London Stansted has been named Europe’s best performing airport.

More than 88% of flights from Stansted took off within 15 minutes of their scheduled departure time in September, new figures show.

As well as coming top in the European punctuality stakes, on the world stage Stansted was beaten only by Tokyo’s Haneda airport and Minneapolis-St Paul in the US.

Gatwick and Heathrow also performed well in the European rankings.

Gatwick was placed third, with more than 81% of its flights taking off on time, while Heathrow came in sixth, with almost 76% of flights departing on schedule.

In the world rankings, Gatwick and Heathrow were placed 19th and 29th respectively.

Barcelona came second in the European list and 16th in the overall global rankings. Around 82% of flights from the Spanish airport took off on time during the month, according to the latest report from FlightStats.

Other airports where passengers saw most flights take off on time included Frankfurt and Amsterdam Schiphol.

Passengers flying from London might find the promise of a delay-free journey is yet another reason to take advantage of new flights to some more unusual destinations next year.

Among the new routes set to be introduced at Stansted Airport are flights to Keflavik airport, the gateway to Reykjavik in Iceland.

Two airlines are set to launch additional flights to the country, famous for its beautiful scenery and stunning natural attractions such as waterfalls, geysers, volcanoes and glaciers.

The UK marketing manager at the Icelandic Tourist Board, Sigga Groa, said: “We want to show visitors that they can come to Iceland for adventure, spas, culture, active sports and nightlife in just a short flight from home.”

WOW Air will be running three weekly flights to Iceland from Stansted, with prices starting at just £53 for a single fare.

The move is part of the carrier’s plans to offer routes to Iceland from a number of major European cities including Alicante, Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen and Warsaw.

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Steve Cram has appeared at Stansted Airport as a guest speaker for a transport forum ahead of next year’s 2012 Games in London.

The middle distance runner, who won a silver medal at the Los Angeles Games in 1984, said: “London Stansted is just a stone’s throw from Stratford making it the nearest major international airport to the Olympic Village.

“So I was delighted to be invited by the airport to speak at the Transport Forum and share my experiences of competing at the Olympics and talk about the key role airports, like Stansted, will play before, during and after the Games.”

Although he is was one of the world’s best middle distance runners in his pomp, Cram would have been forgiven if he’d opted to take a bus to the airport to ensure he got there on time for this public appearance, which was part of a five-year plan to develop Stansted into a public transport hub ahead of the 2012 Games.

Nick Barton, Stansted’s managing director, said: “London Stansted Airport is delighted to be an official provider to the London 2012 Games and very proud to be one of the first to say ‘hello’ to the thousands of visitors arriving in the UK.

“We know it will be an operational challenge so we’re preparing now to make sure it’s a success for everyone.

“We’re aiming to make sure every passengers’ journey through Stansted during Games time is smooth, easy and efficient – to offer ‘business as usual’, only better.”

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Britons hoping to jet off on a sun-kissed holiday to Larnaca on Cyprus Airways will be able to do so from London Stansted from December 19.

The airline will operate a Larnaca-Stansted service on Monday and Thursday mornings and it hopes to increase flight frequency during the summer holiday season.

It is thought the news will be welcomed by many people looking forward to taking London to Stansted transfers ahead of their summer holiday in 2012.

Meanwhile, holidaymakers hoping to travel from the Cyprus city to Heathrow airport might be pleased to discover that from this Sunday, Cyprus Airways’ morning flight will depart at 10.05am (8.05am GMT), rather than 5am (3am GMT).

The airline has taken the measure because, according to a press release, many customers felt the 5am flight departure time was inconvenient. The later departure time will give holidaymakers a longer lie-in before catching their airport transfers, leaving plenty of time to spare as well.

From this Sunday, passengers can choose from twice daily Cyprus Airways flights.
The morning flight leaves Larnaca at 10.05am (local time) and arrives at Heathrow at 1.05pm GMT. The return flight departs a little over an hour later at 2.25pm GMT and arrives in Larnaca at 9.05pm local time.The afternoon flight from Larnaca departs 5.45pm local time, while the return flight leaves Heathrow at 10pm GMT.

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Long-haul air passengers looking to take the stress out of their journey can do so by staying in an airport hotel.

An overnight stay at a hotel located at an airport can eliminate the stress of having to get up at the crack of dawn to catch an early morning flight and can make the travel experience so much more relaxing.

And while airport transfers are a safe and inexpensive way to travel from an airport to a hotel, staying in a hotel at an airport is an ideal way for people on long-haul connecting flights to the other side of the world to experience the comfort of a hotel and still have the convenience of being close to the airport.

Kathrin Cockhill, director of sales and marketing at the Radisson Blu Hotels & Resorts at Stansted Airport, said: ”The main advantage is that you are on site, ready to go and you can start your holiday the night before – which adds to the whole relaxing experience of going on a break.”

And airport staff at hotels around the world are more than capable of dealing with even the most stressful of travel difficulties. One recent example of this was when a 32-year-old woman staying as a guest at a hotel in Gatwick Airport went into labour.

Quick-thinking staff members at the Sofitel Hotel at the airport’s north terminal organised for an ambulance to take Shan Joseph, from St Lucia, to East Surrey Hospital after she went into labour five weeks early.

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Stansted Airport is at the forefront of two new ventures aimed at improving satisfaction amongst air travellers and encouraging business in the local area.

Last week saw the launch of a new trial that will enable passengers to fast-track their way through security at the airport by purchasing a special ticket for £5.

The fast-track project, in conjunction with hospitality firm No. 1 Traveller, means passengers who buy a ticket no longer have to queue up to get through departures. Until now, the only existing schemes of this nature were only available to frequent flyers or premium travellers.

No. 1 Traveller, chief executive, Phil Cameron, said: “Our aim is to make every step of the journey as enjoyable as possible and this latest offering means that travellers no longer have to waste valuable time queuing to get through to departures.”

Meanwhile, Stansted Airport is also playing host to a highly acclaimed business networking event, which all firms across the East of England have been invited to.

The Meet the Buyers event is taking place at Radisson Blu’s Stansted Airport hotel between 9am and 5pm on September 22. It will provide suppliers based in the area the opportunity to make new contacts and pitch sales to companies based at, or in close proximity, to Stansted.

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One million tickets for an expo of Shakespeare’s works in London are going on sale in just over a month’s time.

As Stansted Airport is close to the capital, visitors may want to check out flights now for next year’s “unprecedented and outrageous collaboration”.

The World Shakespeare Festival, beginning April 23 and ending in November, is organised by the Royal Shakespeare Company and is said to involve as many as 50 other arts organisations, including many from outside the UK.

It will showcase both the writer’s famous works and his lesser known plays in 70 separate productions.

Thousands of school children and teachers are expected to join about 7,200 amateur theatre producers.

Michael Attenborough, artistic director at London’s Almeida Theatre, which will host King Lear, said: “The greatest artistic passion of my life is directing Shakespeare, and challenges don’t come much more awesomely thrilling than tackling King Lear.”

The writer’s shows are part of the London 2012 Festival and is expected to attract people from across the world.

Special efforts are being made to include school pupils and their teachers in the events by encouraging them to share information globally. Specific materials are being designed for schools across the globe in a digital package called Shakespeare Unlocked.

Recent research shows that around 50% of the world’s school pupils study Shakespeare.

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A second store dedicated to the sale of memorabilia for the Olympic Games has opened at Stansted Airport.

A wide range of London 2012 branded products from souvenirs and clothing to toys and fashion accessories will be on sale at the 1,400 sq ft site, which was officially opened by Games mascots Wenlock and Mandeville in August.

London 2012 may be the only time that many of the visitors will be able to experience an Olympic Games first hand and the stores at Stansted will give them the opportunity to take home a souvenir of the world’s biggest sporting event.

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) said that the stores will give international and domestic visitors to the capital a chance to “stock up on a piece of sporting history” while travelling through the airport.

Simon Lilley, head of licensing at LOCOG, said: “This latest shop opening offers an increased opportunity for London 2012 to connect to UK travellers and international visitors, offering them a great chance to take home a piece of the Games. The range of products on offer is huge and the diversity really means there is something for everyone—from pocket-money toys to collectables.”

Stansted Airport operations director Martin Lyall added: “We are delighted to welcome the new London 2012 shop to Stansted Airport. It provides travellers with a great opportunity to share in the excitement which the London 2012 Games will generate.”

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The international departures section of Stansted Airport is offering a new type of cuisine for travellers to enjoy.

Yo! Sushi, a UK-based company formed in 1997 which has outlets throughout the country, has opened a restaurant at the air travel hub promising to offer a conveyor belt of dishes inspired by the varying tastes of Japan.

The airport’s chief of retail, Zoe Farmer, said: “Research collected from passengers travelling through Stansted has shown that brands like Yo! Sushi are exactly what passengers want to see at our airport, and we are pleased to be able to respond to our customer needs.

“This exciting new addition to Stansted’s retail offer complements perfectly our existing mix of good quality outlets.

“I’d like to wish Yo! Sushi every success with their new site.”

Robin Rowland, the food firm’s chief executive, said: “Continuing on our mission to provide fun, fast and fresh Japanese food served from a cutting-edge restaurant design, we hope to follow in the footsteps of our other airport sites in Edinburgh and Heathrow Terminal 3, building on the excellent reputation already generated within this sector.

“The ultra-competitive market for quality airport dining outlets is fiercer than ever before, a factor we both relish and respect as we prepare to cater to the palates of the travelling public passing through London Stansted.”

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The number of people passing through airports across Ireland has shot up, thanks to 15% more tourists recently.

But any increase has to be considered in the context of last year’s ash cloud disruption, which grounded Europe’s airports to a halt.

For Ireland, the news was especially good, with an extra 240,000 trips made to the country between April and June, compared with the same quarter last year. The 15% increase brought the total tourist numbers for the quarter to 1.8 million.

Official statistics indicate that nearly three million people used Ireland’s airports and sea ports in the first half of 2011. Last year the figure was 2.6 million for the first six months.

Of the totals for this year so far, an overall 1.3 million came over from the UK’s major airports such as Stansted and Heathrow, up nearly 100,000.And almost half a million visited from the US.

Ireland’s tourism minister Leo Varadkar said: “While the figures are a positive indication, we cannot afford to be complacent.

“With continuing economic uncertainty in most of our key overseas markets, the tourism agencies and the industry will continue to work together to restore sustainable growth to this vital sector.

“The Government is playing its part through measures such as the VAT cut, reduced employers’ PRSI (insurance) and the visa waiver scheme to support competitiveness as well as key investments to upgrade our tourism products and attractions.”

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New research has found a link between a person’s profession and the hoiliday destination they are most likely to choose.

Bankers have a tendency to go to New York for their holidays while lawyers are more likely to travel to France, according to a poll of 3,000 adults by airline Virgin Atlantic.

Estate agents could take advantage of cheap flights from Stansted to Alicante as their profession is particularly keen on trips to Spain.

Doctors and airline cabin crew appear to enjoy holidaying in the Caribbean, while farmers often switch domestic animals for wild ones on a Kenyan safari, the research shows.

Director of corporate communications for Virgin Atlantic, Greg Dawson, said: “Our jobs can often dictate where we holiday as budgets, interests and level of relaxation required are all influenced by what we do for a living. 

“However, what we do have in common, no matter the chosen profession, is that Brits are adventurous travellers, with 80% choosing a new destination each time they holiday.”

But just because you’re thousands of miles away on holiday, doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve completely escaped the clutches of work. Another report suggests that a quarter of bosses think it’s acceptable to call workers while they’re on annual leave.

The report, also by Virgin Atlantic, found that a majority of bosses would be happy to disturb an employee’s holiday if they were still within the EU.

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