READY FOR TAKE-OFF

PHILIPPINES SALE

PHILIPPINE Airlines is offering flights from Heathrow to Manila from £614 return. Bookings must be made by November 20 for travel from now until March 31, 2020, excluding December 11-23. Other bargains include Bangkok from £422 return and Sydney from £644 return ( philippineairlines.com).

CARIBBEAN WARMTH

VIRGIN Atlantic starts weekly flights from Heathrow to Barbados on December 14 that will run until February 22, 2020, supplementing the carrier’s services to this popular island from Gatwick and Manchester. For an affordable break, Gibbs Glade has spotless double studios near Mullins Beach from £150 ( gibbsglade.com; virginatlantic.co.uk).

JUST REWARDS

BRITISH Airways has halved the number of Avios points needed to book reward flights in its long-haul economy and premium economy cabins. A return from London to New York is now 13,000 Avios rather than the standard 26,000. Book by November 21 for travel before April 30, 2020 ( ba.com).

END OF AN ERA

AIR NEW Zealand is axeing its flagship route from Heathrow to Los Angeles that has operated since 1982. Daily flights continue until October 2020, when the airline launches a new service between New York and Auckland, pictured. Most UK travellers now fly to New Zealand via the Middle East or Asia, with a journey via Singapore taking around 24 hours ( airnewzealand.co.uk).

SAFER SKIES

THE Home Office has set up a mobile special unit to tackle rogue drones that threaten UK airports, which, it is hoped, will prevent the sort of chaos they caused at Gatwick last Christmas. Military-grade cameras, jamming equipment and bazookas firing nets will be part of an arsenal of counter-measures backed by a new law requiring larger devices to be registered with the Civil Aviation Authority ( dronesafe.uk).

MAP-HAPPY

DO YOU love to look at airline route maps and dream of where you might fly to? Airline Maps is a new wide-format paperback charting the evolution of these artful and increasingly complex diagrams over the past century. From the pioneering hops of Imperial Airways to the world-shrinking networks of modern carriers such as Emirates, there is plenty to drool over (Penguin, £16.99)