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• BMI British Midland
  www.flybmi.com
  Airline Info

  BMI British Midland

   

  British Midland International ( or BMI ) came into being in 2001 but the airline previously known as British Midland Airways had been formed in 1964.The airline now has its headquarters in Castle Donnington near the East Midlands Airport but its operational hub is based at London Heathrow Airport. In 2009 Lufthansa completed the ownership of this airline. There was an announcement in Sep 2011 that British Airways is considering purchasing this airline.

  BMI is considered a 3 star airline with a two tier cabin section of Business and Economy Class. Business class offers good quality service and the Economy Class also providing good cabin service.

  This airline has a small fleet of aircraft of 27 planes (Oct 2011) with 35 destination routes.The safety record of the airline is very good with no incidents in many years.

  BMI although operating with a small fleet of aircraft provides good quality value for passengers travelling within the UK,Europe,Middle East,Africa and Central Asia at Business or Economy Class. The airfares are very competitive with other airlines and worth comparing before booking.

• British Airways
  www.ba.com
  Airline Info

  British Airways

   

  British Airways came into being in 1974 as a result of the merging of BOAC and BEA and then later becoming privatised in 1987. This airline is a heavyweight of the industry and is considered a 4 star airline, winning the Skytrax Best Business Class Airline Lounge award in 2011. Cabin service is of a high quality as are the other airline services provided.

  British Airways (or well known as BA ) has a very large fleet of aircraft standing at 225 ( Sept 2011 ) and able to reach to over 200 different destinations. The fleet continues to be modernised with new aircraft, in order to compete with the major airlines.

  The safety record of British Airways is very good considering the volume of flights and years that it has been operating for.The most recent incident happened in 2008 when a flight was forced to crash land 300 metres short of London Heathrow airport. As a result of the skill of the pilot crew there was only one serious and twelve minor injuries.

  British Airways offers regular special deals on airfares so that travellers can take advantage of cheaper flights on a quality airline to their destination.

• Easyjet
  www.easyjet.com
  Airline Info

  Easyjet

   

  Easyjet is the second largest budget airline in Europe and is based at Luton Airport. The airline was founded by Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who launched the company in 1995. Easyjet has become very successful since then by keeping running costs low through the efficient usage of its aircraft,no complimentary meals and other basic cost cutting measures.Use was made to promote the airline through exposure on television with the popular programme ’ Airline ’ which followed the daily airline operations of Easyjet.

  Easyjet is considered to be a 4 star airline with a large fleet of aircraft standing at 183 planes ( Sep 2011 ) and going to 129 different destinations. The airline was awarded Best Low Cost Airline in Europe by Skytrax in 2011.The aircraft fleet is modern, using two specific types of plane, making maintenance more standardised and cost effective. The safety record is very good with no incidents recorded. The quality of cabin service is good but not at the level of the major airlines.The Inflight Entertainment does not score very well, as this not a priority area for this airline.

  There is only one standard class of ticket available with price at a very low level in advance of a flight and as departure approaches the flight price increases as less seats become available.The airline website is well designed and provides an efficient way to make a cheap booking, which major airlines find hard to compete with.

  Easyjet offers passengers great value in airfares to many popular destinations in Europe,North Africa and Western Asia reaching the main airports of the capital cities in competition with the major airlines.If your on a budget this is one of the first airlines to checkout before booking your flight.

• Flybe
  www.flybe.com
  Airline Info

  Flybe

   

  Flybe is a budget airline with its headquarters based at Exeter International Airport (Devon ).This airline operates in the UK and Europe and has now become Europe's largest regional airline.Flybe currently has 14 UK regional operation bases and also 2 in Finland where there are expansion plans. The airline began operating under the brand name Flybe in 2002 but was originally founded in 1979, when then known as Jersey European Airways.

  Flybe is considered to be a 3 star airline with an aircraft fleet of 66 planes and flying to over 65 different destinations. The aircraft fleet is modern with a continued flow of new planes to the benefit of passengers.The safety record is very good with no incidents recorded.

  This airline offers Economy Plus and Economy class tickets to travellers with all passengers able to choose seating allocation online. Cabin service is good quality although cabin conditions do not score quite as high. Flybe offers travellers the option to fly direct to and from regional airports, which the major airlines do not provide as much. As a result Flybe has become very popular with travellers and financially successful and now heading the UK domestic passenger totals, ahead of Easyjet,British Airways and the other airlines.

  This airline is a low cost airline but prospective travellers should compare other options for the best deal if on a budget. For short haul regional flights within the UK and European destinations Flybe offers convenience for business and holiday travellers to reach the less well known destinations.

• Jet 2
  www.jet2.com
  Airline Info

  Jet 2

   

  Jet2 is a low cost airline, which began operating in 2003.The airline is based at Leeds Bradford Airport but has 7 additional small bases around the UK. Apart from passenger traffic, Jet2 also provides charter and air cargo services. The airline has made steady progress since commencing operations and is becoming popular with travellers looking for bargain flights.

  Jet2 is considered to be a 3 star airline with a small aircraft fleet of 37 planes (Aug 2011) and covering 54 different destinations.The aircraft turnover is lengthy with new planes coming on stream slowly.The safety record of the airline is very good with no incidents on record.

  The airline offers passengers attractive bargain flight deals to many destinations from many UK domestic airports. As with all low cost airlines there is only one standard flight class available. Cabin service is good and for short haul flights, travellers will find very good value compared to the bigger airlines.The Inflight Entertainment does not score highly as might be expected for a low cost airline, where the priority is keeping costs down.

  Jet2 is making an effort to promote itself in the media and for passengers looking for the best bargains to travel abroad this airline is worth checking out for the airfares available.

• Monarch Airlines
  www.flymonarch.com
  Airline Info

  Monarch Airlines

   

  Monarch Airlines is a charter and scheduled airline, based at London Luton Airport but with an additional 3 UK bases.This is the oldest airline in the UK commencing operations in 1968. The charter flights leave mainly from Gatwick airport and the scheduled flights operate from Manchester. In recent years Monarch has concentrated on scheduled flights rather than the chartered service,competing directly with Easyjet and Ryanair.

  Monarch Airlines is considered a 3 star airline with a small aircraft fleet of 30 planes (Nov 2011) travelling to over 100 different destinations. There are two types of ticket category the Standard cabin class and the Premium cabin class. Premium cabin is available on long haul flights providing more leg room seats and seatback entertainment. Inflight Entertainment comes in the form of films and television programmes.

  The cabin service is of a good standard built up over the years. The safety record is very good with only a minor technical incident in 2006 not affecting passengers.

  Monarch Airlines has progressed over the years with more travellers flying to popular destinations.The competition between the low cost airlines is quiet strong but it would be worth considering this airline before booking with the other budget airlines,as the airfares are good value.

• Thomas Cook Airlines
  www.thomascookairlines.co.uk
  Airline Info

  Thomas Cook Airlines

   

  Thomas Cook Airlines is a charter airline which commenced operations under this brand name in 2008. The airline is based in Manchester and is the result of the merger between Thomas Cook Airlines UK Ltd and My Travel Airways. There are 11 operating bases throughout the UK. The main user of the airline is the Thomas Cook Tour Operations but there are scheduled flights available for travellers especially for those going to Canadian destinations.

  Thomas Cook Airlines is considered a 3 star airline with an aircraft fleet of 42 planes ( Aug 2011 ) and going to 95 destinations. Over the next few years the aircraft fleet will be updated with new planes. There are two categories of ticket available on long haul flights,Premium and Economy Class,which give passengers more seat comfort and Inflight Entertainment. The Cabin Service is good quality but for seat comfort the scoring is not as high. On short haul flights the Inflight Entertainment is limited.The safety record of the airline is very good with no incidents on record.

  This airline has been very popular with holiday travellers reaching many worldwide destinations. Passengers looking for flights only would be worth advised comparing with other carriers for the best value fares

• Thomson Airways
  flights.thomson.co.uk
  Airline Info

  Thomson Airways

   

  Thomson Airways only commenced operations under this brand name in 2008 after the merging of Thomsonfly and First Choice Airways with its headquarters in Luton.The company was originally founded in 1962 and known then as Britannia Airways.With the recent changes Thomson Airways has now become the largest charter airline in the world. As well as being a charter airline Thomson Airways offers scheduled flights to destinations in Europe,Africa,Asia and North America from its 16 operating bases.

  Thomson Airways is considered a 3 star airline with an aircraft fleet of 61 planes connecting to 96 destinations. The airline is in the process of modernising its aircraft fleet and will s oon update with new planes including the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. At the Skytrax 2011 Awards in Paris, Thomson Airways won the Best Leisure Airline Award,winning the award for the second year in a row.

  There are two seating categories of Premium and Economy Class which provide different seat size options and for a small outlay on long haul flights access is available to Inflight Entertainment with individual TV screens. The cabin service is a good quality standard with cabin conditions scoring well. The airline is the first in the UK to use recycled cooking oil to fuel some of the planes in service.

  This airline caters for the charter area of the travel industry but travellers should checkout the scheduled flight options available. For passengers on a budget this airlin e provides the basics to take you to your destination point although it is worth checking with the other airlines on comparison airfares

• Virgin Atlantic
  www.virgin.com
  Airline Info

  Virgin Atlantic

   

  Virgin Atlantic began operating in 1984 being based close to London Gatwick Airport.The airline is jointly owned by Sir Richard Branson ( 51% ) and Singapore Airlines ( 49% ). The policy has always been to fly only long haul flights. Since Virgin Atlantic began operations there has been much rivalry with British Airways both competing for the Trans Atlantic passenger traffic and more recently for the Far East routes. The airline has a small fleet of aircraft totalling 39 planes ( Sep 2011 ) with 35 destination routes The airline continues to modernise its fleet to compete with the major airlines.

  Virgin Atlantic is considered a 3 star airline offering 3 levels of seating - Upper Class,Premium Economy and Economy. The Inflight Entertainment is of good quality standard and available to all sections. The Business ( Upper Class ) section provides a good quality service while the Economy Class does not score so high with seating and cabin service issues. The airline's website is well designed and easy to navigate when booking flights.

  Virgin Atlantic has a very good safety record since commencing operations with the most recent incident in 2005 when there was a fuel problem but the flight concerned landed safely with no injuries.

  This airline offers good flight deals to far away destinations and passengers on a budget are able to make savings to these locations but have to weigh up the quality issues.

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