It’s August bank holiday and here is another great deal on cheap flights from easyjet, one of the UK’s leading low cost airlines specialising in budget flights across Europe. If you book any flight to Germany departing from the UK you get up to 19% off.

The flights must be booked by 31st August and the cheap flights to Germany must be taken between 5th January 2011 and 26th March 2011.

The routes where the discount flights are available are:

Bristol – Berlin (Schoenefeld)

Edinburgh – Munich

Glasgow – Berlin (Schoenefeld)

Liverpool – Berlin (Schoenefeld)

London Gatwick – Berlin (Schoenefeld)

London Gatwick – Cologne

London Gatwick – Dusseldorf

London Gatwick – Hamburg

London Gatwick – Munich

London Luton – Dortmund

London Luton – Hamburg

Manchester – Munich

Stansted – Munich

Start the New Year in style with a trip for skiing in Germany or a cultural city break in one of Germany’s finest cities.

Remember to “buy before you fly” and get your travel size toiletries for your hand luggage that will pass the airport security checks for carry on luggage.

With the summer holiday season underway, many UK travellers will be taking advantage of tax free shopping at the airport. More than half of UK consumers believe that tax free airport shops offer average savings of 20% or more compared to recommended retail prices on the high street, but a new report released by shopping comparison website Kelkoo, reveals that airport shops may not be offering the bargains you expect.

Contrary to popular belief, tax free goods in European airports are on average just 6.2% cheaper than those in local high street stores, with Heathrow Airport offering the worst overall discounts out of any major European airport (3.1%).

Tax free shopping across Europe is big business, with consumers spending over €2.8 billion last year alone, making savings of 6.2% (€185 million) compared to standard high street prices. However, by shopping online for the same goods, consumers could have saved a further 6.1% (€171 million) which would have equated to a total saving of 12% (€355 million) over high street stores.

The report, commissioned by Kelkoo, and produced by the Centre for Retail Research, examines the difference in prices between high street stores, tax free shops in airports and online retailers across Europe.

Save more on health and beauty products
Health & beauty (39%) along with luxury, fashion & electricals (31%) account for 70% of all tax free retail sales in Europe. While Europe’s airport tax free outlets offer savings against high street prices in these categories ranging from 6% to 10%, online discounts are typically higher at 12% and 13% respectively. In fact, Europe’s online retailers offer consistently higher savings on all categories except for tobacco!

Although prices in airport tax free shops still compare favourably to the local high street, with discounts varying from 3.1% to 11.9%, online savings on the same goods are much higher, ranging from 9.1% to 15.4% with the UK offering the best overall savings for online shopping over high street stores.

Europe’s most expensive airports
For people who like to shop before they fly, the discounts on offer across European airports vary widely. London Heathrow offers the lowest average tax free savings in Europe at just 3.1%, followed by Berlin Schoenefeld at 4.6%. Interestingly enough, Spanish airport stores have the highest prices for health and beauty products, and wines and spirits are dearest in French airports!

Bruce Fair, Managing Director of Kelkoo UK, comments: “… eleven years on from the end of duty-free there is still the perception that tax free shopping offers the best deals. In reality, higher overheads, decreased competition and less choice means that tax free shops are not always the hunting ground for bargains that people think they are. In fact, airside retailers simply cannot compete with online retail for the best prices… Our advice to travellers who want the best deal is to shop online before they fly.”

Is airport shopping really tax free anyway ?
Using the high street prices in each country as the basis for comparison, the report reveals that European airports offer tax free savings of 6.2% on average. However, taking the average standard rate of VAT in Europe, if airport tax free stores were passing on a full tax rebate on the high street cost of goods to European travellers, they would instead be offering average price reductions of 17.4%. Airport shopping retailers argue that this discrepancy is due to higher overheads, including steep rental charges and higher staff salaries, compared to those of high street stores.

Buy before you fly for the best prices !
Almost 6 in 10 consumers in the UK believe that tax free airport stores offer average savings of 20% or more on recommended retail prices and one in five passengers intentionally wait to shop at the airport before travelling.

Almost one in ten also mistakenly think that airport shops are cheaper than online retailers, and over two thirds of UK shoppers often buy themselves something at the airport even if they don’t need it! Impulse shopping at its most expensive!

Buy before you fly really makes sense when it comes to your travel size toiletries and mini fragrances when airport tax free shops are more expensive than shopping online.

With Ryanair charges for a checked bag now peaking at £80 Chief Exec Michael O’Leary defended the move by stating:

“We don’t want your money, we just don’t want your bags!”

Ryanair encourages all passengers to travel with just one piece of carry-on baggage which has the effect of reducing their own operating costs and the aircraft’s turnaround time. Ryanair has a generous 10kg carry-on baggage allowance providing the bag does not exceed the maximum dimensions of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm.

However, you must ensure that all your travel size toiletries conform to the current airport security regulations and restrictions for the carriage of liquids in your carry-on baggage, otherwise you will be forced to check the bag into the hold and pay Ryanair’s checked baggage fees as shown below.

Ryanair’s Checked Baggage Fees
Each passenger is permitted to check-in up to 2 bags with a maximum weight of 15kg per bag. The increases apply depending on the date of travel with peak rate baggage charges applying for travel in July and August *.

1st Bag – 15kg allowance per bag, per One Way Flight

• £15 (*£20) if booked via ryanair.com
• £35 (*£40) if booked via a call centre or at the airport

2nd Bag – 15kg allowance per bag, per One Way Flight

• £35 (*£40) if booked via ryanair.com
• £70 (*£80) if booked via a call centre or at the airport

So make sure you have done your planning for your cheap flight well in advance. As if you have 2 bags that are not allowed onto the aircraft you could face up to £120 of additional Ryanair charges for checked in baggage if you are travelling between July and August!

Passenger bookings are down with BA as customers increasingly opt to book with budget airlines as they can be fairly certain that the flight will actually go ahead and also they will save money into the bargain! Of course the budget airlines are welcoming the disillusioned BA customers with open arms, and some enticing offers.

Ryanair has launched the sale of 1 million cut price air fares this Spring. Cheap flights are on sale for €5 if you travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in late March and April (excluding Easter week). These €5 cheap air fares will be available on over 500 of Ryanair’s European routes but must be booked on www.ryanair.com before midnight on Friday 26th Feb.

The €5 Seat Sale includes all taxes and charges. So remember to avoid Ryanair’s discretionary (additional) fees by paying with MasterCard prepaid card, only travel with carry on luggage, forego priority boarding and check in online (do not forget to print your Boarding Pass and take it with you to the airport!).

If you are travelling with carry on luggage only, remember that all of your travel size toiletries must be less than 100ml to comply with current airport security regulations for restrictions on hand luggage – if its more than 100ml it will end up in the bin!

Ryanair have announced that it will slash up to 30% off all seats on all routes, for travel every day in late February and March. These discounted flights are only available up until midnight on Thursday 4th Feb.

The discount fares with the full 30% off include all taxes and charges. So remember to avoid Ryanair’s discretionary (additional) fees by paying with MasterCard prepaid card, only travel with carry on luggage and forego priority boarding.

That way you can book, check in online and get the full 30% discount air fare. The final reminder is to not forget to print your Boarding Pass and take it with you to the airport!

Remember that when you are travelling with hand luggage only, all of your carry on items and travel size toiletries must comply with current airport security regulations for restrictions on hand luggage – if its more than 100ml it will end up in the bin!

Aviation security experts an both sides of the Atlantic are now questioning both the relevance, and use, of advance passenger information that must be provided before any passengers are allowed to board flights to the USA. As in this, seemingly obvious, case there was no suspicion aroused. Hence the new airport luggage regulations and security screening processes have been quickly introduced.

The new airport security checks and restrictions are as follows:

• All passengers on flights to the US will be subjected to a body search by UK airport security.

• The new carry on luggage restrictions mean that passengers are only allowed one piece of airline hand luggage on any flights to the USA. Carry-on hand luggage will be restricted to one item, no heavier than 6kg. This will be inspected as part of the airport screening and security searches but there will also be an additional hand baggage inspection at the boarding gate.

• All passengers will be confined to their seats for one hour before landing, meaning that they are unable to use toilets or access their hand luggage in the overhead lockers. They are also banned from covering themselves with blankets for the hour before landing.

• In-flight displays are to be censored by removing the “flight map”. However, some airlines cannot do this and have had to ban all in-flight entertainment during flights across the Atlantic.

These airport luggage regulations and additional security screening checks only apply to US flights, non-US flights remain unaffected for the moment.

BAA, which operates Heathrow and other airports around the country, have advised passengers flying to the US to leave more time to check in and to limit the contents of their hand luggage.

Although Eurostar are struggling to try and transport the thousands of passengers stranded by the recent breakdowns, Ryanair will operate special flights between London and Paris on 23rd December to help passengers return home for Christmas.

The Eurostar rescue flights will operate between London (Stansted) and Paris (Beauvais) airports and can be booked via www.ryanair.com.

Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said “Seats are limited so passengers should book as soon as possible as these seats are likely to be snapped up”.

Always remember that in order to avoid additional charges on Ryanair you should check in online and print your boarding pass to take with you to the airport. To avoid paying additional charges for  putting baggage in the hold ensure that all of your travel size toiletries are less than 100ml so that your hand luggage will pass through the airport security checks for carry on luggage.

The decision comes as a welcome relief for the million or so people who were set to have their Christmas travel plans ruined by such a lengthy strike.

Unite have condemned the ruling and say that they will hold a fresh ballot and seek support for a further strike. However, given the timescales involved it is unlikely that they will be able to disrupt the Christmas period.

BA chief executive Willie Walsh said “We do not want to see a million Christmases ruined”.

“Irregularities” had been highlighted by BA in the strike ballot which it believes makes the outcome of the vote invalid, including sending ballot papers to staff who had already left or were in the process of leaving the airline’s employment, and therefore should not have been balloted.

BA said it hoped the legal action would “protect customers from the massive stress and disruption” threatened by the 12-day stoppage.

BA have expressed their “urgent need to reduce costs” as the airline industry continues to perform badly. The company reported a pre tax loss of £292m for the six months to the end of September and the trustees of its two pension schemes have just announced that there is a combined deficit of £3.7bn.

Last month, BA announced plans to cut a further 1,700 jobs, in addition to cutting the numbers of cabin crew on long-haul flights and freezing staff pay for two years. BA cabin crew are still said to be the best paid in Britain, with an average salary of £29,000 compared with £14,000 at Virgin Atlantic.

However, the Unite union has condemned the move and balloted its 12,500 cabin crew members in support of industrial action as part of the dispute over job losses and changes to working practices. The strikes will run from 22nd December until 2nd January.

The industrial action and disruption will be hugely damaging for British Airways in terms of both reputation and finances as it continues to struggle and lose money.

Ultimately the action could drive more and more customers into the arms of the budget airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair who will no doubt capitalise on the malaise suffered by BA.

However, when flying with the budget airlines be aware of the additional charges for placing baggage in the hold. In order to avoid these charges ensure that your travel size toiletries are all under 100ml so that they will pass through the airport security checks.