How far would you go on a budget airline?
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A midnight plane from Georgia: that was the story of Tuesday evening’s easyJet flight from Tbilisi to Luton. Ground handling issues in the Georgian capital meant Wednesday had arrived before the Airbus touched down – extending an already long shift for the excellent crew, whose outbound flight had left just after noon. When easyJet first took to the skies three decades ago, conventional wisdom insisted passengers would happily spend an hour or two on a no-frills flight, but would not tolerate anything longer. Yet even with the ground delay, the five-hour trip was just fine.
Budget airlines are laying on more flights on routes that qualify as “mid-haul”. And passengers are eagerly buying them. Next month rival Wizz Air moves into Armenia with a new link from Luton to Yerevan (36 miles further than Tbilisi). That might sound counter-intuitive at a time when aviation fuel costs are rising. But as easyJet’s chief executive, Kenton Jarvis, told me the following day: increased long-haul fares could see travellers switching their winter sun trips from the Caribbean to southern Europe and North Africa. His airline has most of its fuel for the winter season “hedged” at about half the prevailing price.
“Will my flight on Friday have enough fuel?” That was the question from a Luton airport bus driver early on Wednesday. Yes, I assured him. All the top airline bosses are confident they will fly their planned summer schedules. The high price for the precious hydrocarbon, just as UK airlines are getting thirstiest means that producers in Norway, West Africa and the Americas are refining as much of the stuff as they can. “If you’re Norway and you open up another oil field or two, you’re not going to close it,” says Kenton Jarvis. “There’s probably going to be more fuel supply when this all ends than ever before.”
A bigger concern for the bus driver – and airlines – is the unpredictability of the EU entry-exit system. The new digital borders scheme involves fingerprints and facial biometrics, extending processing times. While it is working well in some locations, elsewhere the queues are building up to such extreme lengths that passengers are being left behind. “We can only wait so long because we have other factors like crew going out of hours,” the easyJet boss said. “If you’re missing 10 people on the flight, you’re not going to wait so long that the crew can’t complete the flight, and then the other 170 have got to get off as well because you went ‘out of hours’. It’s not pleasant. It needs fixing.” He is calling for destinations to use the flexibility they have been granted for peak spells.
I will be watching this weekend to assess the first big getaway since the EES became mandatory – starting at Dover at dawn tomorrow.
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Air France AF447: Tragedy that killed 228
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Spanish eclipse: fares and room rates soar
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Airport drop-off fee rises sharply at Edinburgh
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Lufthansa grabs Eurovision airline crown for 2026
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Ryanair boss likely to stay on to 2032
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There are still plenty of options available for an extraordinary getaway in the hotter months.
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On a voyage from Romania to Hungary, Sandy Cadiz-Smith delves into the region’s complex history.
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Whether you’re looking for an all-inclusive or a boutique hotel stay, this popular Greek island ticks all the boxes.
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Is this the age of the train?
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Railway news has been arriving “at pace”, as politicians like to say. On Tuesday, the current transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, announced it will be at least another decade until trains carry passengers on High Speed 2. Previous ministers amputated the sections of the line that would have delivered the highest value and most critical connectivity: the western arm from Birmingham to Manchester and the eastern limb to Sheffield and Leeds. By the late 2030s the much-diminished stump of line between the West Midlands and a former patch of wasteland in west London should be finished. The price tag to deliver one-third of the planned network is roughly three times the original estimate.
The main purpose of HS2 is not to slice half-an-hour off the journey time from Birmingham to London – but to to unlock extra capacity on Britain’s overcrowded rail network. By taking fast passenger trains off the Victorian-era West Coast Main Line, many more local, regional and freight services can run. But not just yet. As the transport secretary said “HS2 will provide people with more choice about where to work and where to study,” Avanti West Coast told me one in eight of its intercity expresses linking London with Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester in peak summer will vanish from the schedules in a cost-cutting measure aimed at reducing supply to match demand.
As mentioned last week, the key artery connecting the capital with northwest England and Scotland gets welcome competition from Monday, when Lumo trains start running from London to Preston, Carlisle and Stirling. On the bank holiday, the new “open access” operator will provide a useful option for Anglo-Scottish travellers: the weekend sees the closure of the East Coast Main Line north of York for Network Rail engineering work. This is prime time for the rail replacement bus industry. Another project starting tomorrow will disconnect the usual route between England and South Wales through the Severn Tunnel: the Bristol-Cardiff link will not reopen until 9 June.
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Are you travelling this May bank holiday?
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This week, I want to know how you’re celebrating the late May bank holiday? Will you be staying put to avoid the crowds? Or, are you celebrating the long weekend with a quick trip away? Vote by selecting the buttons above.
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Recent reports of viruses spreading on cruise ships appear to be giving many Independent readers pause for thought, with 60 per cent saying they are worried about cruising this summer.
While some readers said the stories would not stop them setting sail, the results suggest health concerns are proving hard to ignore ahead of the holiday season.
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Thai trips without visa halved to 30 days
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As Thailand sought to rebuild tourism after the Covid pandemic, the maximum length of stay without a visa was doubled. Visitors from many countries – including the UK – have automatically been granted stays of up to 60 days. But the limit will soon revert to 30 days. The move is intended to tackle what the government says is criminality involving foreign nationals and illegally run businesses. The Tourism Authority of Thailand says the move will take effect 15 days after publication in the Royal Gazette.
The Foreign Office says: “To enter Thailand, your passport must have an expiry date at least six months after the date you arrive and have at least one blank page.” Overstayers are subject to a fine of 500 Thai baht [£12] a day, but also risk being “held in detention, deported at your own expense or banned from re-entering Thailand for up to 10 years”, according to the FCDO.
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Transatlantic boost for Cardiff airport
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While London will be harder to reach from Cardiff from tomorrow due to Network Rail work, Toronto becomes much more accessible thanks to a new WestJet link. “Ultra Basic” fares for the four-day-a-week are extremely low, and allow two pieces of hand luggage. In July, fares from the Welsh capital to Canada’s largest city are £323 return. For comparison, the fare from Gatwick to Toronto in July is typically around £615 return – making it well worth travelling to Cardiff to avail of savings. The final departure of the summer is 11 September.
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For adventure holidays, having the right gear can make all the difference. As a travel writer, I’ve spent far too many years dragging heavy, badly-designed bags around the world, resulting in a sore shoulders. That’s why I’ve been putting the best wheeled backpacks through their paces: reducing the strain on my back and shoulders, Osprey’s backpack was my top pick.
Whether I’m trekking in South America or rambling closer to home, I also rely on walking poles across a wide range of terrains. For hiking holidays and mountain treks, you can’t beat the Craghoppers poles. While walking poles must be packed in checked luggage, what about umbrellas?
Airline restrictions on cabin bags just keep getting stricter and stricter, but this guide on whether you can bring umbrellas on a plane helps clear up the confusion before you fly (it varies from airline to airline, and depends on your baggage allowance).
On trips to Maldives, Japan, Singapore and Cambodia this year, the best travel pillows made the journey smoother. Extra features are also worth considering: I personally love a travel pillow with a stash bag (ideally one with a keyring that enables it to be clipped to backpacks), and a washable cover, to keep it germ-free.
Finally, IndyBest’s guide to the best mosquito repellents is essential reading for tropical adventures and summer escapes alike.
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Take out an Independent Premium subscription and get a travel bonus, joining the elite whose questions go straight to the top of my in-tray and get answered each week in our special Premium Ask Me Anything newsletter.
Join now with our introductory offer: just £1 for 3 months
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Unwind at the highly-rated B+B York, a boutique haven just moments from the city walls. Breakfast included.
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I am taking a P&O cruise aboard Iona from Southampton to the Norwegian fjords. The ports of call are Haugesund, Alesund, Olden and Stavanger. What can we do at each of these locations, visiting independently?
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Cruising is an excellent way to enjoy Norway’s spectacular west coast. You get a scenic perspective as you cruise. And you are insulated from the sky-high prices that prevail on land. Haugesund is a handsome port city known as “Home of the Viking Kings”. The waterfront is attractive, with plenty of outdoor cafes (weather permitting, which it doesn’t always in this region). A mile or so north of the town stands the national monument, Haraldshaugen – an obelisk erected in 1872 to commemorate the unification of Norway one millennium earlier.
Alesund is a gem that has risen on the site of a tragedy. In 1904 the largely wooden centre was consumed by fire. Stone buildings in Art Nouveau style replaced the lost buildings. The vessel will moor very close to the city centre, and you can join a local walking tour around the best of the architecture. Olden is something entirely different: a pretty waterside village that has found itself on the cruise circuit. Passengers more than double the population of the place. The big attraction is the Briksdal glacier, for which you will need to join a tour; local options are likely to be cheaper.
Stavanger is my favourite of all the ports. Much of the city is characterised by wooden structures draped over the hills and along the quaysides. The oldest part is Gamle Stavanger, also known as Straen. Walk up to Valberg Tower, built in 1850 as a watchtower intended to guard against fires in the city and aboard ships moored in the harbour. Fifty-five years ago Norway’s first oil field opened – and began the process of turning the nation into one of Europe's richest. Stavanger was the Norwegian counterpart of Aberdeen in Scotland. The benefits and costs of this precious commodity are revealed at the Norwegian Petroleum Museum. Outside is the Geopark, filled with rusting relics of oil exploitation.
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To ask your own question, get Simon’s Ask Me Anything newsletter by subscribing to Independent Premium.
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“Mini Switzerland” plan to boost public transport in Derbyshire
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Transport expert Thomas Ableman has been telling me about his vision for “joined-up” mobility in the UK – giving people the freedom to live without a car, even in a small village. “Mini Switzerland” is a project to bring Swiss-style integrated public transport to rural England – and to demonstrate that dovetailing buses with trains can boost ridership and the local economy, while increasing options for residents and visitors. The testbed will be the Hope Valley in Derbyshire. Hear more on The Independent’s daily travel podcast.
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