Manx2.com is to add further services to its timetable between the Isle of Man and Gloucester (M5) in response to record booking levels.

From 24 November extra flights will now leave the Isle of Man at 11:10 on Monday, 14:10 on Thursday and 13:40 on a Friday, and depart Gloucester (M5) for the return legs at 12:30, 15:40 and15:05 respectively. This makes a total of 3 flights in both directions on these key travel days.

Since the start of the route just over a year ago, Manx.com has carried twenty thousand passengers in total.

“We’re delighted that despite all the gloom in the aviation world at the moment, we are seeing increasing numbers of passengers wanting to travel on our Gloucester(M5) route”, says James Filleul, Communications Director for Manx2.com.

Manx2.com operators use nineteen seat aircraft on routes between the Isle of Man, Leeds Bradford airport, Belfast (City and International), Gloucester (M5), Nottingham East Midlands airport, Jersey and Blackpool airport.

Air Southwest has just celebrated its fifth birthday by naming two of its aircraft after its regional bases – ‘City of Plymouth’ and ‘County of Cornwall’.

The airline’s first flight was to Gatwick in 2003 and since then it has carried more than 1.3 million passengers across its network.

Air Southwest offers more than 1,200 flights per month to and from Plymouth, Newquay, Bristol airport, London Gatwick, Manchester airport, Leeds Bradford airport, Glasgow airport, Newcastle airport, Cork, Dublin and Jersey.

easyJet, Ryanair and British Airways have all stepped in with special rate fares to help passengers stranded by the collapse of Sterling.

easyJet’s offer of £35 tickets is available until 23:59 Wednesday 5 November for passengers not covered by an airline insurance scheme. To claim the £35 rescue package, passengers from the UK should call the easyJet customer services on 0871 244 2366. Passengers from outside the UK should call 0044 870 6 000 000.

Ryanair is offering a €100 rescue fare available until 5 November for travel on their Scandinavian routes up to 7 November. Check out:  www.ryanair.com/member/sterlingrescuefare.html for further details.

British Airways is offering a rescue deal to allow stranded passengers to fly home for £30 one-way (plus fuel and taxes) for travel up to 13 November.

For more information on the BA offer check out: here

Proof of booking is required by all airlines – check with individual airlines for exactly what proof is required.

Icelandic owned Sterling Airlines is to file for bankruptcy today, the latest airline victim of the credit crunch and high oil prices.

All Sterling flights have been cancelled.

In a statement on its website, the company explains:

“Dear customers, employees and other stakeholders,

During the last few weeks, the management, board of directors, and the shareholder of Sterling Airlines A/S have been fighting a battle to keep the company alive. Sadly, this has not had a positive outcome, and we have therefore decided to file for bankruptcy which will be done later today.

Over a 3 to 4 weeks period, the whole financial system melted down, and that resulted in our shareholder being unable to continue his support to the company. Negotiations have been conducted with several potential investors, but it was impossible to make ends meet.  The inevitable result is that Sterling Airlines A/S has no option but to file for bankruptcy.”

Information for Sterling Passengers from Sterling’s website:

Customers who have directly purchased their tickets on Sterling’s website will unfortunately not be refunded neither will their return flights. You therefore have to book your return flights with another airline company.

If you have paid for a flight by credit card, we advise you to contact your bank or credit card company to ask for a possible refund.

Customers who have booked their flights through a travel agency or tour operator should initially contact them.
Passengers who have booked their tickets through Sterling, but is flying with Norwegian, should contact Norwegian directly on one of the below phone numbers:

+47 21490015 (from outside Norway)
815 21 815 (from Norway)

Passengers currently staying abroad in hotels, or hiring a car through Sterling business partners, are still able to stay in their hotel or keep the hired car for the relevant period of time, as such services are paid for through our business partners and not Sterling. However as for your return flight, you will need to find alternatives for your final destination.

Please note that if you have booked your travel/hotel/car through a travel agency or tour operator, please contact them upon your return for possible refund of expenses for your return flight.

We understand that most travel insurance does not protect holders from airline insolvency but should you have taken insurance please contact your insurance company for clarification.

We will later put on a FAQ and hope that this will help you in this very unfortunate situation.

For the full statement see Sterling’s website (English translation at the bottom).

Finally, an airline has seen sense over baggage allowances for families.

Thomsonfly and First Choice Airways have just announced a complimentary luggage allowance for infants.

The new baggage rule will give infants a 10kg allowance and will come in to effect on 1 May 2009. The transportation of pushchairs and buggies will also be free and will not count as part of the parents’ baggage allowance.

Just when you thought you could forget the credit crunch and the miserable British weather by booking a holiday somewhere warm this winter, the Daily Telegraph is today warning that there could be a shortage of flights this Christmas.

The newspaper predicts a reduction of around 3.1 million seats in the last quarter of this year.

The collapse of several airlines and the grounding of planes to save spiralling fuel costs are seen as factors for the reduction of flights.

For the full story check the Telegraph’s website.

Jet2.com has just increased its checked-in baggage allowance to 22kgs per passenger – up from 17kgs.

The increased baggage allowance is for passengers with bookings made on or after 20 October 2008, or flights departing after 31 March 2009.

Sunday 26 October 2008 will mark the end of an era as Flybe’s last BAe 146 makes its last flight from Guernsey to Exeter.

To commemorate this occasion, Flybe is offering enthusiasts the chance to fly on the airline’s last flight.

Tickets are on sale now at £31.99  - one way including taxes and airport charges. Passengers will receive a photograph of the aircraft signed by the last crew.

Wizz Air Ukraine, the first Ukrainian low fare – low cost airline, has announced it is to launch flights from Kiev Boryspil to Dortmund and Cologne (Germany), and from Lviv to Dortmund and London Luton airport.

Flights will be launched on 15 January 2009 and will be operated by the airline’s second brand new Airbus A320 aircraft due to be delivered at the beginning of January 2009.

Wizz Air Ukraine will be the only airline to link Dortmund and Cologne with the Ukrainian capital and Lviv with Germany and the UK.

The new flights are as follows:

Kiev to Dortmund    4 flights/week
Kiev to Cologne        3 flights/week
Lviv to Dortmund    3 flights/week
Lviv to London Luton    4 flights/week

For more Luton airport information and to book Luton airport parking and Luton airport hotels click on the links.

To celebrate the launch of Flybe’s first official flight with new franchise partner, Loganair, the airline is on a country-wide search for destination namesakes.

So if you know of a Ben Becula or Kirk Wall get them to contact Flybe by the 20 October for the chance to win free return flights and an invitation to the official launch event on Monday 27 October.

Flybe also wants to hear from any person whose name might mirror any other of those destinations flown from Glasgow Airport.

Loganair Destinations from Glasgow International Airport (Winter 2008):

Sumburgh
Kirkwall
Stornaway
Benbecula
Barra
Tiree
Islay
Campbeltown

Entries, with name and contact details, should be e-mailed to scottishnames@flybe.com by Monday October 20, 2008.