On the runway . . .

THOMAS Cook Airlines has announced that from May 2018, Brits will be able to holiday on the beautiful Dubrovnik coast as it introduces package and flight-only options to its summer 2018 programme.

On sale now, flights to #Dubrovnik will operate on a Sunday and Wednesday from Manchester with Thomas Cook Airlines.

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Take your pick Miami or Orlando?

OR with these savings maybe both?

My America Holiday is a tour operator specialising in tailor-made holidays to the USA. The company offers everything from city breaks with flights and accommodation to multi-destination holidays, tailor-made fly drive itineraries, escorted tours, cruises and rail holidays.

7 NIGHTS IN 3-STAR ORLANDO FROM JUST £335 PP – FLY FROM MANCHESTER​

Stay at the Celebration Suites at Old Town in #Orlando this May, from just £335 per person. The Celebration Suites has 450 spacious one and two bedroom suites, with balconies or patios overlooking the pool, in a two-story building. Based on two adults and two children staying on a room-only basis and includes direct British Airways flights with a 10th May 2017 departure, flying from Manchester.

7 NIGHTS IN 3-STAR MIAMI FROM JUST £669 PP – FLY FROM LONDON HEATHROW

Stay at the Deauville Beach Resort in #Miami this November, from just £669 per person. Hang loose amid deluxe spaces and stunning ocean views at The Deauville Beach Resort. Its beachfront location stations you a short drive from shopping and entertainment venues of South Beach. Unwind in the jazz club or soothe in the large pool after a day on the beach. This price is based on two adults staying on a room-only basis and includes direct British Airways flights with a 24th November 2017 departure, flying from London Heathrow.

Both these offers must be booked by the 19th March 2017 through www.myamericaholiday.co.uk

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Manchester to Tobago

THOMAS Cook Airlines’ inaugural #Tobago flight took off on November 13, reinforcing its 17-route-strong long-haul portfolio, which already makes it the largest carrier to the USA from Manchester.

Customers were treated to a steel band and carnival dancers at check-in and more music, food and cocktails at the departure gate. Seven Thomas Cook retail agents were also on the flight to find out more about what the islands have to offer UK holidaymakers.

Direct flights to Tobago from Manchester Airport are available from £409 return for economy and £699 Premium class, with departures every Sunday running from November 13 to March 19, 2017.

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Picture Credit: Global Environment Facility (GEF) 40412379@N02/24932087383 Buccoo Reef in Tobago via photopin.com

Norwegian - new Canary Islands routes

#NORWEGIAN is launching its busiest ever winter with brand new low-cost flights from Manchester to Gran Canaria and Tenerife the perfect excuse for a winter getaway with fares available to the Canary Islands from £39.90.

Flights to Gran Canaria will operate twice-weekly starting on November 30 and the carrier’s brand new twice weekly flights to Tenerife commenced on Monday 1 November. These new routes will be exclusively serviced by brand new aircraft offering all passengers free inflight Wi-Fi and live TV on board.

The new route to Gran Canaria will operate throughout the winter while Tenerife will be a year-round service.

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Up in the air . . .

FLYBE is starting its new year-round daily service to Lyon, France, from Manchester Airport. The airline has also confirmed it will be adding Chambery as a new destination to its Manchester 2016-17 winter schedule.

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New flights to Italy from Britain and Ireland

ALITALIA has introduced a fifth daily flight from London City to Milan Linate. www.alitalia.com 

RYANAIR is to increase frequencies to Bologna with two weekly flights from Dublin and Edinburgh for the 2016 winter season. www.ryanair.com

EASYJET will introduce new flights for the 2016 winter season from Bristol, London Luton, and Manchester to Turin to facilitate winter sport tourism in Piedmont. www.easyjet.com

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Picture Credit : 96802003@N07/28851048495">Digital Pen and Ink Drawing of the Ponte Vecchio in Florence by Charles W. Bailey, Jr.</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com

Manchester Airport celebrates passenger milestone

THE LAUNCH of the north’s debut flight service to mainland #China has helped to drive annual passenger numbers at Manchester Airport over the 24 million mark for the first time in its 78-year history.

June saw 2,520,036 passengers fly from and to airport, a 9.22% increase on the same month last year. It brings the year-on-year total to 24,095,206.

#Beijing is one of several new long haul routes launched from Manchester Airport this year. These include Los Angeles and Boston, both of which are proving popular.

Ken O’Toole, CEO of Manchester Airport, said: ‘It’s been another strong month of growth for Manchester Airport as we edge further into the busy summer season. We were incredibly proud to welcome and witness the inaugural flight to Beijing, which makes Manchester the only UK airport outside of London with a direct, scheduled service to mainland China.

As the peak season gets into full swing, the airport saw a 10% increase in aircraft movements, with more than 18,000 planes coming and going from the two full length runways.

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Picture Credit: 79923106@N02/9632928410 Inside the Forbidden City via photopin.com

Norwegian introduces two new Manchester routes

NORWEGIAN has expanded its services at Manchester Airport with the addition of two new routes to Malaga and Alicante. 

The airline is now operating four weekly flights from Manchester to Malaga on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, followed by two weekly flights – on Fridays and Sundays – to Alicante.

With the new routes, passengers in Manchester and the north-west will have access to almost 130,000 more seats in time for the summer with fares to both destinations starting from £34.90.

Norwegian, which launched its first UK flights in 2003, operates from London Gatwick, Edinburgh, Birmingham, and Manchester Airports to more than 40 destinations worldwide. It also claims to be the only airline offering UK passengers direct low-cost flights to the US. Direct flights from London Gatwick to eight US destinations, including New York, Boston, Oakland-San Francisco, and Las Vegas are available from £149.

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Picture Credit: 27567230240 EI-FHX via photopin

easyJet installs automated bag drop at Manchester Airport

EASYJET has become the first airline at Manchester Airport to install a fully automated bag drop facility for customers.

Customers are welcomed by easyJet ‘Welcome Hosts’ who guide them to the auto bag drop area where they place their bags on a scale. A luggage tag is automatically generated, passports are checked and cameras authenticate that tag information is correct. Bags are then dispatched on conveyor belt.

Ali Gayward, commercial manager at easyJet, said: ‘We recognize that our customer’s airport experience is a hugely important part of their overall journey, so we are delighted to have launched this service for our customers flying from Manchester Airport. 

‘The self-service kiosks provide a glimpse into the future of airport design and enable our customers to have unique use of the most innovative state-of-the-art facilities. As we approach the summer, our busiest time of the year, we want to ensure that customers have a seamless journey through the airport, enabling their summer holidays to get off to the best of starts.’

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Vueling to add Manchester-Tenerife flights

VUELING AIRLINES is set for further expansion from Manchester Airport this summer, adding a new route to #Tenerife. The Spanish low cost airline will operate one flight a week to the Canary Island during July and August and two flights a week in September and October. 

The airline already runs flights to Barcelona, and from June will also serve Alicante and Rome. 

Gabriel Schmilovich, network planning, scheduling and slots director at Vueling, said: ‘Along with the Barcelona, Rome, and Alicante routes, Vueling will be offering more than 108,000 seats available in Manchester for the upcoming summer season.’

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Picture Credit: Malpais de Teno - Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com

Norwegian launches three Spanish routes from Manchester

NORWEGIAN is launching flights from Manchester to three Spanish destinations this summer.

· From April 30, two weekly flights will take off for Barcelona.

· From June 2, four weekly flights will depart to Malaga.

· Two weekly flights to Alicante will start from June 3.

Fares start from £34.90 each way.


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Early bird train for Manchester Airport

STAFF and travellers will soon be able to take off with Metrolink’s early morning service to Manchester Airport. Trams will run from Firswood to Manchester Airport from 3.40am daily.

As well as delivering much needed connectivity and travel choices, the Airport Line service will reduce the number of car journeys by encouraging some of the 71 percent of airport staff who opt to drive to work to use Metrolink instead.

Trams will run every 20 minutes until 6am, when services will move to a 12-minute frequency.

Ken O’Toole, managing director at Manchester Airport, said: ‘There are 21,500 people employed at Manchester Airport, with thousands more jobs being created in the months and years to come, so this increase in operating hours is positive news. We are committed to ensuring local people have access to those jobs and this new service allows people the opportunity to take jobs with shifts starting at all times of the day.

‘The service will also be pleasing to passengers looking to access the 210 plus destinations here, with many flights going out early in a morning.’

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Up in the air . . .

AMERICAN AIRLINES customers will get an upgraded travel experience when the carrier introduces the latest addition to its fleet – the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner –- into service from the UK’s Manchester Airport to Chicago. 

The Dreamliner has 28 fully lie-flat business class seats, and an additional 55 main cabin seats with extra legroom. Every seat has a touchscreen monitor loaded with up to 260 movies, 240 TV shows, 13 radio channels, 350 albums, and 20 games.

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Up in the air . . .

Manchester Airport unveils £1 billion expansion plan 

Manchester Airport has made a video showing how the airport will look in ten years following a £1 billion investment. Subject to getting planning permission, it will see a state-of-the-art terminal building created through the expansion of the airport’s existing Terminal Two building.


Flybe announces new routes – Manchester to Lyon, Southampton to Munich

Flybe has announced a year-round service between Manchester and Lyon, France, with daily flights starting in August. It has also confirmed plans for year-round daily flights between Southampton and Munich, Germany.

Flybe was recently named Best Short-Haul Airline at the 2016 Business Travel Awards.

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Up in the air …

American carriers line up to offer Cuba services 

United Airlines has submitted its formal application to the US department of Transportation for authority to provide service from four of its largest US gateway cities – Newark/New York, Houston, Washington, D.C., and Chicago – to Havana.

American Airlines issued proposal to operate scheduled services, including ten daily frequencies to Havana from American’s Latin America gateway hub in Miami. American will also offer additional service to Havana from its hubs in Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

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Heathrow, Gatwick, and Manchester airports chiefs against 'Brexit'

THE BOSSES of Heathrow, Gatwick, and Manchester Airport are among some 200 business leaders calling for the UK to remain a member of the European Union (EU).

Other travel sector signatories to a letter to The Times published include Tui Travel supervisory board member Peter Long, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary, easyJet chief executive Carolyn McCall, and lastminute.com co-founder Martha Lane Fox. Virgin chief Richard Branson has also set a case against a UK withdrawal from the EU.

They claim a UK exit would put jobs at risk.

The letter says: ‘Following the prime minister’s re-negotiation, we believe that Britain is better off staying in a reformed European Union. He has secured a commitment from the EU to reduce the burden of regulation, deepen the single market, and to sign off crucial international trade deals. Business needs unrestricted access to the European market of 500 million people in order to continue to grow, invest and create jobs. We believe that leaving the EU would deter investment, threaten jobs, and put the economy at risk.’

Go Holiday editor David Kernek comments: Many of these people – who are presumed to know what they’re talking about, and whose views we are expected to take seriously – argued fervently in favour, some years back, of Britain ditching its own currency and joining the euro zone, warning that if it didn’t the country’s economy would collapse. They were wrong then; it didn’t. They could be wrong now.

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MAG Airports sees passenger growth

MAG AIRPORTS – owner of Manchester, London Stansted, East Midlands, and Bournemouth airports – has reported record passenger numbers in 2015, and continued growth into the New Year has been boosted by both the popularity of new winter destinations and fuller planes on established favourite routes.

At Manchester Airport, passenger numbers in January 2016 were up 7.8 percent year-on-year. Popular destinations for New Year get-aways to Dubai, Palma, and Tenerife saw strong passenger figures, supported by more capacity to destinations such as New York, and new routes from airlines such as Iberia Express and Vueling. Manchester is served by more than 70 airlines – compared with approximately 45 at Gatwick and 80 at Heathrow.

At London Stansted, planes were fuller than they have ever been before in January, with almost 80 percent of all available seats occupied on each flight. This beat the airport’s previous January high of 76 percent set last year. Coupled with an almost doubling of passenger numbers on domestic routes compared with January 2015, this led the airport to see an 11.8 percent increase year-on-year.

East Midlands Airport saw 191,000 customers in January, 4.1 percent busier than this time last year. Bournemouth Airport’s 29,569 passengers in January took its rolling 12 month total to 715,888, an 8.1 percent growth over the previous year.

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Manchester Airport steps up growth programme

BUSINESSES are being invited to bid for contracts worth up to £500 million as part of Manchester Airport’s 10-year transformation programme. 

The airport has issued a contract notice for the Terminal Two transformation phase, and includes the design and construction of an extension to the existing building, more than doubling its current size. The contract represents the majority of the works associated with the programme. 

Brad Miller, Manchester Airport Transformation Programme director, said: ‘This contract notice and invitation to participate is the single biggest element of the whole £1 billion project that spans ten years. Over the next decade, the airport will continue to develop as a global gateway for the UK, directly to and from the North, and these enhancements will enable us to further adapt, modernize, and transform the customer service experience we are able to offer.’

Manchester Airport – the UK’s third largest – employs 21,500 people on site and supports a further 45,000 indirectly.

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Monarch expands summer schedule

UK AIRLINE group #Monarch has announced the addition of #flights and #holidays to its summer 2016 schedule. The expansion includes two new routes: Manchester, London Gatwick and Birmingham to Lisbon, and Birmingham to Madrid. 

Monarch also said that an additional Airbus A320 aircraft will be based at Birmingham Airport for summer 2016. This brings the total number of aircraft flying for Monarch to 35, with nine based at Birmingham.

The new flight services from Birmingham to Madrid will commence on June 17, operating thrice weekly, while the new Birmingham-Lisbon route will start from June 20, with four services per week. The fares start from £79 for both. The Manchester-Lisbon route starts on May 5, while Gatwick-Lisbon will start on May 3, both operating three flights per week with fares starting from £69.

Following the launch of flights from London Luton earlier this month, a new route from Manchester to Tel Aviv will start on April 19, operating thrice weekly with fares starting from £110.

The extended summer 2016 schedule also includes additional services to several of the airline’s most popular destinations such as Malaga, Alicante, Majorca, and Tenerife.

www.monarch.co.uk.

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Virgin Atlantic to boost US, Cuba services

VIRGIN ATLANTIC is planning to increase the number of its flights to Havana, Las Vegas, and Orlando. 

To meet high demand for travel to these flagship destinations, services will begin to increase from late summer 2016. There will be additional services from Gatwick, Manchester, and Glasgow airports. In total, almost 35,000 extra return seats will be available for holidaymakers.

Capitalizing on strong demand for this Caribbean favourite, Virgin Atlantic will add a third weekly service from London Gatwick to Havana, Cuba, from November 2016 to March 2017 with the extra service taking place on Saturdays.

People in Scotland will have more choice when flying to Florida, with the current seasonal services to Orlando being extended so that a weekly service is available until the end of November 2016 and from the start of March 2017. 

The number of flights from Manchester and Gatwick to Las Vegas and Orlando will also be increased.

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28103712@N00/435906696"></a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">(license), http://www.flickr.com/photos/14020964@N02/5878349974">Vintage american car and colors of Old Havana in the corner of Galiano and Zanja streets | Máquinas americanas y colores de la Habana Vieja. Esquina de Galiano y Zanja</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">(license)