Passengers can once again fly to Iceland from London Stansted after Wow Air and Iceland Express introduced services to Reykjavik – the country’s capital.

Britons who fancy a holiday in the island country – which takes approximately three hours to fly to from the UK – could use one of many bus services to Stansted to ensure they get to the airport on time without having to worry about navigating through traffic.

Stansted’s airline, route and marketing manager, Paul Haynes, said: “We’re delighted Iceland Express has returned to Stansted and welcome Wow Air onto our network.

“Iceland has always been a popular destination and these new services are not only great news for Iceland’s tourist industry but will be a boost for Icelanders looking for convenient connections to London and wider East of England for both business and leisure travel.

“With afternoon and evening departures the services offer flexibility to passengers and we wish both airlines every success with their new Stansted connections.”

For those not in the know, Iceland is situated in the North Atlantic Ocean and is renowned for its geysers, glaciers, whale watching, geothermal Blue Lagoon and erupting volcano Eyjafjallajökull.

The news of the new flight service to Iceland comes after it was revealed by BAA that the popularity of southern European countries such as Spain and Greece as holiday destinations is on the decline.

In May, the number of passengers flying from Heathrow to Greece fell by 11.3% compared to a year ago, while passengers to and from Portugal and Italy fell by 11.4% and 9.2% respectively. A 2.5% decline was recorded in passengers flying to and from Spain for a holiday.

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Holidays to Greece have not been affected by the country’s economic crisis, with four million Britons heading to the country this summer.

Foreign exchange company Travelex said the number of Britons travelling to Greece could be double the average number of two million, with travel agents reporting that all-inclusive bookings were up by a third over the last two weeks.

Tour operators have cut prices for Greek trips, and the survey shows that many are setting off on holiday to Greece from airports such as Heathrow and Gatwick due to the strengthening of the pound against the Euro.

A fifth said they were “not concerned at all” about a possible collapse of the euro, with the majority saying they were just “mildly concerned”.

However, almost half of all people polled believe the euro will collapse in Greece, with the majority saying they expect it to happen before the end of the summer.

But this does not seem to put people off travelling, with fewer than 2% cancelling a pre-booked trip to the country, while a further 47% said they would not change their travel plans whatever happens.

Elvin Eldic of Travelex said that Britons are “more concerned about bagging a bargain”, adding: “We’d urge Brits to not only take a mixture of cash and a prepaid card but also to take the time to check the terms and conditions of their travel insurance when booking a holiday or travelling to Greece.”

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Falling car hire and villa rental prices across Europe could convince more people to opt for self-catering holidays, a survey has suggested.

It is thought that because it can now cost up to 40% less to rent a car in some European destinations than it did two years ago, an increasing number of people will opt for self-catering holidays rather than expensive hotel breaks.

A study by TravelSupermarket revealed that car hire rates across popular European holiday destinations such as Malaga, Alicante, Murcia, Palma, Tenerife and Faro have fallen considerably since 2010, with bargains to be had this Easter, Whit week and in August.

Holidaymakers can save up to 26% on car hire during Whit week across eight European destinations, while prices have fallen by 34% in Spain since 2010. In Malaga, for example, it costs £63.89 to rent a small car for eight days, which equates to less than £8 per day.

Self-catering holidays in Greece could become considerably cheaper as villa rental prices could fall by as much as 20%.

Holidaymakers can save even more money by leaving the car at home prior to departure and taking a bus to the airport, before hiring a car when they get to their destination.

Experts say that prices have fallen considerably because people are booking their holidays later than usual to get the best deals and because of economic uncertainty in eurozone countries such as Spain, Portugal and Italy.

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If you like the idea of visiting Greece and Turkey but find yourself swerving them in summer because of the temperature, why not opt for a winter break in one of the destinations instead?

The call comes after strong winds brought temperatures crashing down in both the south-east Europe countries recently.

Temperatures in parts of Greece fell to as low as -21C on Tuesday and Wednesday, suggesting that while you should arrange airport transfers for flights to the country, you can forget about the sun cream for now. Florina, which sits in a part of northern Greece known for its rugged terrain, saw mercury plummet sharply.

The Aegean island of Limnos throngs with tourists in the July and August period, however on Monday its sandy beaches were covered with a dusting of snow. People on city breaks in Istanbul also saw snowfall.

On the other hand, if you’re a sun-seeker there are still plenty of options available. South Africa is currently midway through its summer and temperatures are soaring.

For instance, people enjoying winter sun breaks in Vredendal in the Western Cape saw temperatures soar to a high of 45.4C. It was nearly as hot on the coast too, with 39C recorded at Table Bay in Cape Town.

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A new 109 billion euro (£95.9 billion) rescue package for the beleaguered Greek economy has been welcomed by the British travel industry due to its strong links with the country’s tourism industry.

The bailout, which includes a lower interest rate for Greece and more time to pay it off, is good news for the UK travel industry, which benefits from British tour operators sending customers to the country.

Cheap flights from airports like Stansted, Heathrow and Gatwick to Greece are popular with British tourists looking for a week or two in the sun.

However, there is no guarantee that the bailout package will be effective in the long term and holidaymakers have been warned to be careful when planning trips to Greece to ensure that their travel insurance covers them for anything that could potentially go wrong, such as not being able to get to a hotel due to a strike.

Commenting on the Greek tourist industry, a spokesman for Abta, the British travel association, said: “Their tourist industry is of fundamental importance as one of the key providers of employment in the country.

“Bookings to Greece are up on last year. Images of demonstrations in Athens did have a negative impact, but tourist resorts were unaffected by the protests.”

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People heading to Corfu now have more choice of who to fly with after it was announced that Monarch will include the destination as part of its service from Luton Airport.

Corfu flights available from Luton

Flights between Luton and Corfu International Airport will be available on Mondays, Wednesday and Saturdays, with one-way fare prices starting at £68.99, including flights and taxes.

Simon Harley, business development manager at the London facility, said: “It is great to announce the start of this new scheduled service to Corfu with one of our trusted partners, Monarch, which has built on the success of its charter flights last year.”

Mr Harley said the fine beaches, good weather and historical sites of Greece make it a strong choice for Britons looking to travel abroad. Corfu also has appeal for sports fans as it is the “the home of Greek cricket”, he added.

Passengers interested in heading off to other Greek destinations can also travel to Zakynthos, Kephalonia, Thessalonika, Rhodes and Crete from Luton Airport.

Those who choose the hub as their airport base before they fly off on holiday will also have the opportunity to check their e-mails and say goodbye to their friends using a fast and reliable pay-as-you-go WiFi service.

It has been announced that communications firm Spectrum Interactive will be the exclusive provider of wireless internet access at the airport, with roaming arrangements allowing the service to offer flexibility to passengers with iPass, Boingo and Skype Access accounts.

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Flights from London Gatwick to Athens will start from next month after Greek carrier Hellenic Imperial Airways announced a new service which will include onward connections to Kuwait and Dubai.

Starting from July 1, there will be three flights a week which offer same-day connections to Kuwait, with three additional flights to start by October which will offer same-day connections to Dubai.

Business and economy class will be on offer on the Airbus A340 aircraft service. All seats will include personal in-flight entertainment, while spacious recliner seats will be available for business-class passengers.

World-leading GSA network APG has been appointed as the airline’s UK representative, providing sales, marketing, ticketing services and call centre facilities in the UK and Ireland. Travel agents in the UK are being offered 5% commission by the airline as an introductory offer.

The new route is part of a plan by Hellenic Imperial Airways to expand its operation and provide increased access for the wider world to Greece. Non-stop flights to New York and Dubai are also expected to be offered as part of the expansion by the airline, which was incorporated in May 2006 by a team of industry experts, and to date has operated charter flights and aircraft leasing on an ACMI basis.

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Britons will be better off financially if they spend Easter in Benidorm or Bulgaria instead of Brighton, according to research.

Post Office Travel Money listed Spain as offering the best value-for-money for 10 typical holiday items in a table of 14 popular destinations. 

Although the items, including suncream, beer and cigarettes, cost £42.15 in Spain they were priced at £77.01 in Brighton and £92.81 in Miami, Florida, which was the most expensive destination. 

Tourists looking to make the most of their Easter break while still saving money might also want to explore using airport transfers. 

As well as alleviating the stresses of driving, travelling by bus will also remove the additional cost of petrol and parking at the airport.

The second cheapest location was Bulgaria, where the items cost £43.50. 

For some destinations the cost of the items had seen noticeable increase compared to last year, with Brighton up by 10%. 

Having a three course evening meal in the Sussex resort is now expected to cost around £45.30, compared with £23.58 in Spain. 

Corfu in Greece was 10% less than 2010, with the 10 items now costing £58.87. Turkey was down 13% to £79.58 while Egypt, although comparatively expensive at £78.30, was 12% lower than last year.

Post Office Travel Money head Sarah Munro said: “While Spain is undoubtedly best value overall, the healthy price fall in Greece means that this traditional favourite can once again be considered a good bet for wallet-watching holidaymakers.

“In fact, the eastern Med looks a good choice all ways round as prices have fallen significantly in Turkey after 2010’s sharp rises.

“A combination of the weaker Turkish lira and lower charges by Turkish restaurants and bars have brought prices back to the levels UK holidaymakers came to expect during the noughties.”

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