I booked some flights with Jet2 this week. Obviously, they were fairly cheap. At least they were advertised as fairly cheap. I was quite alarmed to see that the ‘taxes and charges’ were about £90 for two tickets. I checked the information and it turned out that Jet2’s extra charges covered pretty much anything and everything: baggage, choosing a seat, checking in offline, insurance. No matter, I thought. I’ll just remove all that crap. I’m web-savvy. I’m not falling for their tricks. But no, apparently THESE extra charges were extra extra charges. Having gone...

It’s irritating that many airlines, such as Jet2, don’t include airport taxes and the like in their prices, but most of us have come to accept it. What I don’t expect is the cold-hearted exploitation of those less familiar with the internet when booking tickets. The Jet2 booking process is an absolute minefield, only instead of being blown-up, you find yourself £50 worse off. I work in web marketing. I know how important usability is and I know for a fact that Jet2 do as well, which means that they know exactly what they’re doing in turning their flight booking process...

I’ve been skiing three times. I’ve been to Chamonix, Livigno and Les Deux Alpes. Chamonix I couldn’t ski at all. It was hard. It was dispiriting. There was a lot of fear at the top of slopes, because I tended to visualise losing control and it was a bit embarrassing falling down so much. That said, falling over is far and away the most fun element of the actual skiing. More fun than watching other people fall over, even. Livigno This was a bit better. I could ski semi-competently and could experience far more of the mountains as a result. There were no lessons – which was...

I can’t speak for other people, but these are the highlights of Chamonix ski resort as far as I’m concerned. Half price beer – I think it was at the Monkey and it may actually have been two-for-one, but it amounts to the same thing, doesn’t it? Was it the Monkey? Do I remember pictures of monkeys on the walls? Pictures on the wall of the pub – Maybe it wasn’t monkeys. I distinctly remember life-size photographs of people. The girl was hot. The lad, less so. The tree in the middle of a slope – It’s not right in the middle and to be honest, it’s...

The problem with ski holidays is all the additional expense. cheap flights to ski destinations are easy enough to find. Cheap accommodation’s pretty easy to find. Cheap package deals are easy to find. It’s at that point it gets difficult. The ski pass There’s no way round this one. Ski passes are expensive and you’ve got to get one. What else are you going to do? Ski and boot hire Again, unavoidable, unless you’ve got your own stuff, which is an expense in itself. The better you get, the more expensive it’ll be as well. Food and booze Ski resorts are famously...

Although Chamonix can be a relatively expensive ski resort, there are a number of bargains to be had, particularly if you look for last minute deals. Otherwise, here is some of the cheaper accommodation available. Chamonix accommodation for two people Odalys Résidence Le Grand Balcon is the cheapest option for two people. It is just outside Chamonix itself at Les Houches ski resort. Les Houches is covered by the Mont Blanc Unlimited ski pass and there are regular free buses. There are self-catering chalets for four available at Odalys Résidence Le Grand Balcon for just £40 a night in January....

Research carried out by Santander Cards states that the average price of a ski holiday to Chamonix this year is around £1,200 once you factor in hiring the equipment and getting a ski pass. However, there are many deals on offer which should allow you to spend a lot less than that. Below are three deals for January, including flights from London. Chamonix for two people Two people can stay in a studio for four at Residence Maeva La Riviere for £305 between January 16th and 23rd. This includes British Airways flights from Gatwick. Chamonix for four people For the same week, you can get flights...

The Unite union of cabin crew has drawn up a document outlining cost-saving measures that could be taken by British Airways and which could prevent a strike. BA wants to cut around £60m from its budget for cabin crew and this document proposes savings of a similar amount. The deadline for announcing a strike is the 15th March, so the current meetings represent something of a last-ditch attempt at preventing industrial action. 81 per cent of Unite cabin crew have voted in favour of a strike. BA will study the cost-saving document over the next week and its response is likely to determine whether...

PARIS, FRANCE – Air France has announced that it will be increasing its numbers of long-haul flights this summer after detecting faint signs of economic recovery. Capacity will be increased by a less-than-earth-shattering 0.8 per cent, but set against a backdrop of airlines folding or reducing the numbers of flights available, this is a relatively positive move. However, overall Air France capacity will be reduced by 0.3 per cent, with medium-haul flights down by 4 per cent. The statement announcing these changes emphasises that recovery is very much dependent on the country in question,...

British Airways is set to appear in court after its method of allocating holiday pay to pilots was questioned by the Balpa union. The issue revolves around the fact that BA currently provides holiday pay on the basis of the pilots’ basic salary. Balpa challenge this, saying that payments should be made taking into account other allowances. Allowances can prove significant as BA pays pilots for time in the air, night flying and time away from home, all of which is in top of basic pay but none of which is taken into account in holiday pay calculations. The airline is currently struggling financially...

Visitors to the Thomas Cook website will now be able to read TripAdvisor reviews of holiday destinations after a deal between the two companies. Property pages will each feature the most recent reviews from TripAdvisor. The presence of independent, user-generated review content should allow potential Thomas Cook travellers to make more informed decisions about where they want to go. Thomas Cook will also benefit from destination information, including overviews of cities and resorts, including details of nearby attractions, restaurants as well as photographs that have been uploaded by TripAdvisor...

A Thomas Cook flight from Turin to Birmingham had to make an emergency landing due to fuel leaking from it. The fuel was spotted immediately after the Boeing 757 took off and the plane was forced to land. The airport was temporarily closed and the fire department were called to line the runway. One of the passengers said that everyone who had been sitting on the back right of the plane could clearly see the fuel coming out, but said the pilot was a calming influence and that the eventual landing was smooth and controlled. The fuel was cleared up inside an hour and the airport was then reopened....

PARIS, FRANCE – Several French newspapers are reporting that Air France KLM is considering a deal with Japan Airlines to co-operate on routes between France and Japan. Air France has denied the report, but the source of the story claims employees at the two airlines have said that they will standardise pricing and business practices as part of a deal. A Japan Airlines spokesperson emphasised the strong relationship between the two airlines, but declared that there was no intention to work in partnership at present: “Air France is our valued bilateral partner with whom we share code...

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – The largest commercial aeroplane, the A380 Airbus, landed in Johannesburg this morning after leaving from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport earlier in the day. The Air France flight is the first time an A380 has landed at OR Tambo Airport in Johannesburg and the airport needed to look at the amount of space it needed for taxiing about. Fortunately, the runways were already long enough, although the shoulders needed to be widened slightly to accommodate the A380’s large wingspan. The extra capacity of the plane also means that there will be more baggage to...

LONDON – British Airways‘ plans to create biofuel from food scraps at a factory in East London could lead to the creation of around 1,200 jobs. Currently, the biojet fuel has not been approved for use, but BA remains confident that it will be responsible for the first factory in Europe to process food waste, turning it into eco-friendly jet fuel. Approval hinges on the results of tests that will examine the safety of aeroplanes powered in this way. The plant is due to be finished in 2014 and British Airways are unconcerned that approval for the fuel is still pending, citing the fact...