We all love that smug feeling of snagging a last-minute flight for the cost of a fancy coffee. But if you’re dreaming of sunbathing in Spain or nibbling croissants in France on a budget, Ryanair has a little plot twist for you. They’re cutting a bunch of routes faster than you can say “Bargain Bucket Airlines.”
Why? Well according to The Mirror, To avoid paying European taxes and airport fees. Because, let’s be honest, Ryanair’s business model doesn’t leave much wiggle room for “luxuries” like extra costs.
Spain: Hasta Luego, Cheap Seats Spain, the beloved land of tapas and accidental sunburns, is taking a big hit. Ryanair plans to chop summer 2025 air traffic here by a hefty 18 per cent. Translation: roughly 800,000 fewer bums on seats and 12 entire routes saying “adiós.”
Bye-bye, flights to Jerez and Valladolid, and one airport in Santiago will also disappear. Plus, cities like Vigo, Zaragoza, Asturias, and Santander will see traffic cuts. Expect a lot of confused tourists clutching beach towels at random Spanish bus stations.
Italy: Arrivederci, Aircraft Over in Rome, Ryanair is pulling one of its planes from Fiumicino airport. The Italian government must be shaking its fists in frustration, or maybe just enjoying another espresso.
Denmark and France: Route Reductions Ahoy! All flights from London Stansted to Aalborg in Denmark are getting the axe. Meanwhile, French and Austrian routes are also hanging by a thread. Apparently, Ryanair has had it with their aviation taxes.
What’s a Budget Traveler to Do? If your budget escape to Europe is suddenly feeling more “mission impossible,” fear not. You could book with another airline—or embrace your inner train enthusiast! Sleeper train services are set to make a big splash in 2025. Nothing screams “adventure” like bunk beds and lukewarm sandwiches.
So, Ryanair may be flying less, but your options for quirky travel stories are wide open. Happy (tax-dodging) travels!
A major travel company has said it will no longer offer flights from the Brunei owned airline.
STA Travel has said it is to stop offering its customers flights from the Brunei-backed airline, Royal Brunei Airlines. The move to boycott the airline has come on the back of the decision of the nation’s government to use the death penalty to punish sex between gay and bisexual men.
The travel company has also offered refunds for anyone who has already bought tickets to travel on the Airline.
The airline, which is a small player in terms of airline size enjoys codeshares with 10 other airlines including KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Thai Airlines.
In a statement to THEGAYUK, STA travel said,
“We’re proud of our open and diverse culture and we expect our partners to demonstrate the same. We do not support in any way the laws being introduced in Brunei (including on Brunei-registered aircraft and vessels). Because of this, we have stopped selling Royal Brunei Airlines flights.
“Anybody who bought Royal Brunei Airlines tickets through STA Travel and who no longer wants to use them can claim a refund, and we will help those customers to make alternative travel arrangements.
“We’ve taken this stance to add our voice to the calls on Brunei to reverse this change in the law and in support of LGBTQI people everywhere.
A study of 2,000 frequent flyers also revealed keeping the volume level at a reasonable level on headphones and helping other passengers hoist heavy bags into overhead lockers will leave a good impression.
Not eating smelly food and keeping your seat upright also made the list as did not hogging the armrest.
Keeping your mouth closed while you munch on airline food was also considered important.
Despite these simple courtesies, nine in 10 Brits have been enraged by the unpleasant behaviour or habits of other passengers on a flight.
Emma Grimster, a spokesperson at TravelSupermarket, which commissioned the study, said: “Flying can be an exciting and even luxurious experience, and in these situations, with the anticipation of a holiday ahead, it seems some people can easily forget their manners.
“Some of us are more frequent flyers than others. Perhaps it is the heightened sense of excitement, or even anxiety of flying at altitude that makes people forget their common courtesy.”
The study also found getting drunk is the most effective method to cheese off other passengers.
Thirty-eight percent said they can’t bear being sat nearby a boozy traveller, and one in four have found themselves subjected to a flatulent flyer making the experience more unpleasant.
With the October half-term just around the corner, more than one third admitted they have been irked by parents who are unable to keep control of their kids during the journey.
Forty percent have been subjected to the cries of a screaming baby while cruising thousands of feet in the air, and one in four have been disrupted by an over-excited toddler.
Personal space is of particular importance on a flight, according to the study.
Fifty-four percent hate having their comfort disrupted by the person behind them digging into or kicking the back of their seat.
And 47 percent have words for the person in front of them putting their seat back all the way.
Stop Talking To Me!
One in five have found themselves sat next to a chatterbox who has talked their ear off for the whole flight.
Thirty-seven percent of those surveyed can’t stand a stranger trying to talk to them during a flight, and three in 10 said they could only tolerate chatter before take-off.
When the irritation gets too much, only one in six have ever gone as far as to complain to a flight attendant about the issue.
Despite these bugbears, 62 percent of those surveyed said they enjoy flying and 62 percent find it a ‘generally relaxing’ experience.
Emma Grimster added: “Many of these points surrounding flight etiquette involve encroaches on noise and space, which is understandable in the limited confines of an aircraft.
“If you are planning to travel with your kids over the half term break, get organised with things to keep them occupied, making the experience as pleasant as possible for both the family and those around you.”
TOP TIPS FOR FLYING WITH CHILDREN FROM EMMA GRIMSTER, SPOKESPERSON AT TRAVELSUPERMARKET
Understand your airline’s luggage allowance for baggage weight and size, as well as for additional items such as buggies and car seats
Pre-book seats together in advance of arriving at the airport
Give yourself enough time to get through the airport and be towards the front of the queue at boarding
Bring activities – perhaps a new book or magazine. Sticker books and drawing materials are a great idea too
Download some favourite programmes to your phone or iPad
Let the children choose a new toy at the airport to keep them occupied on the flight
Bring your own snacks so you’re not waiting around for the in-flight service. It can also be a good idea to have a snack and drink to hand during take-off to help with any ear pressure
Take a change of clothes, as well as wipes and nappies (if needed) close to hand. Check you also have a sick bag in the seat in front, just in case required
Be prepared for a few sideways looks from other passengers and remember we were all children once!
Enjoy the experience through your child’s eyes. You might have flown many times, but if this is your child’s first flight, the wonder will be all new
TOP TEN FLIGHT ETIQUETTE RULES
1. Don’t drink too much
2. Keep your seat upright or reclined to a reasonable degree
3. Ensure your children are well behaved and not making too much noise
4. Hold in your wind where possible
5. Sort out your overhead storage before you sit down so you don’t disturb people by getting up and down
6. Be respectful of others when it comes to the armrests
7. Don’t try and join the ‘Mile High Club’
8. Avoid eating smelly food
9. Eat your meals and snacks quietly with your mouth closed
10. Avoid moaning too much to others if there is a crying baby on the plane
Having just returned from New York, I can reveal the best airport to fly into from the UK.
After an eight hour flight, the last thing you want to be doing is waiting 2 hours in an arrival queue. andychoinski / Pixabay
When you fly to New York there are two main choices of airport to fly into, the famous JFK which is actually in the State of New York or Newark Liberty International Airport which is actually in New Jersey, one State over. Despite this, getting into Manhattan from both airports is easy and takes around the same amount of time. So which are you best off flying into?
My last trip to New York, I opted to fly into John F. Kennedy International Airport – having previously only flown into Newark. It was a mistake. Despite the heritage of JFK and its incredible structures, like the old TWA terminal, the arrivals queues are long – very long.
As I already had an ESTA I opted for the re-entry queue, which on the face of it looked short, but in reality, there was just ONE officer, who was stressed, to say the least, checking everybody’s passports, including US citizens, reentry ESTA visitors, Armed Forces and diplomats. Except, the last two got priority over everyone already standing in line. It took me over two hours to get through to baggage claim from the door of the aircraft.
My partner who was travelling with me, who didn’t have a previously used ESTA had to use the main line. It took him 30 minutes longer. So in total, we had to wait two and half hours in queues before we even reached the arrivals’ hall.
You can check peak times and queue wait times at the AWT website. Skitterphoto / Pixabay
Perhaps this was a off day, however speaking to a representative from the airline at baggage claim, she confided that sometimes the lines were even longer – with an extra 45 minutes wait time.
Of course, it all depends on the time of your arrival. Many of the inbound flights from the UK arrive later in the day, which could account for the backlog. According to AWT, which calculates wait times at US airports, the busiest time in terms of passengers happens around 1 PM, 7 PM and 10.00 PM.
I have flown into Newark a few times and never experience this kind of queue. So in my opinion, I’d opt for Newark in New Jersey from now on.
We all know the drill. Before your flight takes off, you’ll most probably be asked to remove your headphones by the flight attendants, and the same again will happen as your plane prepares to land. But they never explain why.
Most people onboard oblige, but some will just pop them earbuds straight back in once the cabin crew have passed by and taken their seats. But a stark warning from an airline pilot on Quora, has us thinking maybe we all need to start doing what we’re told!
Sebastian Lender, who is an airline pilot, advises that if your plane should hit a flock of birds – known as bird strike, and you’re wearing headphones that are banging out the latest Justin Bieber tune, that you won’t hear the warnings from the flight deck or from the cabin crew telling you to brace for impact, which could lead you to receive catastrophic injuries like shattered shins, fractured arms, but perhaps worst of all, that the impact from the “vertical compression broke your back”.
Although rare, bird strike is a real threat to aircraft, particularly during takeoff and landings. One of the most recent high-profile instances of a bird strike causing an aeroplane to crash land was the US Airways Flight 1594, which crash-landed in the Hudson River in New York in 2009.
Luckily no one was killed or severely injured in that particular crash due to the professional actions and instructions from the flight deck and from the cabin crew, but there have been instances were crash landings have caused fatalities and horrifying, life-changing injuries.
So remember when your cabin crew tell you to do something, it’s always for a reason and shouldn’t be ignored.
Instead of using “husband and wife” a booklet given to cabin crew and other staff at the airline have suggested that they start using words like “partner”, “spouse”. Instead of “mum and dad”, they’ll be using a simple “parents” in a bid to use non-gendered language.
moerschy / Pixabay Staff were given a booklet outlining the change in language to help make the airline more inclusive.
People and culture group executive Lesley Grant said, “We have a long and proud history of promoting inclusion among our people, our customers and society, including support of indigenous issues, gender parity in business and marriage equality”.
The company is also warning against “manterruptions” and “mainsplaining” to stop male workers from talking over their female counterparts.
The company is drawing a line under gendered terms like “Chairman”.
The booklet explains, “Language can make groups of people invisible,”
“For example, the use of the term ‘chairman’ can reinforce the idea that leaders are always men.”
A Qantas spokeswoman told Yahoo7 News the booklet was created by the Diversity Council of Australia and was supplied to around 150 other companies.
“We want Qantas to be an inclusive workplace and we shared some factsheets created by the Diversity Council of Australia with some suggestions on more inclusive language, particularly on gender, age and LGBTI issues.”
Maybe you shouldn’t kick ’em off just before take off.
You know the drill, you’ve settled in for your flight, you’ve got your thimble of champers (if you’re in business/first) the aircraft has just pushed back from the gate and you kick off your shoes and make yourself a little more comfortable. But one expert suggests that perhaps you should keep them on, at least for take off – and then again for landing.
Take off and landings are the most dangerous part of the flight most air crashes happens during takeoff or landing.
One expert on Quora has suggested that keeping your shoes on, could, in fact, save your life in case of an emergency.
Tony Luna suggests that after a crash a lot of debris could litter your exit route and that litter could include shards of glass and scraps of metal. Not having shoes on could literally shred your feet and stop you reaching safety.
Remember that scene with Bruce Willis in Die Hard?
If you’re thinking that you could just slip them on in the case of an emergency, Tony warns that in a cabin filled with panic and chaos every second counts. He explains, “during an emergency, all sorts of debris and unpleasant ground surface will block your way towards the exit, as well as outside the aircraft.
“If your feet isn’t [sic] properly covered, you’ll have a hard time making your way to safety.
“Imagine destroying your bare feet as your run down the aisle covered with broken glass, fires and metal shards. Kinda like John Mclane in Die Hard, but worse.”
But before we all melt into worry about flying, to put an accident into perspective, in 2017 there were no major air crashes involving a passenger jet. Flying remains one of the safest ways to travel.
Lisa and Hayley, despite being married live 10,000 miles apart, due to a family tragedy, British Airways did something amazing for them.
Hayley and Lisa
British Airways, told us,
Lisa wrote into the airline’s BA Magic campaign to tell their story. She explained the couple had met in Australia in 2011 and moved together to the UK in 2012. Just before Hayley’s 30th birthday, Lisa took her to Paris and proposed. Hayley said yes, and the pair married in a beautiful ceremony in Derby surrounded by friends and family in August 2015.
The only people that couldn’t be there were Hayley’s mother, Debbie and father, Steve. Steve was recovering from Stage 4 tongue cancer and Debbie has the degenerative condition, Muscular Dystrophy, so the journey was just too much. They were there thanks to Facetime technology though, with Steve delivering a very proud father-of-the-bride speech.
The happy couple moved to Glasgow, where Lisa started her dream job as a police officer in one of the city’s most deprived areas, while Hayley pursued her passion, establishing herself as a blogger and vlogger of all things vintage.
Sadly their happy bubble burst just a year-and-a-half later when Hayley received the devastating news that Steve’s cancer had returned and was now terminal.
On Valentine’s Day this year, she rushed back to Australia leaving Lisa, their beloved pet dog, Hettie and all her friends behind in the UK.
Steve died peacefully with Hayley by his side on March 26.
Hayley has been in Australia ever since, helping her Mum sort through her Dad’s affairs and assisting her Mum through her own condition. Lisa and Hettie have moved back to Lisa’s hometown of Derby, and she is now an officer for the West Midlands Police Force.
The BA Magic team read Lisa’s letter and knew they had to reunite the pair so, with Lisa, Debbie and Hayley’s boss, Adam’s help, they planned the surprise of a lifetime.
After weeks of secretive planning, British Airways cabin crew member, Claire Allinson found herself hidden in the wings at a conference Hayley was attending, with a pair of return business class tickets from Sydney to London for Hayley and her mum, Debbie.
Under the ruse of a work request, Adam asked Hayley to remain seated at a table in the large conference room as it was cleared after lunch. As Hayley waited for him to return, a video of Lisa rolled through one of the giant screens telling her to get packed as she and mum, Debbie were flying to London the following day.
After a sleepless night for the pair, they were picked up early and welcomed at Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport by the British Airways team, before boarding the aircraft early and being seated with a glass of champagne.
During the 22-hour flight Hayley and Debbie caught up on some much needed sleep on the airline’s fully flat business class beds, watched numerous films and enjoyed the in-flight catering.
Waiting for them at Heathrow was Lisa complete with balloons, flowers and their dog, Hettie, for an emotional reunion.
Hayley said: “I couldn’t believe it and it certainly didn’t sink in until I was back in the UK! It all happened so fast and was like a dream. One day I was at a conference, the next I was in a British Airways business class seat on my way to London to be reunited with my wife!
“Being able to take the trip with Mum was the most special thing and it has meant the world to her. She’d never been on a long-haul flight before and it would have been Dad’s dream to take her on holiday like this. It has awakened so many possibilities within her. This is just the beginning of a new chapter and I know there are many adventures in store for her yet.”
Lisa said: “I got in touch with British Airways more out of hope than expectation. I couldn’t believe it when they said they’d help us. The fact we could surprise Hayley and that Deb could come too, knowing she’d be comfortable and looked after on the flight, made it all the more special.
“Hayley must have wondered what was wrong with me in the run-up to them arriving as I was constantly rushing off our frequent Facetime calls as I was so worried I’d give it away!
“I barely slept a wink the night before they arrived and Hettie and I were at the airport bright and early waiting for the flight. It was so wonderful to see them both appear through arrivals and we had the most amazing time seeing friends and family, visiting Buckingham Palace, walking the gardens of Chatsworth House, touring villages with thatched roofs, savouring proper Cornish pasties and sipping champagne on the London Eye.”
Carolina Martinoli, British Airways’ director of brand and customer experience, said: “As soon as we read Lisa’s email, we wanted to help. They’ve all had an incredibly tough time and it was in our gift to make a big difference.
“It looks like they’ve had an amazing trip to London and we were delighted to hear that it has opened up a world of travel for Debbie again and shortened the distance between Lisa and Hayley seeing each other next. It’s lovely that we’ve been able to help them create some incredible memories and we wish them all the very best for the future.”
British Airways is asking customers who have booked a trip with them to email their stories in, in the hope of making their trip a little bit more magical.
Ryanair, the-world’s-favourite-squeeze-more-out-of-you airline is set to change its cabin baggage policy.
In a bid to tackle late departures, Ryanair says that passengers who haven’t booked a priority ticket, will only be able to carry on “one small” cabin bag – you will have to check your larger items.
Previously all passengers were allowed to take on two pieces of baggage, one small handbag and a larger suitcase like cabin bag, but that’s all set to change from January 15th. Now if you want both bags with you on the plane you will have to have a priority, Flexi Plus or Family Plus ticket. If you’re a standard ticket holder, your larger item will have to go in the hold – although that will be for free. The only catch is you’ll have a longer wait time at the airport at the end of your destination as you’ll have to pick it up from baggage reclaim.
Want to keep both sets of baggage with you on the plane? You’ll have to cough up €5.00 for a priority boarding pass, at the time of booking or €6 up to one hour before the flight.
It’s not all bad news though, Ryanair has lowered the price of its checked baggage from €35 to €25 each way and raised the limit from 15kgs to 20 kgs.
What will I be able to take into the Ryanair cabin with me?
If you are a standard, non-priority customer, you’ll only be permitted to bring on one small cabin bag. If you bring larger cabin bag, you will have to put it into the hold.
Your handbag must be no bigger than 35cm x 20cm x 20cm your cabin bag or suitcase must be no bigger than 55cm x 40cm x 20cm and 10kg in weight.
Time for change
Speaking about the policy change, Kenny Jacobs said,
“We will delay the introduction of our new cabin bag rules until 15th January 2018, to allow our customers more time to familiarise themselves with the policy changes. From Jan, we will be restricting non-priority customers to one small carry-on bag (their wheelie bag will be placed in the hold, free of charge at the boarding gate) which will speed up the boarding of flights and eliminate flight delays.
“We have already introduced the first phase of the new bag policy which offers our customers lower bag fees for a 33% increase in their check-in bag allowance. This will lead to fewer customers with 2 carry-on bags at the boarding gates, which is causing flight delays.
“The new cabin bag policy will be implemented for all travel after 15th January 2018, and we hope our customers will enjoy the savings of our new simplified bag policy.”
This week a reader is looking to book a ticket to Australia but wants to ensure that the layover is in a gay-friendly destination.
Dear Travel Team
I’m in the process of booking a flight to Australia and I wanted to know where I should stop over. Many airlines offer a stop over in Abu Dhabi or Qatar or other Arab nations and I realise that homosexuality is legal in many of these countries. I was wondering which airlines offer the safest places to stop over for LGBT+ people
John,
Hello John,
Travelling to Australia is a long process and requires at least one layover on the way. There are two ways in which airlines traverse the planet to get to Australia – either westwards over North America, which involves a stopover in Los Angeles in the US or Vancouver in Canada. The other way is eastwards where there are many more layover options. However in many of these countries, as an openly gay man, you may face legal issues.
Homosexuality is still illegal in many destinations in the Middle East, including Abu Dabi, Dubai and Qatar, which are all incredibly popular pit stops for the airlines. Some airlines also use Singapore or Malaysia where homosexuality is also illegal.
So we would recommend looking at a stopover destination which is gay-friendly or where at least homosexuality isn’t illegal. Luckily there are loads of choices in the USA, Philippines, Japan, Canada and China. As an extra benefit, many of these countries have airlines operating the UK/Australia route which has the least expensive flights.
Here are some of the places in which airlines stop where homosexuality is illegal:
Air France stops in Abu Dhabi.
Alitalia stops in Abu Dhabi.
British Airways stops in Singapore.
Emirates stops in Dubai.
Etihad Airways stops in Abu Dhabi.
Malaysia Airlines stops in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.
QatarAirlines stops in Hamad Intl. Doha.
Qantas stops in Dubai.
Singapore Airlines stops in Singapore.
Virgin Austrailia stops in Abu Dhabi.
Virgin Atlantic stops in Singapore.
Airlines which fly to Austraila using stopovers in countries which are gay-friendly or where it is not legal to be gay.
Air China stops in Capital Intl in China.
All Nippon Airways stops in Haneda Japan.
Air Canada stops in Canada (Vancouver).
American Airlines stops in Los Angeles, USA.
Asiana Airlines stops in Seoul in South Korea.
Cathay Pacific stops in Hong Kong.
China Eastern Airlines stops in Shanghai, China.
China Southern Airlines stops in Baiyun Intl in China.
KLM stops in Guangzhou, China.
Lufthansa stops in Los Angeles, USA.
Thai Airways International stops in Suvarnabhumi Intl, Thailand.
Philippines Airlines stops in Manila, Philippines.
We stumbled across the best Instagram account out there for those of you who’ve ever had a cabin crew crush.
Let’s be honest, most of the time the second we clamber onboard our Ryan Air flight, we put our headphones in and do our best to ignore the world until we land. Yes, I know I should watch the safety demonstration, but I literally flew out 2 days ago and I doubt anything has changed since then. Wear a seatbelt, don’t smoke, brace brace, etc etc.
That being said, perhaps I’d be more inclined to pay attention if these guys were standing by the cockpit (there, I’ve said it, the cockpit joke has been made. Now we can all move on).
