It is not easy to find information on flights to North Cyprus because non of the major airlines fly there.  Another problem is that airlines that do fly there do not use the reservation systems in the same way that other airlines use them and it is not listed in many directories.Travel agents can not find any reference to North Cyprus in their manuals or booking systems.

This is because the United Nations has imposed sanctions on North Cyprus since the war with Southern Cyprus.  Despite (or may be because of) the sanctions there is a flourishing trade between UK and North Cyprus and many Britons have villas or holiday homes on the island and many now live there.

Two airlines fly from UK to North Cyprus operating 40 flights a week.  All flights have to stop in Turkey en-route which adds about an hour to the journey time but through passengers stay on the aircraft. Prices start at about £150 return but to get this price you need to book within a few days of reservations starting.  Usually the price is about £250 return low season and £350 high season. 

Another way of getting there is on Turkish Airlines but you will need to change aircraft at Istanbul. Prices are similar to the direct flights

The roads in North Cyprus are very quiet except when you get near the towns of Lefkosa (Nicosia), Girne (Kyrenia) and Magusa (Famagusta) which have all the usual traffic jams. Car Hire in North Cyprus is cheap and the prices, depending on season are between £11 and £16 per day for a car for 4 persons.  This will enable to visit the many beaches and historical sites on the island.

This article is written by Transit Management Ltd For more information about flights to North Cyprus contact their North Cyprus department .

No Comments » Posted by mary / Best Airfare Deals

Traffic, suitcases, and crowding are some of the things that make airline travel such a pain.Morning flights can save you money, but it can be a pain to get there in time for check-in. So I thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice to stay at a hotel close to the airport the night before and not have to travel so far to get there early in the morning?

What about all your luggage? You’re off to vacation for a week and your wife has packed everything you need for your stay. Parking and worrying about getting to and from your car with all that luggage can put a damper on your travel and ruin the very reason for a vacation getaway.  

By taking the stress out of air travel, I arrive in a better mood. Using a Park Stay Fly Hotel w/FREE shuttle service, I get assistance with my luggage, and I can travel without the stress of wondering if where my car is parked is safe.

It’s nice to be close to the airport the night before my flight. Usually, park sleep fly packages are available near the airport with a 1 night stay and 14 days parking, which allows me to pay less than airport parking alone. With a park sleep fly package, I just check-in usually before my flight, unless my return flight is at some weird hour in the morning, then I stay the night after my flight.

I like to take the stress out traveling and leave the details to the pros.  You can check the parking fees ahead of time and see the deals available. It couldn’t be simpler. No more waiting around for someone to pick you up while you drag your luggage around.

So I wound up staying the night at the Quality Hotel Phila Airport, they had a nice parking lot separated from the normal hotel parking, and they got me to the airport on time. The van driver was courteous, he helped me with my bags, and I got also had a good night’s sleep.

No Comments » Posted by mary / Best Airfare Deals

Round the world (RTW) tickets can be a convenient way to travel the world. The tickets are all pre-bought so you don’t need to worry about flights while you are away. These tickets cost a lot of money, especially if your trip is complex. RTW tickets give everyone sticker shock. It is important to heavily research and do some math before you purchase one of these tickets.

RTW tickets are really air alliance passes. These tickets are used on one of them many air alliance networks. The three biggest alliances are Oneworld, Star Alliance, and World Journey. For example, if you bought a ticket with United, you would be using all the airlines on the Star Alliance and only those airlines.

Round the world tickets give you a set number of destinations over a period of one year. You pick your mileage and stops and depending on the route you choose you get a set price. There is a minimum of three stops with the maximum varying on each alliance. The more your route changes, the higher the price. One popular rout is from LAX-FIJI-SYD-BANGKOK-LON-NYC-LAX.

Round the world tickets can cost between US$2,700 – $5,000, depending on how many stops and miles you pick. You can always change the stops, mileage, and dates for a fee. However, simple tickets with only a few stops can cost as little as US$1,500.

RTW tickets are good if you have a set route, schedule, and are only visiting popular spots. These tickets are designed to send people over a set route so if you choose one of the popular routes, it becomes easy to save money. If you want to go everywhere, prices will quickly add up.

However, nothing ever goes the way you plan it when you travel. Most people who use these tickets are people who travel for a long time. The more time you spend on the road, the more your plans change. Being restricted to a ticket will hinder your ability to change plans. However, for intrepid travelers, there are many alternatives to getting an around the world ticket:

Book yourself. Booking your own flights giving you more flexibility. You can use discount airlines for cheap flights and wait for flight deals. It’s will take more work and patience but the money you save can better be spent on food, alcohol, presents, and tours.

Use Discount Airlines. While few exist in the US, there are plenty in Asia, Europe, and parts of Latin America. You'll fly the same route as you would a big airline but for half the price. You are only getting space on a plane but flying these airlines will save you a lot of money.

Use your rewards. If you don’t already have a travel credit card, you should get one now. Most credit cards will give you 20,000 miles right away and you will get points for everything you buy, receive special offers, and get miles when you. Even if all you get is one ticket out of the deal (those 20,000 points help get you there), that one ticket can save you hundreds upon hundreds of dollars.

Round the world tickets are great for travelers with a set itinerary and route. If you have a set plan, buy a RTW ticket. You will end up saving some money. However, if you are flying a complex route, are very flexible, and unsure of your dates, it is better to pay as you go.

No Comments » Posted by mary / Best Airfare Deals

air tickets

Depending on where you need to travel to and when you need to get there, getting a good price for last minute airplane fares can sometimes be a difficult task. In fact, there are even certain times of the year when it can be almost impossible to get the flight that gets you where you need to go no matter what price you are prepared to pay. This is one reason why travel industry insiders often suggest that you book early and don’t wait until the eleventh hour to try to find good flight deals.

In most cases, booking your air tickets as far in advance of your trip as possible is usually the best way to go for cheap airline tickets to your destination. When you secure your air tickets early, while there are still plenty of seats available, you will find that the airlines usually offer the cheapest airfares during this stage.

Waiting to book a flight until the last minute often means that there are very few seats left. When this happens, the airlines may charge a premium price for those seats that are left, especially during busy travel times.

And, even though it is true that the airlines have the upper hand, there are definitely times when opportunities for deeply discounted airplane fares for some last minute flights will come about. But, in order to benefit from those excellent values, you will have to be prepared to make a fast decision and to be ready to leave on very short notice.

One thing that is essential in obtaining great deals on those last minute flights is your ability to be flexible in your travel plans. If you want to save a lot of money on your tickets, then you must be flexible about the date and time of the flight, about the airline, about which airport you fly in and out of, and about how many stops you are willing to make en route to your destination. If you are willing to be inconvenienced by early morning or late night flights or by having a layover or having to change planes, then you will probably be able to enjoy the cheapest airfares even if you had to make your arrangements at the last minute.

When the airlines want to fill all of the seats on a plane quickly, they will drop their prices and will usually post these discount airfare prices on their website. These days, many airlines will offer these airfare deals only on their website, so it is important to monitor the website of the carrier you are considering.

Some airlines will send email alerts about reduced prices to frequent flyer program members or to others who have signed up for such notifications. Signing up for these alerts can give you an advantage and can save you the trouble of logging on many times a day when you are in need of finding the cheapest airfares.

In almost all cases of heavily discounted air tickets, there are greater restrictions on the tickets. It is important to be sure to read all of the fine print and the terms of discounted prices. Most discounted tickets are issued as non-refundable and non-transferable and can only be changed by paying a fee, which could outweigh the savings if a situation arises and you have to change the date of your flight. Many of these discount fares also have other limitations, such as requiring a stay over a weekend.

Typically, the special internet discounts on airplane fares are posted mid-week by the airlines for flights that will be leaving the following weekend. If you are trying to schedule your travel strictly around cheap airline tickets for last minute flights, then you will need to continually be checking in for changes to the fares. You should also be sure your bags are packed and you are ready to go, so that you can reap the benefits when just the right special fare comes along.

No Comments » Posted by mary / Best Airfare Deals

In this age of high travel costs people are constantly in search of dirt cheap airfare.  Business and vacation travelers try to save money.  There are many ways to lower the cost of travel.

Airlines now charge travelers for almost everything.  For instance charging a premium for checking a second piece of luggage.  Many charge for even one piece of checked luggage.  Many instituted extra charges for window and isle seats.  It’s now important to get a low fare in the first place.  Then once all these charges were added, at least it wasn’t breaking the bank.

It is still possible to find a dirt cheap airfare.  Airlines kept charging these extra fees after fuel prices fell.  In business prices rise quickly but fall slowly.  That’s how business works.

So we know why all of these extra travel costs have been added.  There are still ways to locate a dirt cheap airfare.  But how?  The Internet is there to help.  Travel sites offer low fares from all the airlines.  These will often result in finding the best or lowest airfare.

Don’t overlook the airline websites when searching for a dirt cheap airfare.  Sometimes the airlines offer discounts to people who shop directly with them.  So don’t limit the search to the travel sites.  Join the frequent flyer clubs and make sure to activate notification of specials and discounts.

It’s foolish to always stick to one airline.  They believe it’s a path to receiving dirt cheap airfare.  It’s not.  Yes there are perks, but they come at the expense of giving up comparison on about 95% of your flights.  It can be fun to walk onto the plane ahead of all the other passengers.  So keep flying with one airline.

Dirt cheap airfare won’t be found through an auction web site.  A vast majority of people who use them end up paying more than the fare they would receive simply by booking through the airline directly.

So for a cheap family holiday get out there and find a dirt cheap airfare.

No Comments » Posted by mary / Best Airfare Deals

This year many thousands of us will be jetting off to the four corners of the globe to lie on sun soaked tropical beach, to trek through some of world’s most beautiful wilderness countryside, to see some of the architectural wonders of our planet or to simply explore new cultures and countries. And, sadly, many thousands of us are also going to find that the first two or three days of our vacation are taken up with trying to recover from jet lag.

However is jet lag an unavoidable part of modern long-haul travel?

The answer to this particular depends very much on where you are flying from and to. If you start your journey in Canberra, Australia and fly to Tokyo, Japan then you are not going to experience any jet lag at all because, despite the fact that you are flying thousands of miles, your flight essentially takes you due north so that both your starting point and arrival point are in the same time zone. However, if you fly from Melbourne to London, England then you will be flying east to west across ten time zones and you will certainly suffer from jet lag.

Jet lag is simply the result of your own internal body clock getting out of synchronization with local time and, although your body clock will adjust itself to come into line with local time, this adjustment takes a bit of time.

If you are flying across just two or three time zones then the time difference experienced will be small and you will probably not notice it greatly and your body clock will adjust reasonably quickly. But, if you fly over four or more time zones then the difference is going to be noticeable and your body clock will take longer and longer to adjust as you fly across an increasing number of time zones.

In our example of flying from Australia to London your internal clock is going to need a few days to adjust itself fully and, while it is doing so, you are likely to find that you suffer from insomnia, finding it hard to get to sleep at night and to get up in the morning, feeling tired through the day, possibly experiencing problems with eating with nausea, stomach upset, a headache, dehydration, and a great deal more.

So just what can be done?

There are a whole variety of ‘traditional’ remedies for jet lag including jet lag diets, sleeping pills, over-the-counter medicines, melatonin and much more and each has both its enthusiasts and critics, but do these ‘traditional’ remedies work?

The simple answer to this question is no. These ‘traditional’ jet lag remedies are not effective and, in some cases, can make your jet lag worse.

Coping with jet lag is not a matter of using pills and formulas, but requires you to devise a plan centered on your specific travel plans and lifestyle which helps your body’s natural adjustment of its own internal body clock. This involves taking a series of steps before your journey, as well as en-route and at your destination. Sometimes these steps will be sufficient to help you avoid jet lag completely while, in other cases, they will unquestionably help to reduce the effects of jet lag greatly.

No Comments » Posted by mary / Best Airfare Deals

Hamdi Yazici, a Turkish man, has been sentenced to 4 months in prison after he walked towards the front of a plane chanting 'Allah' and carrying a bag.

The Turkish Airlines Airbus 321 was flying from Istanbul to Stansted Airport in October last year when the Turkish man, who was drunk at the time, frightened passengers by walking up to the front chanting 'Allah'. In court, the judge was told how it took 6 members of the cabin crew to restrain the man until the plane could land and the police take over.

Laura Harris, the judge at the court said: “I am quite sure it was extremely distressing and alarming for those passengers.

“They didn’t know what you were planning to do when you started to walk down to the front. For all they knew you could have been a very dangerous man.”

The man admitted that he was drunk on the plane and he has now been sentenced to 4 months in prison.

So this got me wondering, what are the top 10 things that you shouldn't say on a plane? After some Googling and some chuckling, here is my top 10 list of things you shouldn’t say on a plane:

1. It’s not like I have a bomb.
2. Allah.
3. Hi Jack! (ensure you say ‘Hello Jack’ if you’re travelling with jack)
4. Is it time yet? (repeatedly)
5. That’s not my bag beeping, it’s me
6. You may not want to drop my bag
7. Will Osama be proud of me?
8. Explode
9. 3…2…1…boom
10. Go..GO..Go!! (while yelling)

So, that’s my top ten list of things not to say on a plane, that Turkish guy should have done some Googling to know he shouldn’t have said that. Just ensure you don't uetter any of those words next time you fly, it could land you in some trouble.

For cheap airport parking, visit Gosimply.com for Stansted Airport Parking.

No Comments » Posted by mary / Best Airfare Deals

Airport car parking is a funny beast; we all take car parking for granted, but is this wise when you are travelling to an airport on your way to a flight departure. If you are not a regular visitor to the airport it may take you time to find an airport. I nearly had the problem of missing a flight at Stansted Airport once simply because I had not pre-booked my airport parking.

In fact a member of staff of the Stansted transport team was issued a warning for picking me up as a passenger. Why on earth did this happen? Well I am wheelchair bound and was told that special transport was 25 minutes away; the coach driver who was performing pick-ups from the car park allowed me on to his vehicle.

When reaching the terminal one of his superiors saw me disembarking from the bus and issued the driver a warning. How did I get to know about this? Well on my return to the airport, the transport team arranged a special vehicle to pick me up and the driver of that vehicle informed me of the fate of the driver.

Incredible to believe an airport worker would receive a warning for helping someone in a wheelchair catch a flight. I could not believe how much the car parking costs were; when comparing to costs when booking online there is a vast difference.

That was back in 2002; since then airport parking has become a lot easier to organise and book via the web. Thankfully, there are now many websites that offer pre-booking for airport car parking at reduced rates.

My favourite site from a wheelchair perspective is GoSimply, simply because they cater for the disabled travelers. Good airport parking sites should clearly identify if a car park has good wheelchair facilities, and this is certainly the case with GoSimply. The other excellent feature on the GoSimply site is the amount of reviews from other travellers

Booking airport parking in advance makes sense for the following reasons:

• It gives peace of mind
• You can reduce costs
• You can park closer to the airport
• Take the worry out of finding a suitable parking
• Major car parks are monitored 24/7

My subsequent travels to Stansted airport have all resulted in me pre-booking my Stansted Airport Parking in advance. as all disabled travellers should.

Not booking airport car parking in advance is foolish! Think about it, if you are stuck in traffic and have no car park place guaranteed you could well be stuck at an outer car park and face a longer transfer time.

No Comments » Posted by mary / Best Airfare Deals

Pros and Cons of Air Travel

As the decades have passed air travel has continually grown in popularity.  There are a wide variety of reasons that have contributed to the increase in popularity including convenience and safety.  The following are some of the positive and negative factors involving air travel.

Disadvantage: Airplanes Cause Pollution.

Pollution is the biggest problem caused by air travel.  Airplanes are responsible for sending greenhouse gases into our atmosphere and these gases contribute for things like global warming.  This is considered as a serious drawback by people who are keen to limit the effect of global warming on the universe.  Many airlines are becoming friendlier to the environment to prevent the effect of global warming. Many airlines take action for retrofitting winglet that is usually intended to improve the efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft thereby reducing greenhouse gas emission. Apart from this the airlines invest a large sum of money to replace their old aircraft by fuel efficient aircraft.

Disadvantage: High Cost

One major disadvantage in traveling by air is its cost. It is frequently much less expensive to fuel up the car and drive to where you need to go instead of flying.  One way of solving the high cost air travel problem is to take advantage of discount
airline travel.  If you can find a good deal for airfare it can be the deciding factor for many people whether they will fly or drive.

Disadvantage: Fear of Flying

Many people avoid flying for specific reasons. This is mainly because of the fact that they were on a flight that has experienced extreme turbulence or some type of other event and this has been rather terrifying. 

Advantage: Speed of Travel

One of the major advantages in air travel is that it is able to take you to any of the places where airports are available at a much faster rate than any other forms of transportation.  While it can take days to drive across the United States, a person can fly the same distance in a number of hours.  This gives you extra days for enjoying your vacations because you save a number of days by traveling by air.

Advantage: Easy to Travel Long Distances

Air travel also allows us to travel to faraway places that would otherwise be too difficult to travel to.  traveling to any destination in the world is possible if you travel by air. Some of these flights might prove to be quite long but they are still much shorter than if you had to rely on alternative means of transportation.

Advantage:  Safety

One of safest mode of travels out of all the forms of travel available is air travel.  Car accidents wherein people die happen in thousands every year. Similarly, there is no dearth of train accidents. As regards to air travel related accidents you will find that the frequency of occurrences is relatively minimal. For many people this makes it an easy decision to choose air travel over any other form of transportation.

Choosing air travel is a personal decision, based on the factors discussed above along with a multitude factors not discussed here.  For most travelers safety, speed of travel and cost are the over riding factors.  As long as cost remains affordable air travel will continue to grow in popularity.

No Comments » Posted by mary / Best Airfare Deals

After being delayed at an airport for 5 hours recently, it made me wonder, what are the most delayed airports in the world.

All data used to build the list below is taken from the Flightstats 2008 data.com site which records flight information from every airport around the world.

Most delayed departures airports

1. Beijing Capital International, Beijing, China – percentage of on-time departures: 47.86%
2. Manchester Airport, Manchester, UK – percentage of on-time departures: 49.11%
3. Venice Marco Polo Airport, Venice, Italy – percentage of on-time departures: 53.59%
4. Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, Nice, France – percentage of on-time departures: 56.31%
5. Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino, Rome, Italy – percentage of on-time departures; 57.83%

So currently, it doesn’t look very good for Italy, having two of it’s airports in the most delayed list.

Most punctual airports

1. Haneda Airport, Tokyo, Japan – punctual percentage: 90.0%

Being the worlds fourth largest airport in the world and handling mainly domestic flights, Haneda holds the record for on-time departures at 93.3%, the airports on-time arrivals were 87% for 2007, giving it a overall score of 90.0%

2. New Tokyo International Airport, Narita, Japan – punctual percentage: 84.2%

This airport is the Haneda’s sister airport and was built to manage most of the international flights in and out of Japan. It has an on-time arrivals score of 82% and an on-time departures rate of 86% giving it an overall grade of 84.2%

3. Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei – punctual percentage: 80.3%

Taipei’s airport opened it’s second terminal in 2000 allowing it to handle 22 million customers in 2006. Taoyuan has an on-time departure score of 82% and an on-time arrivals score of 78% giving it an overall score of 80.3%.

4. Kingsford Smith International Airport, Sydney, Austrailia – punctual percentage: 80.1%

Handling over 30 million passengers in 2006, the Kingsford Smith airport is the biggest and oldest airport in all of Australia, and this was where I had my 5 hour delay. It's on-time departures and on-time arrivals have very similar percentage rates. With an on-time departure rate of 79.3% and an on-time score of 81% giving it a total of 80.1%. Making it almost matched with Taoyuan airport.

5. Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong – punctual percentage: 79.7%

This airport is the busiest in Asia and was voted airport of the year in 2007 by UK company Skytrax. It has an on-time departure score of 81.1% and a on-time arrivals score of 79.3%, giving it a total grade of 79.7%

It looks like Tokyo airports take the crown for most punctual airports, seeing as they pinched the top 2 spots, but overall, it looks like if you want a delay free holiday, you will have to visit Asia.

For a great price on airport parking, visit Gosimply.com for Stansted Airport Parking.

No Comments » Posted by mary / Best Airfare Deals