Europe’s winter airline schedules launched last week. The optimism of this time last year, when an unprecedented number of new routes started across Europe, is eclipsed by nervousness among European air carriers. Network planners are generally apprehensive about uncertainties over fuel prices and levels of future demand. Double-dip recessions are not good for business. So » Read more

Last week, we looked at multi-sector hops across Arctic Norway and beach landings on Barra in our review of unusual European scheduled flights. Now we follow up with comments on some of the really small aircraft used on regular island flights around Scotland and Ireland. Shetland Several of the smaller islands in the Shetland archipelago » Read more

Flying has generally become so standardized nowadays that you’ll understand what we mean when we assert that many flights are just boring. Let’s face it, there’s not a world of difference between the morning shuttle from Boston to New York and a routine flight from Frankfurt to London. The lines for security, the pantomime at » Read more

By Tom Meyers— If you’re planning a trip to Europe this year and nervous about how to afford it, we have a few basic rules that, if followed, should help you save on the biggest items in your travel budget. Sure, everyday small charges like cafe cremes in Paris (€2-4) and vaporetto rides in Venice » Read more

Earlier this month we looked at new flight connections within Europe for 2011. We now follow up with a review of new transatlantic links for summer 2011. A raft of new routes creates many new opportunities for North Americans looking for creative itineraries to and around Europe. New routes from California California gets its first-ever » Read more

By Tom Meyers— When flying between the United States and Europe, you probably know that it’s best to pack light. After all, the less luggage you have to haul around town the better. For Cheapos, there’s one more obvious reason to keep the amount of luggage to a minimum: checked-baggage charges. Pre-”Great Recession,” many transatlantic » Read more

Europe’s spring airline schedules came into effect last week, so in this travel brief we take a look at what’s new in the skies over Europe for the 2011 peak season. A new airline takes off from Vienna Our prize for the zaniest airline name in the new schedules goes to People’s Viennaline, a start-up » Read more

With many travelers surely now in full planning mode for summer 2011, let’s take a look at the winners and losers in the European battle for the tourist’s dollar (or euro). Greece Greece’s economic misfortunes led to a crash in confidence among the country’s hoteliers, and 2011 is shaping up to be a bargain year » Read more

Can you remember the days when booking a plane ticket was fun? That happy anticipation of a journey in the making, the prospect of stopovers in distant cities, the growing realization that for just a few dollars more it might even be possible to detour via Manchuria or Manchester. Cast back to the days of » Read more