Manchester Airport is urging passengers travelling over the Christmas period to check security restrictions before travelling.

The airport’s reminder covers gifts such as perfume and alcohol which must be placed in hold baggage if more than 100mls - alcohol and perfume can be bought after security in quantities larger than 100ml. Manchester is also advising passengers that Christmas crackers and party poppers are banned by many aircraft operating out of Manchester.

For more information on whether Christmas crackers and party poppers are permitted by your airline check the airport’s publications for T1 and T3 and Terminal 2.

To compare and book Manchester airport parking using an online instant airport parking price checker click on the link.

Qatar Airways has launched online check-in for all flights departing from London Gatwick, Heathrow and Manchester airport.

Online check-in is available between 36 hours to 90 minutes prior to flight departure and enables passengers to check-in, select their seat and print of their boarding pass.

Jet2.com has announced it is to base another Boeing 757 at Manchester airport to meet demand and fill the void created by the collapse of XL. The new 757 will create 25 new jobs and add capacity on the new services the airline operates to Dalaman and Sharm el Sheikh.

This is the company’s ninth 757, and its sixth aircraft to be stationed at Manchester.

For up-to-date information on Manchester airport and to find, compare and book Manchester airport parking click on the links.

bmi has announced that it is to cease operations of its long-haul services from Manchester Airport.

The airline blames the current economic climate and a decrease in global air traffic for its decision, however, states that with the exception of Antigua – an additional route from Barbados – all destinations to be withdrawn are served by other airlines at Manchester.

For up-to-date Manchester airport information and to book Manchester airport parking using an online price checker click on the links.

AirSouthwest has underlined its commitment to the South West of England’s air links with the early launch of its summer 2009 flight schedules.

The airline, which flies from Plymouth, Newquay and Bristol airports, is encouraging travellers to and from the South West to book early in order to secure its lowest prices.

Air Southwest deputy chief executive Mike Coombes commented: “In the current economic climate, it is more important than ever that we offer our customers low fares, with no hidden extras. Our pricing policy is very simple - the earlier you book, the lower the fare.  So by making our summer 2009 flights bookable now, we are giving our customers plenty of time to grab a bargain flight.”

The airline is also claiming that the launch of its summer 2009 schedules is good news for tourism in the region.

Mr Coombes added:  “With people all over the UK feeling the pinch in their wallets, I firmly believe that places like Devon and Cornwall, the destinations of childhood memories, will be a popular choice for summer 2009, as people shun expensive foreign breaks.”

Air Southwest flies year-round from Newquay Cornwall Airport to London Gatwick, Manchester, Leeds-Bradford Airport, Glasgow Airport, Newcastle, Bristol, Cork and Dublin.

At Plymouth City Airport, the airline offers year-round flights to London Gatwick, Manchester Airport, Leeds-Bradford, Glasgow, Newcastle Airport, Bristol, Cork, Dublin and Jersey.

From Bristol, Air Southwest serves Manchester, Leeds Bradford, Newquay and Plymouth.

In response to an increase in demand, Monarch is adding an extra 12,000 seats to its scheduled services over the Christmas and New Year period.

The additional flights will operate from four of Monarch’s UK airport bases – Birmingham airport, Gatwick, London Luton and Manchester airport - to Spain, the Canaries, Portugal and Cyprus.

Virgin Atlantic is celebrating its 10th anniversary of flying to the Caribbean by sponsoring a 10 day music Festival in Barbados from 30 October which will include 10 bands from the UK playing in various venues on the island for 10 nights.

The airline began operating services to the Caribbean in September 1998 with direct flights to Barbados, St Lucia and Antigua from London Gatwick.  Since then,  the airline launched weekly services to Grenada and Tobago in 2003, and a twice weekly service to Havana, Cuba in 2005.  In 2006, the airline then launched direct services between Gatwick and Montego Bay, Jamaica and services to Kingston, Jamaica were added in October 2007.

Flights to the Caribbean proved so popular that a weekly service from Manchester airport to Barbados was added in November 2005 and direct services to St Lucia from Manchester were added in November 2006.

Since it was founded in 1984, Virgin Atlantic has become Britain’s second largest carrier serving the world’s major cities.  Based at London’s Gatwick and Heathrow airports and Manchester airport, it operates long haul services to 30 destinations worldwide as far apart as Las Vegas and Shanghai.  Virgin Atlantic has a fleet of 38 aircraft, which includes thirteen 747-400s and six A340-300s and nineteen A340-600s.

Monarch is adding additional flights from Manchester airport and Gatwick this October to meet demand during the half-term holiday.

The extra flights from Manchester to Tenerife will operate on Fridays between 24 October and 28 November.

Extra flights will also be available between Gatwick and Lanzarote on Thursdays between 2 October and 30 October.

For an online quote and to book Gatwick meet and greet parking click on the link.

Eastern Airways has awarded its new ground handling contract at Manchester Airport to Aviance .

The company will handle all the airline’s scheduled services from Manchester to Stansted airport from 6 October.

Aviance currently works with Eastern Airways at Birmingham airport, Cardiff airport, Leeds airport, Stansted and Southampton airport, and has been operating ground handling service at Manchester Airport since 2001

The CAA is yet again highlighting the risks posed to aircraft from dangerous goods being taken on to aircraft.

The warning comes after an electric wheelchair caught fire at Manchester airport on 7 September. Baggage staff spotted blue sparks from the wheelchair when unloading the plane. The chair was removed from the aircraft and burst into flames.

Geoff Leach, Manager of the Dangerous Goods Office at the CAA, said: “Thankfully no-one was injured as a result of the Manchester incident. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, but it does highlight the need for passengers to be extremely vigilant when taking items on board aircraft. Passengers need to be aware that some items, which are relatively innocuous in everyday use, are capable of posing a serious risk to the occupants of an aircraft, no matter where they are carried onboard and therefore need to be carefully checked.”

Battery powered wheelchairs may be carried by passengers subject to certain safety conditions, including:

• ensuring the battery is securely attached to the wheelchair;
• protecting the battery and chair from short circuiting; and
• ensuring that the wheelchair cannot become switched on during transport.

Spillable batteries are subject to additional requirements. In all cases, passengers should contact their airline in advance to check what special conditions apply.

Geoff Leach added: “Passengers frequently travel with electronic gadgets or other battery powered items and, although the batteries in these rarely pose a safety problem, if they are loose or the equipment is inadvertently activated there is a danger of fire.”

For more information on the carriage of batteries check out at www.caa.co.uk/docs/1219/srg_dgo_CarriageOfBatteries_20080501.pdf