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Ryanair will start flying from Norwich Airport for the first time ever this summer.

It will kick off Norwich flights with three sunshine routes.

From 1 April 2024, it will offer Alicante, Faro, and Malta flights.

Norwich becomes Ryanair’s 22^nd UK airport.

The airline says it will create more than 60 local jobs.

Overall, the new Norwich flights will run 12 times per week to Alicante, Faro and Malta with capacity for 60,000 passengers over the summer.

Ryanair is operating over 440 routes carrying 52 million passengers to and from the UK.

Its UK-based fleet numbers 107 aircraft.

It has forecast 300 million passengers within the next decade.

To celebrate the new Norwich flights, Ryanair launched a limited-time seat sale on the three new routes with fares for travel from April 2024 until October 2024 starting at £29.99.

08/12/2023Loopy No commentsNews

Budget carrier easyJet is bringing forward the start of its new Birmingham Airport schedule.

It will open its new Birmingham base earlier than expected from 18 March 2024.

That will enable the airline to add 16 new routes.

These are in addition to the airline’s 13 domestic and international flights available.

Earlier this year easyJet announced its first new airport base for many years.

With based aircraft, the airline says it will create about 100 jobs for pilots and crew and generate up to 1,000 indirect jobs.

The new Birmingham easyJet hub will see three aircraft based there.

Flights to Antalya, Turkiye and Barcelona will begin from 18 March, operating year-round.

The following day Birmingham flights to Alicante and Tenerife will start and operate twice a week year-round.

A twice a week route to Larnaca begins on 20 March, also operating twice a week in summer.

Malaga and Enfidha flights both kick off on 21 March operating twice a week year-round.

Other routes include Sharm el Sheikh, Rhodes, Corfu and Kos.

“We are delighted to be opening our Birmingham base early, demonstrating our continued confidence in the region,” said Ali Gayward, easyJet UK chief.

“Investing in a ninth base in the UK strengthens easyJet’s network.”

The new Birmingham flights are open for booking on 30 November.

29/11/2023Loopy No commentsNews

New consumer protection laws to combat drip pricing and hidden fees are in the works by the government.

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill came up in the King’s Speech which proposes new powers to strengthen price transparency.

Drip pricing is ubiquitous in low cost flight pricing, such as added fees like checked and excess luggage, priority seating and even for printing out boarding passes.

The drip pricing problem extends far beyond travel, with event tickets, online food ordering and sending packages just a few examples.

Which? describes drip pricing as an ‘underhanded way of squeezing extra cash out of consumers.’

“Airlines are making it difficult to compare ticket prices by adding fees for add-ons like seat selection late in the buying process,” said Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy.

Which” welcomed moves for legislation to tackle unfair pricing practices.

“However, it’s disappointing that the Prime Minister has failed to combat routine lawbreaking from airlines that often leaves passengers feeling abandoned and out of pocket.”

It once again called for the CAA to be giving fining powers to hold airlines to account.

Airlines have defending their so-called drip pricing tactics.

“Unbundling products and offering greater choice that consumers demand is an important way that airlines compete,” Airlines UK said.

Across all sectors, the bill could save consumers £9.7 billion over 10 years with stronger laws and more competition.

24/11/2023Loopy No commentsNews

Uber Reserve land at UK airports

Uber is introducing the Uber Reserve service at several major airports in the UK.

It enables airport travellers to reserve an Uber up to 90 days in advance for a pick-up at London Heathrow, Birmingham and Manchester airports.

The launch follows the introduction of flight booking on the Uber app, which was announced in May.

The service enables live flight tracking within the Uber App and automatically adjusting driver arrival time where needed.

Uber Reserve will also extend driver wait times at airports to 60 minutes.

Uber Reserve usage has grown 120% in the past year to September 2023, the company says.

Uber journeys to airports are up by 37% in Q3 2023.

The Uber App’s ‘directions to pick up’ feature assists riders with user-friendly maps and guides at major airports.

As well as in-app flight bookings, Uber offers Uber Boat by Thames Clippers, train journeys across the National Rail network, Eurostar and coach travel with National Express and megabus.

Andrew Brem, GM at Uber UK said “We know that Uber Reserve is an incredibly popular and trustworthy feature.”

“This new offering will help create that same seamless experience for travellers arriving back in the UK.”

24/11/2023Loopy 1 CommentNews