Paris to Budapest with easyJet

easyJet will begin flying between Paris (Orly) and Budapest this winter. They will begin daily flights on this route from 17 November 2008.

Two new easyJet routes in December

easyJet have put two new routes on sale from 12 December 2008. These include flights from London (Gatwick) to Istanbul (Sabiha) and from Lyon to Bastia.

easyJet to fly Gatwick - Salzburg

easyJet will begin flying from their London (Gatwick) base to Salzburg this winter. From 13 December 2008 they will fly three times per week.

New Morocco and Rome flights for easyJet

easyJet will launch two new routes from Paris (Charles de Gaulle) to Morocco next winter. This will include flights from Paris (Charles de Gaulle) to Casablanca and Tangier which will begin from 27 October 2008. From 02 November they will also launch flights to Rome (Fiumicino) from both London (Gatwick) and Milan (Malpensa).

Milan to Stockholm with easyJet

easyJet will begin flying from their Milan (Malpensa) base to Stockholm (Arlanda) this winter - their second route to Stockholm (Arlanda). Flights will begin on this route from the end of October 2008.

Gatwick to Basel with easyJet

easyJet will begin flying between London (Gatwick) and Basel. They will fly six times per week on this route from 27 October 2008.

easyJet launch Helsinki and Portuguese domestic routes

easyJet have today put on sale three new routes for the winter 2008 season, featuring their first flights to Helsinki and also their first domestic route in Portugal. From the beginning of November, easyJet will launch the only low-cost route between the United Kingdom and Helsinki when they launch daily flights from London (Gatwick). From 27 October 2008 they also will begin flying between Lisbon and Funchal, and from Madrid to Sofia.

New easyJet winter routes from Manchester and Gatwick

easyJet have put two new winter routes on sale from their Manchester base to Geneva and Sofia, both starting from 11 December 2008. They will also begin flying from London (Gatwick) to Lyon from 03 October.

New Gatwick - Lyon connection with easyJet

easyJet will launch a new route from their London (Gatwick) base to Lyon in October 2008. They are due to begin flying this route from 01 October.

Further easyJet expansion at Milan Malpensa

easyJet will add four new routes from their Milan (Malpensa) base this winter. From 01 October 2008 they will begin flying from Milan (Malpensa) to Sofia, Copenhagen, Lamezia-Terme and Brindisi.

Manchester to Alicante with easyJet

easyJet will launch a new route from Manchester to Alicante next winter. They will begin flying four times per week on this route from 29 September 2008.

Three new easyJet routes from Milan

easyJet have put three new routes on sale from their Milan (Malpensa) base. In June 2008 they will begin flying from Milan (Malpensa) to Brussels (International), Palma and Mykonos.

Three new routes for easyJet

easyJet have put three new routes on sale, starting in June 2008. These include flights from Ibiza to Paris (Charles de Gaulle) and Berlin (Schoenefeld), and from Berlin (Schoenefeld) to Heraklion.

easyJet announce new routes from Geneva

easyJet have put two new routes on sale from their Geneva base. These include flights from Geneva to Naples and Oviedo, which begin from 22 April 2008. They have also put new flights on sale from Lyon to Biarritz, launching on 07 June.

easyJet to add Swiss flights

This summer easyJet will add flights from their Geneva base to Ajaccio, Split (both from 29 June 2008) and Nantes (from 31 March), and from Basel to Cagliari (from 29 June). They will also begin flying a new route between Berlin (Schoenefeld) and Thessaloniki from 31 March.

easyJet to move Bucharest airports in March

easyJet are due to move their flights to London (Gatwick) and Milan (Malpensa) from Bucharest (Otopeni) airport to Bucharest (Baneasa). This move will take place at the end of March 2008.

easyJet to expand at Gatwick and Manchester

easyJet have put 23 new routes on sale from their London (Gatwick) base, and have also put their first flights on sale from Manchester. This additional capacity comes largely from consolidating their recent purchase of GB Airways, and includes a number of former GB routes. The new routes from Gatwick include flights to Ajaccio, Bastia, Arrecife, Tenerife (Sur), Las Palmas, Funchal, Gibraltar, Malta, Montpellier, Nantes, Paphos, Rhodos, Heraklion and Mykonos. They also include flights to Dalaman (Turkey), Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt).

From the end of March 2008, easyJet will begin flights from Manchester. These will include flights to Innsbruck, Heraklion, Malta, Paphos and Tenerife (Sur).

London to Biarritz with easyJet

easyJet will begin flying from London (Gatwick) to Biarritz next summer. They will operate flights four times per week on this route from 04 July 2008.

New easyJet routes from Bristol

easyJet will add three routes from their Bristol base next year. From 23 April 2008, they will begin flying from Bristol to Split, Biarritz and Olbia. At the same time, they will also launch flights from Edinburgh to Nice and from Glasgow (International) to Faro.

easyJet have also put an additional flight on sale to Pisa from their London (Luton) base. They will begin flying this route from the end of March 2008.

easyJet to begin flights to Tangier

easyJet will launch flights from their Madrid base to the Moroccan city of Tangier. They will launch flights at the end of February 2008. They will also launch flights from London (Gatwick) to Thessaloniki at the same time. They have also just put on sale tickets from Newcastle to Murcia, starting on 17 May 2008.

easyJet to fly to Jersey

easyJet will begin flying to Jersey next Spring. They will launch two routes from their Liverpool and London (Luton) bases, on 31 March and 21 April 2008 respectively. These flights will be available to book later in the week.

easyJet agrees to buy GB Airways

easyJet have this morning agreed the purchase of GB Airways for £103.5m. GB Airways currently operates under a franchise agreement with British Airways, and operates flights to Europe and North Africa under their name. They operate a total of 39 flights from London (Gatwick), London (Heathrow) and Manchester, and easyJet will be able to take over their landing slots at London (Gatwick).

The current franchise agreement will continue until the end of March 2008, after which easyJet will take control of the GB Airways operation.

easyJet to expand in France

easyJet will expand their operation in France next year, with the announcement that they will open bases at Paris (Charles de Gaulle) and Lyon. For the summer 2008 season, they will begin flying from Lyon to Bordeaux, Toulouse, Venice (Marco Polo), Oporto, Lisbon, Casablanca and Marrakech. They will also launch flights from Paris (Charles de Gaulle) to Biarritz, Oporto, Venice (Marco Polo), Marrakech, Krakow and Hamburg (Fuhlsbuettel).

East Midlands to Barcelona with easyJet

easyJet will begin flying between their East Midlands and Barcelona bases this winter. They will begin flying on this route from 07 December 2007.

New Canary Island routes for easyJet

From the end of October 2007, easyJet will launch new routes to the Canary Islands. These will include flights from Madrid to Fuerteventura and Arrecife and from Geneva to Las Palmas.

Madrid to Lisbon with easyJet

easyJet will begin flights from their Madrid base this winter. They will begin flying on this route from 01 November 2007.

Two new easyJet routes to Germany and Spain

easyJet have put two new routes on sale today from their London (Luton) and East Midlands bases. They will begin flying from London (Luton) to Hamburg (Fuhlsbuettel) from 05 November 2007, and from East Midlands to Palma from 08 February 2008. These flights are available to book now.

easyJet to fly to Bulgaria and seven new routes

easyJet will begin flying to the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, this winter. They will begin flying three times per week from London (Gatwick) 06 November 2007. They have also put new routes on sale from Liverpool to Innsbruck and Lisbon, from Basel to Marrakech and Oporto and from both Milan (Malpensa) and Geneva to Marrakech.

easyJet and Wizz Air to charge for luggage

easyJet and Wizz Air are the latest airlines to announce that they will begin charging for all hold luggage. easyJet will impose the new charges, of £2 (€3) per bag per single journey, on all new bookings for travel from 01 October 2007.

Wizz Air will begin charging £2.50 per bag per journey for on all new bookings for travel from 27 October.

Four new easyJet routes from Belfast

easyJet continue to add new routes from their Belfast (International) base. From the end of October 2007, they will begin flying from Belfast (International) to Venice (Marco Polo), Prague, Gdansk and Barcelona. At the same time, they will also launch flights from their Milan (Malpensa) base to Olbia and Cagliari, and from Glasgow (International) to Paris (Charles de Gaulle).

easyJet and flybe introduce transparent pricing

Both easyJet and flybe are paving the way in transparent pricing for low-cost airlines. Both airlines have begun displaying fully inclusive fares throughout their web sites. Most other low-cost airlines do not report taxes and charges until later stages of booking, meaning that it is often time consuming to compare fares.

New easyJet routes to Gdansk, Bucharest and others

easyJet have put 12 new routes on sale, including their first routes to Gdansk. They will fly to Gdansk from Bristol, Edinburgh and London (Gatwick). They will also begin flying to Bucharest (Baneasa) from London (Gatwick) and Madrid, to Innsbruck from Bristol and London (Gatwick), from Madrid to Paris (Charles de Gaulle) and Palma, from Nice to Brussels (International), and from Milan (Malpensa) to Barcelona and Bari.

Tickets for these new routes are available to purchase now.

easyJet to fly to Madeira

easyJet have put more new routes on sale for the winter 2007/08 season. These include flights from their Bristol and London (Stansted) bases to Funchal. These will be their first routes to Funchal. They will also begin flying from Bristol and London (Gatwick) to Lisbon, from Edinburgh and Bournemouth to Krakow and from Barcelona to Lyon. All of these flights begin operating from 28 October 2007.

easyJet to fly from Birmingham

easyJet will begin flying from Birmingham this winter. They will begin flights from Birmingham to Grenoble and Geneva from mid-December 2007. They will also launch flights from Bournemouth to Grenoble at the same time.

Two new easyJet routes from Berlin

easyJet have begun putting their Winter 07/08 timetable on sale. This includes two new routes from their Berlin (Schoenefeld) base to Brussels (International) and Lyon. These flights will commence on 29 October 2007.

Vienna and Bucharest become new easyJet destinations

easyJet have announced flights to two new cities, to be launched later in the year. They will begin flying from their London (Luton) base to the Austrian capital, Vienna, from 29 October 2007. From this September, they will also launch flights from their Milan (Malpensa) base to the Romanian capital, Bucharest (Baneasa). These flights can be booked now.

easyJet to launch flights from Madrid to Ibiza

From 21 June 2007, easyJet will begin flying between Madrid and Ibiza. They will fly daily on this route.

Two new routes for easyJet

easyJet will begin flying new routes from Milan (Malpensa) to Catania (starting 13 July 2007) and from Edinburgh to Paris (Charles de Gaulle) (beginning 10 September). These new flights are available to book now.

Basel flights to Olbia with easyJet

easyJet will begin flights from their Basel base to Olbia. They will fly this route six times per week from 29 June 2007.

easyJet add flights from Bristol to Warsaw

easyJet will continue to expand their operation from their Bristol hub by adding a new route to Warsaw. They will begin flying this route three times per week from October 2007.

easyJet to launch flights between Luton and Zurich

easyJet will begin flying twice per day from their London (Luton) base to Zurich. The new flights will commence on 16 September 2007.

New easyJet route from London to Krakow

easyJet will begin flights from their London (Gatwick) base to Krakow. They will begin flying daily on this route from 05 October 2007.

easyJet to launch Milan flights from Bristol

easyJet continue to expand their operation at Bristol with the launch of new flights to Milan (Malpensa). They will begin flying to Milan (Malpensa) daily from 23 April 2007. They will also increase the frequency of their flights from Bristol to Paris (Charles de Gaulle) in October to twice daily.

Two new easyJet routes from Dortmund

easyJet will add two new routes from their Dortmund base on 30 May 2007. These will include flights to Edinburgh (4 times per week) and Thessaloniki (3 times per week).

easyJet to begin flights to Brussels from Geneva

easyJet will begin flying to Brussels (International) from their Geneva base, and flights will begin on 29 June 2007. This may come as a surprise to many, because Brussels (International) is frequently avoided by low-cost airlines due to the expense of landing there.

Further 2 new routes for easyJet

easyJet continue to put more new routes on sale for flights over the coming months. They will begin flying between Madrid and Palma from 26 February 2007, and will begin flying from London (Gatwick) to La Rochelle from 14 July.

New easyJet routes from Geneva and Berlin

easyJet will begin flying from their Geneva base to Cagliari from 28 June 2007. They will also add two new routes from their Berlin (Schoenefeld) base, flying to Venice (Marco Polo) and Lisbon from 11 May.

easyJet summer flights to Ibiza

easyJet will launch three weekly routes to Ibiza from the UK this summer. From 16 June they will fly from Glasgow (International) and also from Belfast (International) (beginning 07 July) and Bristol (beginning 14 July).

easyJet expansion at Edinburgh

easyJet will expand their operation at Edinburgh by adding three new routes. They will begin flying to Madrid (from 25 February 2007), Milan (Malpensa) (from 21 May) and Palma (from 10 June). Separately, they have also announced that they will also begin flying between Geneva and Oporto from 29 June.

Three new routes from easyJet

easyJet have put three new routes on sale including London (Gatwick) to Palermo (starting 18 June 2007) and Pisa (from 03 April), and also from Athens to Paris (Orly) (from 04 May). These flights are available to book from today.

New easyJet flights from Geneva and Luton

As easyJet put their summer 2007 schedule on sale, a number of new routes have been revealed. These include flights from Geneva to Bordeaux and Olbia (starting 29 June 2007). They will also begin flying from London (Luton) to Ibiza from 05 May.

Four new routes for easyJet

easyJet have put four new routes on sale for next year, including Newcastle to Mahon (14 July 2007) and Krakow (30 March), Bristol to Bordeaux from the end of March, and from East Midlands to Ibiza from mid-July.

Edinburgh to Munich is a new easyJet route

easyJet will launch a new daily flight between Edinburgh and Munich. The new daily flight, which begins on 04 April 2007, is the first new route announced by easyJet as part of their expansion plans for Edinburgh. easyJet are expected to announce more new routes for 2007 from Edinburgh in the coming weeks.

easyJet to fly between Madrid and Marrakech

easyJet will fly from their Madrid base to Marrakech this winter. They will begin flying on 22 February 2007.

Ryanair expansion at Madrid airport

Ryanair will make Madrid their 18th European base, and from 22 November 2006 will begin flying 14 new routes. They will begin flying to Dublin, Shannon, Eindhoven, Faro, Oporto, Marseille, Paris (Beauvais), Billund, Brussels (Charleroi), East Midlands, Oslo (Torp), Bournemouth, Gothenburg (Saeve) and Malmo.

This expansion at Madrid may come as a surprise, given that only 2 weeks ago easyJet announced that they would expand their operation from Madrid from February 2007.

easyJet expansion at Belfast with flights to Krakow

easyJet will begin flying to Krakow from their Belfast (International) base from 24 April 2007. They will fly three times per week on this route, which will form part of a larger expansion of routes from Belfast (International) to be announced in the coming weeks. Flights will not go on sale until November when the easyJet summer schedule goes online.

easyJet announces routes from Madrid

It has been known for some time that easyJet would be increasing the number of flights that they operate from Madrid. From mid-February 2007 they will launch six new routes from Madrid including domestic flights to Oviedo and La Coruna, and international flights to Lyon, Rome (Ciampino), Toulouse and Casablanca in Morocco. This will be the first route that easyJet will fly to Casablanca, and will in fact become the first low-cost route to Casablanca.

At the same time, easyJet will launch flights between Lyon and Rome (Ciampino). All of these new routes are on sale now.

Vueling plans public flotation

It has been reported that Vueling, the Spanish low-cost airline, is planning a public flotation with an approximate value of €350 million. This comes at a time when the Spanish low-cost market is growing considerably. Amongst other things, around a third of all passengers arriving in Spain now do so using a low-cost airline, the Spanish flag carrier (Iberia) has a significant investment in a new Spanish low-cost airline, clickair, and easyJet intend to launch a new base in Madrid.

Jet2 expand Spanish flights from Newcastle

Jet2 will increase their presence at Newcastle airport, increasing the number of routes that they operate from their airport to 13. They will begin flying from late March 2007 to Malaga and Palma, and from late May to Valencia and Almeria.

easyJet already fly from Newcastle to Malaga and Palma, and this expansion will see Jet2 and easyJet going head-to-head for the first time on these new routes.

easyJet and Ryanair to fly to Malta

Earlier this week, the Maltese government finally gave the go-ahead for Ryanair and easyJet to begin flying to Malta. This provides these airlines with considerable subsidies towards the operation of flights to the region.

Ryanair is expected to launch services from their Dublin base from February 2007, and also from London (Luton) and Pisa, possibly as early as October this year. easyJet have not yet confirmed whether they will begin flying to Malta, but their proposed routes are from London (Luton) and Basel.

easyJet will launch a base in Madrid

easyJet will launch several new routes from 17 February 2007 from a new base in Madrid, although they have not yet announced what the routes will be.

It is believed that easyJet will offer domestic as well as international flights from their new base.

New easyJet routes from Milan

easyJet will launch two new routes from their Milan (Malpensa) base in the coming months. On 31 October 2006, they will begin flying daily between Milan (Malpensa) and Amsterdam, and from 15 December, they will fly daily between Milan (Malpensa) and Prague. Flights are on sale now.

Extra capacity on London Gatwick to Ibiza

Monarch Scheduled will join the group of airlines operating low-cost flights from London (Gatwick) to Ibiza next summer. They will begin flying 5 times per week from 24 May 2007. easyJet and Thomsonfly already fly this route.

easyjet to connect Geneva and Hamburg

From 01 December 2006, easyJet will fly daily between Geneva and Hamburg (Fuhlsbuettel). Tickets can already be purchased on this new route.

Bristol to Paris low-cost connection with easyJet

easyJet will begin flying daily from their Bristol base to Paris (Charles de Gaulle) from 30 October 2006. Tickets are already on sale for this new route.

easyJet targets BA with Gatwick expansion

easyJet will increase capacity at their London (Gatwick) base by 10% this winter. This will be reflected in additional flights on existing routes to Madrid, Cologne-Bonn, Milan, Amsterdam, Berlin (Schoenefeld) and Athens.

They will also add a new route between London (Gatwick) and Glasgow (International), which will operate 3 times every day.

With this expansion, easyJet aim to attract business passengers currently flying with BA. easyJet is now taking the time to publicise a change in policy which allows passengers to transfer to earlier flights free of charge, if there is space on an earlier flight. easyJet also continues to be attractive due to an unlimited weight allowance on hand luggage.

TUI plans monster low-cost merger

It has been reported that TUI Group, which owns Hapag-Lloyd Express, are in discussions with a number of other low-cost airlines regarding a potential merger.

They are believed to be talking to Air Berlin, dba and Condor. Their intention would be to create a low-cost airline large enough to compete with the major 2 European budget airlines, easyJet and Ryanair.

easyJet and Ryanair suffer Italian flight ban

Both easyJet and Ryanair have complained to the European Commission regarding practices that they consider to be anti-competitive.

easyJet were due to begin flying between their base at Milan (Malpensa) to Olbia (Sardinia) last week, but were banned from doing so by the Italian authorities. The National Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) in Italy refused to let easyJet fly as they claim this route should be covered by a Public Service Obligation, meaning that the authorities can decide which airlines operate on the route.

In a bid to avoid to the legislation, easyJet attempted to give tickets away free (the wording of the legislation suggests that it only applies to the sale of flights), however ENAC also prevented this. easyJet had already sold 13,000 seats on this new route, which will (at least for the meantime) be withdrawn.

Ryanair has suffered much the same problem on their route from Rome (Ciampino) to Alghero.

Ryanair expands outside Europe from Frankfurt

Ryanair have announced a major expansion from their Frankfurt (Hahn) base. This will include 9 new routes, starting from 25 October 2006.

The new routes will see Ryanair follow rival low-cost airline easyJet into the North African market, as they will begin flying to Morocco. The new routes from Frankfurt (Hahn) include flights to Marrakech and Fez. Additional new routes also includes the Polish cities of Wroclaw and Krakow, Verona (Villafranca) and Trieste in Italy, Granada and Murcia in Spain and also the Lithuanian city of Kaunas.

easyJet route to Corsica halted by French government

Last week, easyJet announce plans to fly between their Paris (Orly) base and Ajaccio. Flights were due to commence later this summer, however their plans have been vetoed by the French government.

Air France operate on this route to Corsica under a “Public Service Obligation”, and as such, the French CAA would not allow a second airline to operate on this route.

Further route development for easyJet

easyJet have announced that they will launch new routes from London (Luton), Edinburgh, London (Gatwick) and Paris (Orly).

They will fly from London (Gatwick) to Split, their second destination in Croatia - announced just a week after the first. From London (Luton) they will begin flying to Bordeaux and Rimini. easyJet are also planning a major expansion at Edinburgh - their first new route will be a weekly service to Alicante.

easyJet have also announced a new route from Paris (Orly) to Ajaccio (Corsica), making the first low-cost route to Ajaccio.

easyJet announces expansion at Bristol

easyJet will launch 5 new routes from Bristol from 21 July 2006. They will begin flying to Rijeka in Croatia, Krakow in Poland and the French cities of Toulouse, Marseille and La Rochelle.

This will bring the total number of routes they fly from Bristol to 30.

easyJet to offer priority boarding - at a cost

easyJet are to trial the opportunity for priority boarding by paying a £5 fee from the end of this month. The trial, which will involve flights between London (Luton) and Edinburgh, is aimed at business customers.

easyJet launches flights outside the EU

easyJet are set to shake up mainstream low-cost flying in Europe by expanding outside the EU, and even outside Europe.

They have announced that they will launch new routes to the Turkish capital, Istanbul (Sabiha), and Marrakech in Morocco.

Flights to Istanbul (Sabiha) will begin on 24 May 2006 from Basel and London (Luton) on 29 June. easyJet will begin flying between London (Gatwick) and Marrakech on 06 July. They will also launch a route between London (Luton) and Rijeka in Croatia on 30 June.

This move has prompted changes here at flycheapo. As a European guide, we did not previously cover Morocco. Given the clear intention to expand to neighbouring countries, we have decided to relax our definition of Europe (which already included Turkey), to include the North African country of Morocco.

We will take this opportunity to include additional airlines and routes, and will be upgrading shortly. This will include Moroccan low-cost airline, Atlas Blue, who already operate on the route easyJet are launching.

easyJet trials online check-in

easyJet have launched a trial of online check-in for customers travelling without hold baggage. Passengers can print their boarding pass online and proceed directly to the airport waiting lounge, and can arrive any time up to 15 minutes prior to departure. Customers who have checked in online will be allocated boarding group D.

This trial does not yet extend to the entire easyJet network, but is available on the following routes:

• All flights from Edinburgh
• All flights from London Stansted
• All flights from London Gatwick
• All flights from Glasgow to London Stansted
• All flights from Bristol to Edinburgh
• All flights from East Midlands to Prague
• All flights from East Midlands to Geneva (from 23 February)
• All flights from Amsterdam to Edinburgh (from 21 February)

easyJet expands at Glasgow

easyJet have announced that they will launch 4 new routes from Glasgow (International). This follows an announcement that they would cease operating their route from Glasgow (International) to Amsterdam at the end of March.

They will launch new routes to Alicante and Malaga (beginning 07 July 2006), Berlin (Schoenefeld) (from 03 May) and Palma (from 20 May).

Further expansion is expected for easyJet at both Glasgow (International) and Edinburgh over the coming months. This is as a result of a new deal to reduce airport charges at these airports for easyJet.

easyJet launches route from Nottingham to Ibiza

easyJet will launch a summer route from East Midlands to Ibiza on 15 July 2006. They will fly weekly on this route.

easyJet to launch Nottingham to Ibiza summer service

easyJet will launch a route from East Midlands to Ibiza for the peak summer season. The route will begin on 16 July 2006.

easyJet network expansion continues

easyJet have announced an expansion for 2006, and will add 14 new routes to their European route network over the coming months. This includes expansion from Lisbon to London (Luton), Milan (Malpensa) and Paris (Charles De Gaulle), from Liverpool to Faro, Krakow, Menorca and Marseille, from Malaga to Dortmund and Berlin (Schoenefeld), from Milan (Malpensa) to Naples, Palermo, Olbia and Ibiza and from Geneva to Palma (Mallorca).

These flights will go on sale from Friday 06 January.

Air Berlin to Alicante from London

Air Berlin continue their expansion of UK operations with an announcement that they will launch a new route from London (Stansted) to Alicante.

Flights, which will operate daily, are due to begin on 01 May 2006. They will face direct competit