(www.Iberia.com)

Iberia is Spain’s premier airline and specialises not just in Spain’s airports, but in Spanish-speaking countries. You can fly with Iberia to popular holiday destinations from as little as £77 return to Barcelona or £128 return to Palma Mallorca.

The great advantage with Iberia flights to Spain is that Iberia flies from regional airports in the UK such as Manchester, as well as London  – and you can also search for flights according to your budget and not just your destination; so if you want to fly to Spain for a holiday, but are not set on a particular destination or holiday resort, you can not only pick up a bargain flight with Iberia but also try a new holiday resort without spending a fortune on the flight.

Photo by admin

Some of the Spanish airports Iberia flies to include:

• Barcelona
• Bilbao
• Gran Canaria
• Madrid
• Palma de Mallorca
• Seville
• Valencia.

Monarch

(http://www.monarch.co.uk/spain-mainland/flights)

Monarch can fly you to the most popular Spanish holiday resorts, including Alicante, Almeria, Barcelona, the Canaries, Costa Brava, Costa Blanca and the Costa del Sol (Malaga). You can also fly Monarch to Gibraltar – a British island but joined to the Spanish mainland.

Monarch flies from the following UK airports

• London Gatwick (Alicante, Barcelona, Malaga)
• Luton (Alicante, Malaga, Gibraltar)
• Birmingham (Alicante, Almeria, Barcelona, Gibraltar, Malaga)
• East Midlands (Alicante, Malaga, Gibraltar)
• Manchester (Alicante, Almeria, Barcelona, Gibraltar, Malaga)
• Leeds/Bradford (to Barcelona).

Monarch not only offers cheap flights to Spain (from around £35 one way off peak), but you can also select from three different Monarch Airpacks which will upgrade your flight with extra leg room or more luggage allowance, according to your needs.

Ryanair

(www.ryanair.com/en)

Ryanair takes the chore out of choosing a flight to Spain with a handy online route map (http://www.ryanair.com/en/cheap-flight-destinations) which will tell you at the click of a mouse where you can get to from your local airport.

Ryanair flies to all these destinations in Spain, so whether you are looking for a city break or a beach holiday, there is plenty of choice available.

• Alicante
• Almeria
• Asturias
• Barcelona
• Bilbao
• Fuerteventura
• Girona
• Gran Canaria
• Ibiza
• Jerez
• Lanzarote
• Madrid
• Malaga
• Menorca
• Murcia
• Palma
• Santander
• Santiago
• Seville
• Tenerife North
• Tenerife South
• Valencia
• Valladolid
• Zaragoza.

In the UK Ryanair flies from

• Birmingham
• Bournemouth
• Bristol
• Derry
• Doncaster
• East Midlands
• Edinburgh
• Glasgow Prestwick
• Leeds Bradford
• Liverpool
• London Gatwick
• London Luton
• London Stansted
• Manchester
• Newcastle.

You can also register with Ryanair for cheap offers on flights – and there are also discounts on Hertz car hire in Spain.

When a holidaymaker is ill at a hotel in Spain, and it is a package holiday, it is the tour operator that sent the holidaymaker to that hotel that is liable for their welfare. This is thanks to the Package Travel Regulations.

Peter Anderson – I love to blog about holidays in Spain Google+

The post Top 3 Airlines To Book a Holiday To Spain appeared first on Best of European Union.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by agaw.dilim

The key to planning cheap city breaks, is to first identify what the major costs may be. These are normally to be found in transport, accommodation, and activities. By choosing the most economical way to go about each of these things, weekend city breaks anywhere in Europe become more affordable.

Airline Fares: Landing on the cheapest options

Depending on the destination, the cost of flights can quite often be the most expensive part of a weekend city break in Europe. There are several ways that one can go about reducing the cost though, and all that is needed is a little time and effort. The well-known budget airlines such as Ryanair and Easyjet all have websites that can be browsed through, and from time to time, they also run worthwhile deals. Websites that compare the prices of different airlines can also be helpful in tracking down a cheap flight. Examples of such sites are skyscanner, Opodo, Expedia, Spa Travel, fare compare,etc.

Accommodation: Getting the best deals

After the flights, accommodation can be the next most expensive part when planning weekend city breaks in Europe. Fortunately, the internet can again be of assistance, and it is possible to both view and book hotels for a cheap city break in Paris online. Many hotels will offer some form of discount if staying more than two nights, and so the overall cost per person per night can be reduced.

Activities: Cheap and Cheerful things to do

The French capital has a wealth of things to see and do, and there are several ways to do this in the most economical way whilst not compromising on seeing the attractions themselves.

The first thing to do, is spend a little time in researching Paris, and visit those sites that are grouped together in order to avoid zig-zagging all over the city. Saving travel costs on taxis or other public transport goes a long way to make a cheap city break in Paris. Another idea is to pick the best day to see each attraction. Sundays in particular are a good time to see some places, as the Louvre is free one Sunday per month, and the Sunday organ recital at the Notre Dane Cathedral adds another dimension to the experience there. Paris also has many free museums, such as the Modern Art Museum, Fine Arts Museum and the Paris Fashion Museum. The Rodin Museum is also free on the first Sunday of every month.

Perhaps the most helpful piece of advice when planning cheap city breaks in Paris, or indeed any other city in Europe, is to be flexible. Whilst weekend city breaks might be the most desired choice, it is actually a lot less expensive to travel between Monday and Thursday than it is during the weekend. Early morning flights can also be cheaper than mid morning flights, and occasionally, leaving booking flights and hotels until the last minute can lead to price reductions.

Dave writes for Spa Travel an online travel agent dedicated to offering the cheapest Spa Breaks, flights, hotels and holiday packages for the UK outbound Traveller.

View How to Plan a Cheap City Break in Paris France in a larger map

The post How to Plan a Cheap City Break in Paris | France appeared first on Best of European Union.

You also shouldn’t rely on a time schedule, which can be a problem in connection with other flights and should always plan with some extra time in advance. It is also important to know the detailed information about the airport you will be landing on. Low-cost airlines use cheaper regional airports, which can be quite far from your destination. In this case, it is necessary to calculate the time and cost of a transport. Calculation of ticket price is very unpredictable and depends on the current demand for a particular flight. You can get the best price when purchasing tickets several months in advance, but this may not always be the truth, as it depends on the season, weekend events (major concert, football match, etc.), state holidays or a coincidence (special offers). If you just found a flight at a good price you should buy a ticket immediately, because the price can change very quickly. Paid ticket is usually not refundable and fares are usually quoted excluding airport and possibly other ancillary fees (luggage, Credit Card fees on payment).

But they are really cheap!!!

I used to fly with Ryanair or Sky Europe (this company does not exist any more) and sometimes I caught really great offers. For example a year and half ago I flew with Ryanair for a weekend from Prague, Czech republic to Pisa, Italy and back for only €8, including all taxes and fees (I took just a hand-bag with me). Well, actually it wasn’t only €8… It wasn’t direct flight. I had to fly through Frankfurt-Hahn, Germany by the evening flight from Prague (I’ve been in Germany at 23:00). Here I had to stay overnight in a pension for further €20 and early morning (09:30 am) left to Pisa by another flight. To save more money I could stay on the airport overnight for free but I did this only once in Rome and I promised myself it was for the last time. But if you have never done so, I can only recommend you to try it. Well, the big advantage of Pisa airport is that you can get to the city centre on foot, you don’t have to pay even for a taxi or bus. It takes just about 30 minutes walking).

As you can see, this can be really very cheap, however not very easy at all.

Ok, but how to find which low-cost airlines is best for you?

Until recently I didn’t know that there are so many low-cost airlines in Europe. I found out that they are around 40 of them available for the travellers. There is even a website where you can find out which low-cost airline fly on the route you wish to travel. Just choose the airports and you will see the list of low-cost airlines flying on that way, so you can then check their offers and choose the best one. You can find this great tool on the website: www.low-cost-airline-guide.com

General instructions on how to proceed (for individual companies may be differences)

Below you can find some more basic information about buying the tickets, online check-in and other good tips.

Always buy a direct flight from destination A to destination B. If you then continue to destination C you have to buy another ticket, even if you continue with the same company. In my example above I bought the return ticket from Prague to Frankfurt-Hahn for €4 at first and then another return ticket from Frankfurt-Hahn to Pisa for the same price.

When you already chose a particular flight you can pay over the Internet using an international credit card or a different method of payment (depends on the company). Different methods have different fees. Majority of low-cost airlines offers free hand luggage transport if you take it with you to the airplane. But be aware that such luggage has to meet the airline’s requirements. Do not exceed the dimensions or weight as they can be measured and you may pay extra money if exceeded. You also need to meet the requirements of the airport security and you cannot pack any sharp objects (knifes, scissors, …), nor liquids, guns etc. You will be asked to leave it at the gate.

After successful payment you will receive an email with a code. Print this email and do not forget to bring it with you to the airport. You will need to show it first to security guards and then to airline stewards instead of former paper tickets.

But prior you move to the airport you should make an online check-in which confirms that you are attending the flight (usually from 15 days up to 4 hours before each scheduled flight departure time). This can be done through the website of your airlines.

The last thing you have to do is to come to an airport usually at least 40 minutes prior departure. If you have a big luggage you have to go to your airline customer centre on the airport and leave the luggage there, so they could load it to the craft. Otherwise you can go directly to the gate with the printed email and a personal ID card (when travelling within EU countries) or passport.

The post How to find the cheapest airlines on your trip around Europe appeared first on Best of European Union.