDATE

SELECTED flights have now been cancelled until July 12 and customers will receive a credit valid until September 30, 2022. Flights for summer 2021 are now on sale. They will fly from Heathrow, Manchester, Glasgow and Belfast to 24 destinations including Florida, five Caribbean islands and South Africa.

IT’S A BARGAIN: Heathrow to New York from £302 return in September (virgin atlantic.com).

NORWEGIAN ON HOLD

NORWEGIAN has secured £245 million of state loans, but is not yet operating flights to or from the UK. Passengers with cancelled flights can opt for a credit towards future travel plus 20 per cent.

IT’S A BARGAIN: Gatwick to Barcelona from £46 one-way in October (norwegian.com).