Those who are planning to travel abroad with budget carrier for their summer holidays need to be ready to pay through the nose for the extras.  These extras will cost more than they did last year, extras such as baggage charges and traveling with infants.  Don’t get lulled into a false sense of security when booking flights with your credit card because those seem to be the only fees that have gone down.

According to aviation consultancy IdeaWorksCompany, last year the airline industry worldwide brought in a whopping $27.1 billion (£17.3 billion) in extra charges and fees.  This figure is almost 20% higher than in 2011 and more than twice what they earned in 2009.  It is anticipated that with the rise in the cost of extras, this figure will be even higher this year.  Bob Atkinson, travel expert at Travelsupermarket.com, warns travelers to check the fees they will be paying before they book their flight.

The above article is a summary.  Please see the source article at Google News.

There are few destinations on this planet that are not only must-sees; they are also see-them-while-you-still-can.  These are destinations that might soon change due to influences from nature of humans.  Croatia is one such destination, one that currently offers a cheap vacation destination, but that will join the European Union next year, potentially raising the cost of vacationing there.  Currently, return flights from London Gatwick to Dubrovnik start at £76 per person.

How about the Maldives, which are at risk of being completely submerged in the ocean in 100 years?  Get a return flight from London Heathrow to Male start at £528 per person.  The Dead Sea is world famous, but is shrinking at a rate of 1 m per year.  Return flights from London Gatwick to Amman, Jordan start at £380 per person.  In Venice, the famous canals are sinking at a rate of 2-3 mm per year.  Return flights from London Gatwick to Venice start at £79 per person.  Finally, Cuba is on the list, a destination that seems stopped in time, but will change as tourism there picks up.  Return flights from London Heathrow to Havana start at £513 per person.

The above article is a summary.  Please see the source article at Google News.

There is a new and small airline in town, but despite its small stature, it is giving Delta Airlines a run for its money when it comes to cheap flights up north this summer.  Lakeshore Express Aviation operates out of Oakland County International Airport is now starting flights to Pellston, which are in addition to the flights they have been operating to Chicago Midway.  Flights to Pellston run daily from Thursday through Monday for $109 plus $10 in tax for a one-way ticket.

The cost of the Lakeshore tickets to Pellston is almost half of the cost of tickets bought through Delta, which run $465 for a return flight from Detroit Metro Airport to Pellston.  In addition, parking at Oakland County International Airport is free.  Delta also has competition from SkyWest on their Detroit to Alpena County Regional Airport, which has prompted Delta to lower their fare on the route by $100.  SkyWest’s fare on the route is $212 return.

The above article is a summary.  Please see the source article at Google News.

Cheapflights.ca has compiled their list of the top 10 city beaches from around the world.  These destinations offer travelers the best of both worlds: the relaxing atmosphere of a beach vacation with the liveliness of a city vacation.  At the top of the list is the famous Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where visitors can enjoy two-and-a-half miles of fabulous beach with Rio ready and waiting in the wings.

Other city beach locations around the world include Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States; Kitsilano Beach, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; South Beach, Miami, Florida, United States; Venice Beach, Los Angeles, California, United States; Camps Bay, Cape Town, South Africa; Costa de Caparica, Lisbon, Portugal; Barceloneta Beach, Barcelona, Spain; Stanley Beach, Hong Kong; and Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia.

The above article is a summary.  Please see the source article at Google News.

Cheapflights.com knows that everyone loves food and that food is a big part of the travel experience.  For this reason, Cheapflights.com has compiled a list of their 1Top 10 Outlandish Food Festivals and there is bound to be something to appeal to any tastes.  But remember that the dishes served at these food festivals are not for the faint of heart because they include some out of the ordinary ingredients.

On Cheapflight.com’s list of top 10 are the Roadkill Cook-Off, Marlinton, West Virginia, United States; La Tomatina, Bruñol, Spain, where you can throw crushed tomatoes at people; BugFest, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States; Testicle Festival, Clinton, Montana, United States, where you can eat bull testicles; Battle of the Oranges, Ivrea, Italy; Cheese Curd Festival, Ellsworth, Wisconsin, United States; Waikiki Spam Jam, Waikiki, Hawaii, United States; Chinchilla Melon Festival, Chinchilla, Australia; Gilroy Garlic Festival, Gilroy, California, United States; and Fellsmere Frog Leg Festival, Fellsmere, Florida, United States.

The above article is a summary.  Please see the source article at Google News.

Air New Zealand has taken the concept of comfort in economy travel to new heights with their new “Economy Skycouch” seating.  This new “Cuddle Class” of seating has three seats together that can form a sort of couch and offer adults and children a place to put their feet up and stretch out or lie down and sleep.  It also gives children more room to move around when they get restless.

The deal with the new Skycouhc is that two of these seats are paid for at the regular price, but the third seat is available at half the cost, which allows families to get a better deal when traveling to New Zealand and allows two adults more space at a lower cost than Business Class.  The Skycouch is available on the airline’s Boeing 777-300 class aircraft and the service is available on daily flights between London Heathrow, Los Angeles, and Auckland.

The above article is a summary.  Please see the source article at Google News.

Budget carrier Flybe has made the announcement today that they will cut their flights from George Best Belfast City Airport to London Gatwick.  The airline has sold all of their Gatwick departure and arrival slots to rival EasyJet for £20 million.  The decision will have a great effect on travelers and commuters from Northern Ireland, a fact that Flybe is fully aware of and for which the airline apologizes.

While EasyJet operates out of Belfast International Airport, the airline is not likely to keep the link between the cities.  Flybe issued a statement in which they said they had to cut 10% of their workforce and that Gatwick is trying to push out the smaller airlines with increases in fees and charges.  Flybe claims that these charges and fees have increase by 102% over the last five years, an increase that no business can manage in such a short period of time.

The above article is a summary.  Please see the source article at Google News.

With ongoing tensions between the Philippines and Taiwan, budget carrier Zest Airways has decided to suspend its daily chartered flights from Kalibo, Aklan to Taipei.  The airline released a statement in which they said the flights were suspended on Monday and that this suspension was done at the request of the charter agent.  The move comes after the death of a Taiwanese fisherman, which is being investigated by authorities in both countries.

Zest Airways said they have been serving the route since 2011 and they hope that they can resume flights soon.  However, at the present time the flights have been suspended indefinitely, despite the fact that Kalibo, one of two gateways into Boracay Island, has become very popular among Taiwanese travelers.  Taiwan is the fifth biggest destination for tourists from the Philippines, behind South Korea, the Chinese mainland, the United States, and Japan.

The above article is a summary.  Please see the source article at Google News.

After posting a record annual profit of €569 million, despite rising fuel costs, Ryanair is now looking to double their share of the short-haul European market.  The budget carrier currently has about 10% of the market and wants to increase that to 20% within the next five years.  The plan is to take customers away from the “legacy” airlines, such as British Airways, Iberia, and Lufthansa and increase their passenger numbers by over 50 million per year by 2018.

The airline’s post-tax profit increased by a whopping 13% from April 2012 to April 2013 and revenues grew by the same amount, reaching €4.9 billion.  This increase in revenues came despite the fact that the airline’s fuel bill was €290 million and made up 45% of its costs this past year.  Much of the increase in Ryanair’s profits was due to customers spending more on extras, such as the airline’s reserving a seat or traveling with a suitcase.

The above article is a summary.  Please see the source article at Google News.

If you are looking for a cheap flight and you are ready and willing to buy your tickets quick, then you will be able to take advantage of JetBlue’s “Flight Club” sale, which are to be purchased by May 8 for travel from May 21 through June 19.  The ticket prices range from $53 for a flight from Long Beach to Las Vegas to $229 from New York to Puerto Rico.

For the JetBlue deal, there are some blackout dates and the cheapest fares are generally for travel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but Saturday travel is included, as are taxes and fees.  While this deal may have slipped by many, Southwest Airlines is also offering a deal for tickets bought by May 9 and tickets start as low as $59.

The above article is a summary.  Please see the source article at Google News.