New Zealand-based cheap flights carrier Pacific Blue achieved a domestic on-time performance rate of 94.4 percent in February.

The figure comes after January's on-time total of 94.9 percent and, according to the airline, is helping to boost loyalty among passengers in the competitive Australasian flights market.

Mark Pitt, Pacific Blue's chief executive officer, said the carrier was the first in New Zealand to regularly publish its on-time performance results.

"Domestic travellers understand that good on-time performance reflects an airline's commitment to excellent service," he commented.

"It shows we respect our guests and we appreciate that their time is valuable."

During the past six months, Pacific Blue has achieved monthly punctuality totals of between 90 percent and 69 percent, with the current average standing at 93.5 percent.

The airline has been publishing its on-time performance ratings online since last July, with data stretching back over the past 12 months.

Pacific Blue is the New Zealand subsidiary of Australian airline Virgin Blue, which commenced flights in August 2000.

Travellers booking cheap flights to Kuala Lumpur can experience "Asia in a nutshell" on their arrival, STA Travel has said.

According to the travel company, the Malaysian capital is the world's best value destination, with a pint of a beer, a meal in a restaurant, a night in a hostel and a sight-seeing tour costing little more than £13.

This is more than £5 cheaper than the next cheapest destination, Vietnamese capital Hanoi, with the above amounting to £18.29.

Abdul Rauf Abu Hassan, Tourism Malaysia's UK and Ireland director, said that Kuala Lumpur offers "a diverse heritage and unique culture" in addition to excellent value for money.

"The city is Asia in a nutshell, with Malay, Chinese, Indian and indigenous influences," he explained.

"The result is an exciting melting pot of numerous religions and varied cuisines, with a flourishing arts scene."

STA Travel's research also named Seoul, Mexico City and Beijing as among the world's cheapest destinations, while the best value European city was revealed to be Istanbul.

Cheap flights to Wroclaw from Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport reopened earlier this month.

Wizz Air's twice-weekly route to Poland's fourth-largest city resumed last Friday (March 12th) and has so far proved popular among both Brits and Poles.

Jodi Stow, Robin Hood Airport's marketing and communications manager, said she is "thrilled" to welcome back cheap flights to Wroclaw.

"Wroclaw is a beautiful Polish city and a great place for short breaks. These flights will also provide a gateway for Polish visitors wishing to visit our fantastic region," she commented.

Ms Stow went on to say that the service's first Polish arrivals were greeted at the airport with traditional food prepared at Robin Hood's authentic Kuchnia Polska restaurant.

Airport staff had been busy practising their Polish before the reintroduction of the route and handed out Polish information booklets to passengers.

Robin Hood Airport will see a further new service on March 28th thanks to a franchise agreement between Aer Lingus and Aer Arann, with the airlines launching six weekly flights to Dublin.

Cheap flights to Berlin from London Heathrow are being launched by bmi later this month, with tickets having gone on sale yesterday (March 16th).

Four daily flights to the German capital will be operated using an Airbus A319 aircraft from March 28th in what is the second new summer route announced by the airline.

In January, bmi confirmed its intention to introduce flights to Vienna, the Austrian capital, from London.

Dominic Paul, bmi's managing director, said the new route will offer access to one of "Europe's most exciting cities".

"Berlin is a major centre of culture, politics, media and science in Europe and customers travelling with bmi will have the opportunity to discover the cultural attractions Berlin has to offer," he commented.

On the same day of the route's introduction, bmi is relaunching services on its European route network by introducing a two-class cabin service, allowing the carrier to serve both business and leisure passengers.

Earlier this month, bmi announced a new codeshare agreement with SWISS on its flights to Switzerland from the UK.

This will apply on routes to Zurich, Geneva and Basel.

British Airways (BA) passengers worried about the status of their flight can call a new freephone disruption number.

After confirming revisions to its schedule, BA said its customers can call 0800 727 800 to find out whether their flight is affected, TravelMole reports.

Scott Davies, the airline's head of trade sales, told the travel news provider that he'd been "overwhelmed" at the show of support from the travel industry.

"It's vital that we continue to work together to ensure that our mutual customers are well looked after," he explained.

"It is only fair that we ensure the trade has a freephone number in order to help them rebook those customers who are affected by Unite's unjustified strike threat."

BA has said that both its short and long haul passengers travelling from Heathrow between March 19th and 31st will be able to re-book or cancel and obtain a refund.

United recently announced that BA cabin crew will take strike action between March 20th and 22nd and then between March 27th and 30th.

With Easter holidays looming, Skyscanner takes a look at cheap flights for Easter breaks.

Malaga (from £21 return)

Eternal favourite Malaga is always a big choice for Easter and is a well established, Brit friendly holiday spot. Despite the recent anti-eurozone trend, Spain still remains good value and consistently ranks in the top three most popular destinations for Skyscanner users.

Find cheap flights to Malaga

Berlin (from £28 return)

If you want an Easter break with a mix of history, culture and plenty of party time, Berlin is a great choice. Young, sexy and renowned for its excellent nightlife, Germany’s largest city wins high praise from Skyscanner staff. Try classic German fare such as ham knuckle with mash and sauerkraut, bratwust (sausage) or maultaschen (stuffed noodles), all washed down with a mug of Berliner Weiss, the local beer.

Find cheap flights to Berlin

Amsterdam (from £42 return)

A great city for an Easter getaway, Amsterdam lives a dual existence; the ample coffee shops and red light districts are a garden of forbidden delights but Amsterdam is also a high class city with top museums, galleries and concert venues, not to mention beautiful architecture and an incredible canal system.

Find cheap flights to Amsterdam

There are few things that give you a taste of a place better than the local culinary specialities. 

Nothing says Bangkok like an aromatic, lemongrass and coconut curry. Blinding strong coffee and melt in the mouth burek is the taste of Istanbul. And you wouldn’t leave Tokyo without a visit to a sushi bar.

Lorne Blyth, director of Flavours Italian Cookery Holidays and expert on gourmet experiences across the globe, gives us her top ten recommendations for food themed holidays. Bon appetit!

1. Puglia, Italy

I have a real soft spot for Puglia, which is right down on the heel of Italy. Flavours Holidays have a fabulous 18th century palazzo there for our luxury cookery weeks; the local produce is rustic and hearty and the setting is gorgeous – all rugged coastline and ancient, picturesque Byzantine architecture. I go every year to this region to relax, try new recipes, pick up freshly pressed olive oil and eat in my favourite restaurant in Lecce. It really is foodie heaven.
www.FlavoursHolidays.co.uk

2. East Sussex, England

This holiday is at the opposite end of the luxury spectrum! Ray Mears Bushcraft Woodlore holidays offer courses that run from two days to a week where you live in the wild, forage for your own food and cook over a campfire. The food is (of course) basic, and the outdoor living is not for whingers, but the experience of catching and cooking your own dinner is very rewarding and will certainly make you appreciate the luxury of local shops when you get home!
www.RayMears.com

3. Boschendal Winery, South Africa

The last few years I’ve visited South Africa over the winter; it’s such a beautiful and diverse country. We always book a picnic at Boschendal – my favourite winery just outside Franschoek – one of the oldest in the New World. Nothing beats spending the afternoon picnicking on the lawn, sipping their perfectly chilled wine and basking in the South African sunshine.
www.Boschendal.com

4. Various locations, USA

On the other side of the world, in America, I am inspired by Outstanding in the Field.  Set up by chef and food campaigner, Jim Denevan, it’s a roving culinary adventure that takes place across the continent. The team pick a location, source the best local food and, for one night only, throw a dinner party that could be anywhere from Central Park in New York to a winery in the Napa Valley. If you are planning to visit the States, check their website to see if they have a food event in the area during your stay.
www.OutstandingInTheField.com

5. Galway, Republic of Ireland

I love the food market in Galway on the West Coast of Ireland. On a Saturday morning the streets around picturesque Quay Street fill up with artisan food producers who arrive from all over Clare and Connemara. Galway is a stronghold of the Slow Food Movement and there are some wonderful local cheeses, artisan bakers and organic vegetable farms. Afterwards I always head to the wine bar above Sheridans Cheesemongers for lunch.
www.SheridansCheesemongers.com

6. Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand

A couple of years ago I visited New Zealand and I can’t contemplate making this list without recommending the wine and food hotspot of Hawke’s Bay. There are over 70 vineyards and an array of Culinary Tours and local food festivals. The seafood is fabulous; there is something particularly mouth watering about eating scallops and oysters in the Antipodean sunshine, right beside the ocean.
www.HawkesBayNZ.com

7. Shetland, Scotland

For a fishy experience closer to home, visit Scotland’s Highlands and Islands. During mackerel season you can take a fishing boat out for the day; they come in such vast shoals that you can almost scoop them out of the water with a bucket! There is little skill required to catch mackerel and you cannot fail to come home without your dinner, making this a great family day out. Freshly-caught mackerel lightly fried in a skillet on the dockside is the perfect way to end your day.
www.ShetlandFoodFestival.co.uk

8. Various locations, Netherlands

For people with a sweet tooth, a trip to the Netherlands to experience the Dutch Stroopwafel is a must. This sticky caramel waffle biscuit dates back to the 18th century and you’ll find them freshly prepared on street stalls everywhere from Gouda to Amsterdam. The Dutch have a strong culture of coffee and cake; Java, after all, was originally a Dutch colony. It’s the perfect finger licking, gooey pick me up.
www.TasteOfAmsterdam.com

9. Chiang Mai, Thailand

Thai curry is so light and delicious that of all the Asian foods, it’s definitely my favourite. As in many cultures, the culture is to have lots of small servings so you get to try many different dishes. Visiting Thailand in the rainy season is when I like to go; the humidity levels plummet and it’s very much cooler than during the summer months. There is also a strong vegetarian tradition here and the flavours are mind blowing; lime leaves, cardamom and freshly picked coriander all contribute to the unique, Thai dining experience.
www.ThaiCookerySchool.com

10 San Francisco, USA

San Francisco is the food capital of America’s West Coast. The city is a melting pot of different cultures and therefore a Mecca for the food tourist. It doesn’t matter if you prefer Italian, Thai, Nicaraguan or Chinese, you’ll find them all in this cosmopolitan foodie haven. I agree with celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse, who said ‘You can’t have a bad meal in this town.’ Think of your taste buds and book yourself a ticket.
www.OnlyInSanFrancisco.com

Flavours Italian Cookery Holidays is a specialist ATOL bonded Italian holiday tour operator offering a wide range of quality Italian cooking holidays, painting and pilates courses since 1998. To find out more visit www.FlavoursHolidays.co.uk

Introducing the flight search geeks that make Skyscanner work

1. What do you do at Skyscanner?
I'm a 'Database Developer' for the company – helping organize all the information Skyscanner receives from the outside world: flight prices, airline route information, and more – and making it available to users quickly and reliably.

2. What kind of flight geek are you?
Definitely and shamelessly a technology geek.  A few years ago, I 'modified' a game console of mine to stream films from my computer to the TV over a wireless network. I like pushing the capabilities of the devices I own.

3. What best generally describes your travel style?
I’ll fly anywhere if the price is right. A couple of years ago, a friend and I stumbled across a five-star hotel in Boston which was desperate to fill rooms.  Neither of us had been to Boston before, but the flight + accommodation packages available were at such a huge discount, we grabbed the tickets within a few minutes of seeing them.

4. What’s your ideal holiday?
Somewhere warm, with plenty of things to see and bars/restaurants to check out.  Having friends around also makes a big difference as it’s always good to pick up some genuine local tips and recommendations!

5. Who’s your ideal travel companion?
A friend, or friends plural if that's an option! For long flights, someone to play chess with would be good too, although last time I flew transatlantic, there weren't any travel chess boards on sale in any of the connecting airports...bizarre.

6. Do you fly with children?
I don't have kids, so none of my own at least!

7. How do you decide where you want to go?
Spur-of-the-moment trips aside, I usually have a pretty good idea about where I'd like to go a few months in advance.  Often it's to visit friends somewhere, or for an event/concert/festival.
Add in a bit of local research – chatting to folks, reading a few websites – and I've got a trip.

8. How do you decide when you want to go?
It's a bit of a mixed bag. If there's a specific event to catch, then that can tie down the travel dates but generally I'll have a bit of a hunt around and see if there are any off-season opportunities.  It can make a huge difference to flight and hotel prices.

9. What annoys you most about planning holidays?
All the cross-referencing and double-checking that has to be done. I'm fussy about the details and like to make sure that trips are going to be comfortable, at sensible hours, and competitively priced.

Although I'm generally happy with the end results, it often means spending far too much time flicking between web pages, maps, and all kinds of other reference material.

10. What are you doing in your job at Skyscanner to help?
At the moment I'm working with some of our route management technology, to make sure that we can continually improve our flight coverage worldwide.  The more ticket options we can show, the more likely people are to find the travel options to suit them, at the best price available.

Longer-term, I'm doing my best to ensure that we can collect and present as much flight and travel related information as possible.  There's a balance to find between displaying 'too much' information, and oversimplifying the information that's out there.

11. What’s your favourite thing about the Skyscanner site?
An old favourite, and with good reason, it has to be our flexible search options.  If I want to go to somewhere in the USA this summer, but I don't care when or where – Skyscanner can show what's available and for how much.  It's a fantastic way to get ideas for a trip.

12. What’s your dream feature?
Film festival integration – a way to view the films showing at film festivals across the world on a calendar, with travel prices to catch all the best features.  For budget reasons I stick with the number 22 bus to local cinemas at the moment, but I can dream!

13. Favourite websites apart from Skyscanner (not necessarily travel) and why?
The Internet Movie Database is brilliant – although I wonder if it would benefit from a bit of a design overhaul. Impressively, you can still download the entire content of their ratings/films/credits database for free.

14. What’s the geekiest thing about you? Your secret geek shame?
When travelling to Spain to visit friends last year, I wrote a database query taking our calendars into account, to work out the best time to visit. That's probably not even the geekiest thing I've done.

15. Worst travel experience?
Staying in a budget chain hotel in a fairly rough part of urban Los Angeles; no harm encountered, but not exactly the most relaxing atmosphere, and made Hollywood seem even more distant from reality. First time I'd come across bullet-proof glass at the counter in a fast food restaurant!

Meet more Flight Search Geeks

Virtual Trans Siberian Railway

It’s one of, if not, the most famous railway in the world, but now you can hop aboard the train in Moscow, skirt along the Volga river and weave through the Lower Urals without ever leaving your laptop.

How? Google Maps have teamed up with Russian Railways to present a virtual Trans Siberian experience. The well executed project allows anyone with an internet connection to watch the entire journey from the window of the train in real time and follow the route as it moves along the Google map below.

You can even choose from different sound tracks to accompany you on your way. There’s the comforting rumble of the train’s wheels, Tolstoy’s War and Peace (in Russian), or various Balalaika backdrops.

The project has been so well done that the obvious question is – do you now need to take a trip on the Trans Siberian for real? Will virtual travel experiences replace the real thing?

We suspect not. Seeing the landscape only serves to whet your appetite even more, so log on, hop aboard and head off on your own little Trans Siberian adventure and get a taste for this legendary rail journey for yourself.

Does airline strike action (or the threat of strike action) change the way you book your flights?

AirAsia X has celebrated the first anniversary of its launch of cheap flights to Kuala Lumpur from Stansted Airport.

More than 221,000 passengers travelled on the route to the Malaysian capital from the UK's third busiest airport during its first year of operation.

Nick Barton, Stansted's commercial and development director, congratulated Air Asia X on a "fantastic first year".

"As we anticipated, the Stansted-Kuala Lumpur service has proved to be extremely popular with passengers both in the UK and across Asia," he commented.

"They have helped revolutionise long-haul travel and we are very proud to have them with us here at Stansted."

Mr Barton went on to say that he was looking forward to the Asian low-cost airline further developing its services from London's third airport.

AirAsia X also said that cheap flights to Bangkok are particularly popular among Brits in addition to routes to Bali, Phuket, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Meanwhile, easyJet is introducing cheap flights to Bodrum and Dalaman in Turkey and Dubrovnik and Split in Croatia from Stansted this spring.

The first flights from Toulouse Blagnac Airport's new terminal have been launched following its successful opening.

Hall D has been opened at the southern France airport, a building that will increase its annual capacity to 8.5 million passengers.

Accommodating routes across Europe and the world, the first flight operating from Hall D was Air Austral's service to Saint-Denis on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean.

Jean-Michel Vernhes, Toulouse Blagnac's directory president, said the new terminal has nearly doubled the airport's surface area.

"We are preparing for the future by equipping our terminal with the latest technology and by offering a quality of service equivalent to that of the biggest European airports," he explained.

"After four years of construction work, we are now beginning the operational stage and our aim is to come up to the expectations of the passengers and airline companies who will use it."

More than 80 destinations are served by direct flights from Toulouse Blagnac, which is located just 15 minutes from Toulouse city centre.

Skyscanner has added three new dedicated domains to its ever expanding portfolio of local country sites.

Skyscanner.se, Skyscanner.at and Skyscanner.ch are the latest top level domains to be released, bringing the total number of country specific Skyscanner sites to 20.

“We are delighted to launch Skyscanner sites for the Austrian, Swedish and Swiss markets. Skyscanner was already available in the local languages of these countries, but it’s vital that we offer our users local domains as well, to build brand, establish trust and boost search engine rankings,” said Barry Smith, Skyscanner Co-founder and Development Director.

Last year Skyscanner hired a team of international marketing managers from countries including Sweden, Russia and Germany to assist its rapid expansion in Europe and North America.

Skyscanner is the biggest flight search engine in Europe and more than 60% of its total traffic now comes from outside of the UK and Ireland. The site which helps users find cheap flights now offers flight searches in 61 currencies and 20 different languages.

Plans by one airline to add women-only toilets to its flights have split opinion in half according to the latest poll run by flight site Skyscanner.

The poll asked whether travellers agreed with All Nippon Airway’s latest move to introduce dedicated women-only loos to most of its planes. The airline, which offers flights to Paris, Frankfurt and London as well as dozens of long haul routes, says that it introduced the women-only toilets following requests from its passengers.

46% of voters agreed with the move saying that all airlines should do the same. However, 51% disapproved of the idea. Over 900 people voted in the Skyscanner poll which seems to have polarised the sexes.

The move by ANA has sparked controversy because many men feel that they will be getting a raw deal. With fewer toilets to choose from when flying, men may have to queue for longer on flights that offer women-only WCs.

Barry Smith, Skyscanner Co-founder and Development Director said:

“Women-only lavs are great for the girls, but the problem is that most planes would not be adding extra toilets, instead they would convert a uni-sex toilet into a ladies-only loo. This is bad news for the boys as it’s likely to mean more queuing.”

Comments from some of the respondents illustrated the split in opinion:

“We need women-only toilets because men make so much mess” said one voter.

But another countered: “If they introduce women-only loos, then they should introduce men-only loos too. Women take ages.”

The onboard commode conundrum joins the other great toilet debate that has been at the heart of a long running row between men and women ever since the water closet was invented: should the toilet seat be left up or down?

Cheap flights carrier Ryanair caused controversy last year when it joked that it might start charging people to use its toilets.

New data from Skyscanner has revealed that the long running British love affair with Spain may be coming to an end.

Examining flight search data for travel during the Easter holiday period, Skyscanner found that although Spain remains the most popular country overall for holidaying Brits, it’s not as popular as it was just one year ago.

London is the most searched for destination for Easter travel by UK travellers. Not only does the city itself have a huge number of attractions for families and couples, but the capital is also a hub for travellers heading for destinations outside the UK.

Malaga remained the second most popular place for an Easter break for the second year running. However, there has been a marked drop in popularity for Spain compared to Easter 2009. Searches for flights to Alicante have fallen three places and Palma dropped out of the top ten altogether.

Meanwhile, searches for flights to Amsterdam were up, with the Dutch party capital rising two places. Barcelona held firm at number three, but the biggest winner was New York. Completely absent from Easter 2009’s top ten, flights to New York were the fifth most popular search for British travellers this year.

Dublin remained a firm favourite at eight; Paris fell two places to nine, whist Geneva, gateway to the Alps, was a new entry at number ten. Europe’s excellent ski season this year has likely led to more people taking a late ski break. Berlin, Marrakech and Istanbul all featured in the top 20.

Barry Smith, Skyscanner Co-founder and Business Development Director commented:

“Spain’s long domination over the British tourist market may be on the wane. Whilst it’s still the most popular country for an Easter break, it seems to be falling from favour.  Meanwhile, New York has risen massively and we’re seeing less well known destinations such as Marrakech and Istanbul rise in popularity. UK destinations are also faring well with three in the top 20, suggesting the ‘staycation’ trend is alive and well.”


1. London (UK) [0]
2. Malaga (Spain) [0]
3. Amsterdam (Netherlands) [+2]
4. Barcelona (Spain) [0]
5. New York (USA) [NEW ENTRY]
6. Alicante (Spain) [-3]
7. Rome (Italy) [-1]
8. Dublin (Ireland) [0]
9. Paris (France) [-2]
10. Geneva (Switzerland) [NEW ENTRY]

11. Palma (Spain)
12. Berlin (Germany)
13. Faro (Portugal)
14. Marrakech (Morocco)
15. Prague (Czech Republic)
16. Istanbul (Turkey)
17. Edinburgh (UK)
18. Milan (Italy)
19. Madrid (Spain)
20. Belfast (UK)


Ranking based on flight searches on the Skyscanner site for UK departures for travel over the Easter 2010 period.  Difference in ranking based on flight searches for Easter 2009 period.