"You could just swan on board and be treated like royalty and relax. Everything was taken care of. Those days have gone, sadly." Airline passenger Roger Whittingham was wistful when I talked to him at Gatwick airport on Wednesday. His wife, Finna, lamented: "You tend to think you've got a bargain flight – but once you add on the luggage, it costs you a fortune." I had gone to easyJet's biggest base to gauge passengers' views on the thorny subject of cabin baggage. That morning, Britain's biggest budget airline had been ticked off by the Advertising Standards Authority. The watchdog said easyJet had given the impression that passengers could expect to pay as little as £6 to take a large piece of hand luggage into the aircraft cabin. The boss of easyJet, Kenton Jarvis, maintains: "We're very transparent what that price is." The cost of bringing a roll-along case is, indeed, shown during the booking process. But that charge looks disproportionately high. On 12 February, you can fly on easyJet from Glasgow to Gatwick for an implausibly affordable £15. But taking along a chunky piece of cabin baggage adds £28, almost trebling the price you first thought of. Agreed, an air fare of £43 from Scotland to London is excellent value, especially compared with days when passengers such as the Whittinghams were being treated like royalty. The trouble is: with hand luggage priced at a premium, MEPs seem intent on forcing airlines to scrap cabin baggage charges and allow everyone to bring along a big cabin bag. "Number one, that's politicians completely not understanding their subjects and getting involved with things they shouldn't," the easyJet CEO told me. "People would be charged for products they didn't want. If everyone could bring on a free bag, then those that didn't want to would have to pay for those that did want to. The second thing is: there just isn't the space in the cabin, so that's another lunatic idea. We would go back to the days of having to offload cabin bags and put them in the hold. Flights would be delayed." Life would be so much simpler if every passenger followed the example of Helen Baillie. She was flying with easyJet to Glasgow on her way home to Ayrshire, carrying only a small backpack, and told me: "If you don't need to take luggage, you get a really good bargain. I always pack light". The trick, she revealed, is to wear much of your luggage: "Two jumpers on, two pairs of trousers and shoes that fit inside each other." EasyJet expands: Airline reports early winter losses but is filling more seats
Geneva shutdown: Key ski airport closed after air traffic control failure
Long reach: All you need to know about Project Sunrise from Qantas West bound? Travel to US faces slump according to online poll |
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Cabin baggage? My daughter Daisy many years ago. Please note small children may not travel as hand luggage |
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| In the past I have had root canal treatment, and I have applied for a visa to go on holiday to China (though not at the same time). Were I obliged to repeat one or the other, it would be the dental procedure. British travellers to the People's Republic must complete a devilishly complicated form. They must visit a Chinese visa office in London, Manchester, Belfast or Edinburgh to be fingerprinted. And they must pay upwards of £130. So I welcome yesterday's announcement from Downing Street that China is finally going to allow visitors from the UK to enter without a visa. That courtesy already extends to around 50 nationalities, including European Union countries, Australia and New Zealand. As things stand this morning, the easiest way for British travellers to get a brief experience of China is to take the 10-day transit option and pack in some highlights. It works like this: if you fly from the UK to China and have an onward ticket to a third country, you qualify for a 240-hour visa-free transit pass. But the leading tour operator to China, Wendy Wu, believes the visa demand could be lifted as soon as this weekend. "Hopefully, from next Monday, British travellers will be able to go to China visa free," she told me. "That's the way China does things." The man who pioneered tourism from the UK to the People's Republic in the 1970s is Neil Taylor – then director of Regent Holidays, now a tour leader and travel guide author. He welcomes the news, but warns that air fares could rise in response to a surge in visitor numbers. And while it may look as though the government in Beijing is doing us a favour, he says in reality the People's Republic will benefit: "This will make China competitive with its neighbours – Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Japan – that don't require visas for British people. So now China can join that market again." |
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Will visa-free travel encourage you to book a holiday to China? |
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In the wake of the Prime Minister's visit to China and the news on easier visa rules, are you tempted to visit the People's Republic? Does visa-free travel to China for UK citizens – for stays under 30 days – have you looking for flights? Or will you take your tourism elsewhere? Vote using the buttons above. Last week, you voted overwhelmingly in favour of banning children from first-class train carriages, with just 20 per cent saying kids should be better accommodated. |
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Where are we with liquids at airports? |
Security search areas at some British airports have relaxed the 100 ml limit on individual containers of liquids, aerosols and gels, with Heathrow – the UK's busiest airport – announcing the completion of its £1 bn security upgrade this week. Heathrow now joins Gatwick, Birmingham, Edinburgh and others in allowing passengers to carry liquids in containers of up to two litres. But just because the airport you departed from has a more relaxed policy, don't assume you can carry the same on your return flight. Meanwhile, almost all UK airports now have new security scanners that allow passengers to leave laptops, tablets and liquids inside their cabin baggage. However, at many airports – including Manchester, Stansted and Glasgow – the 100 ml limit for individual containers still applies. |
Aer Lingus ends transatlantic flights from Manchester |
Aer Lingus is set to close its transatlantic base at Manchester Airport within weeks. The New York JFK route ends on 23 February 2026, while the final flights from Orlando and Barbados will return on the morning of 31 March. Passengers booked on later flights are entitled to full refunds. However, most will want to take advantage of Aer Lingus's legal obligation to get them to their final destination "under comparable transport conditions". For New York and Orlando, the obvious alternative is a nonstop Virgin Atlantic flight from Manchester. But the Irish airline says the only option besides a refund is to fly via Dublin – adding hours to the journey. Aer Lingus maintains that air passengers' rights rules "do not require an airline to replicate every aspect of the original journey structure or to provide an identical nonstop service on another carrier". In other words, it can rebook passengers via Dublin and retain their fares. The Civil Aviation Authority says it cannot decide whether passengers who booked nonstop flights are entitled to a like-for-like replacement, leaving the matter for a court or an alternative dispute resolution body. |
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What ID do I need for flying around the UK? |
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I am a British citizen, living in England. My passport expired a year ago. I have no intention of going abroad, but am tempted to use flights to visit various parts of the UK. Can this be done without a passport? Or is it just best to bite the bullet and renew? |
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For a compact kingdom, the UK has an extraordinarily dense network of domestic air routes. Intercity flights – such as London or Bristol to Edinburgh or Glasgow – are often significantly cheaper and faster than rail journeys. Regrettable, perhaps, but true. Reaching Northern Ireland from Great Britain is easy and inexpensive by air, and rather more complicated by train and ferry. For flights within the UK, all airlines require some form of photographic ID from adult passengers, though their rules differ – and none insist on a valid passport. Ryanair will accept "any photo ID which matches the passenger's name in the booking." Britain's biggest budget carrier, easyJet, prefers a valid driving licence or a passport no more than five years out of date. On British Airways, if you lack a valid passport, police warrant card or armed forces ID, a driving licence is your best bet. Aer Lingus Regional operates many flights linking Great Britain with Belfast City Airport. It requires a valid passport only if available; otherwise a bus pass, work ID or even an International Student Identity Card is acceptable. Loganair, with a busy domestic network across Scotland and England, will accept an old passport up to five years out of date, a bus pass, or a driving licence. If you're tempted to travel beyond the UK, the same rules generally apply for the Common Travel Area – covering Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands – with one exception: Ryanair flights between Britain and Ireland require a valid passport. |
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| Craving adventure? Save up to 15% on Trafalgar tours departing in the next four months. Journey through the landscapes of Kerala, experience the highlights of Australia, or stay closer to home and explore the best of Devon and Cornwall. Various dates and departures available. Learn more. |
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| Unwind for less with a half-price spa day at a Bannatyne health club. Enjoy full access to the facilities before indulging in 50 minutes of Elemis treatments, including a facial, back, and scalp massage. Available week round at 39 UK locations, subject to availability. Learn more. |
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| Keep clothes sharp while travelling - this Russell Hobbs steamer has 37% off. |
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| Jetting off? This best-selling carry-on suitcase is under £30 at Amazon. |
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