UK airlines have been laying on extra flights to help Britons stranded in New York. 

A number of flights had to be cancelled over the weekend as Hurricane Irene struck the east coast of America, leaving some passengers waiting for flights out of the New York area.

British Airways, which flies to New York from London airports including Heathrow, put on extra services from Newark in New Jersey to help its passengers get home. 

The airline also offered an extra flight back to London from JF Kennedy airport in New York.

Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic laid on two extra flights from New York to London in a bid to help its stranded passengers. 

Passengers at major UK airports such as Gatwick and Stansted were left facing the possibility of disruption over the weekend as operators anticipated the effects of Hurricane Irene.

A BA spokesman said: “Quite a few people have been on to us, or gone online, to rebook. We are allowing people affected by the cancellations to rebook to a later date.” 

Virgin and BA were both able to resume their normal New York and Newark flight schedules by Monday. 

BA normally offers seven return flights a day from London to New York, and three returns a day between London and Newark.

Virgin runs five return flights a day to both airports.

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Research has suggested that travelling to a foreign country with children is stressful for many parents.

The poll for Gatwick Airport found that 21% of parents who travel to foreign climes with their youngsters in tow end up considering a holiday closer to home.

Queues and delays were the biggest causes of stress for 65% of the 1,000 parents questioned for the poll.

But finding something for their children to do during the journey was also problematic for many parents – alongside getting their offspring some food.

Many families get their holiday under way via a bus from London to the surrounding airports such as Luton and Stansted after arranging airport transfers.

Becky Wiggins, author of parenting blog English Mum, said: “Family holidays are supposed to give parents a chance to spend fun and quality time with their children, but as this survey shows worries can often get in the way.

“Stresses are only made worse by the fear of disturbing other travellers so parents are best advised to take extra precautions before setting out on their trip.”

A spokesman for Gatwick Airport said: “The findings of our research show that the stress of the journey is often sky high for parents, but most admit a little extra help and consideration would go a long way to making the experience more enjoyable.”

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Passengers travelling on Virgin Atlantic flights, including those setting off from Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports, will now see warning signs alerting passengers to whether an on-flight film will be a tearjerker or not.

Water For Elephants, starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson, and Just Go With It, starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, will be the first feature-length films to carry the warning on upcoming flights.

Virgin Atlantic bosses took the decision to include the warning notices on emotive films after a survey carried out on behalf of the airline revealed that 55% of passengers thought their emotions became heightened while flying.

Of the men polled, 41% said they hid under blankets in an attempt to hide their tears from other passengers, while women were most likely to pretend they had something in their eye if a film had tugged on their heartstrings.

The survey also revealed that people from Wolverhampton were the most emotionally sensitive in Britain, while those from Gloucester were least likely to cry because of a film’s storyline. 

Passengers who took part in the survey listed Toy Story 3, The Blind Side and Eat Pray Love as being the most emotive tearjerkers.

Meanwhile, easyJet’s Louis Mondeville Cotes de Gascogne has been voted the best airline white wine by flight comparison site Skyscanner.

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Holidaymakers jetting off to the Middle East this summer had better make sure they pack plenty of sunblock as temperatures have been scorching there all week.

Dubai is boasting sweltering temperatures of 45C

The area is becoming increasingly popular as a holiday destination among British travellers, with many UK airports such as Stansted, Luton and Gatwick offering cheap flights out to the sun-drenched tourist trap.

And who can blame them when Dubai is boasting sweltering temperatures of 45C (113F), while Abu Dhabi is even hotter at 48C (118.4F) – around 7C higher than the average for this time of year. 

Temperatures in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, managed to reach a high of 50C (122F) in the picturesque Al Qaysumah, which is 6C above the seasonal average.

While the midday sun might be a little too much for some travellers, temperatures in coastal areas drop to below 36C (100F) during the afternoon as the cool sea breezes kick in.

US soldiers at the Talil military base in Iraq have been baking in temperatures of 52C (125.6F). The heat, combined with the beginning of the Muslim fasting period of Ramadan, led to a public holiday being declared in Baghdad and southern parts of Iraq.

Experts say that the hotter-than-usual temperatures have been caused by a synoptic pattern often seen during the summer. 

High pressure affected eastern Oman up to Iran, with a slack low pressure trough sitting to its east.

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For most people, going on holiday is a chance to get away from the stresses and strains of everyday life.

People with young children are no exception, although the logistics of packing up the family and travelling to a destination may add to their pre-holiday stress.

A survey conducted by Gatwick Airport looked into the experiences of parents when travelling with their children, and found that many are conscientious of the feelings of their fellow passengers.

Out of the 1,000 parents questioned, 30% felt concern over disturbing other holidaymakers on their trip, with 54% feeling guilty if their child misbehaves or cries loudly. 

One in five parents are so aware of disturbing other passengers that they even choose to avoid busy areas at the airport.

The plane journey offers passengers an opportunity for quiet time before they land at their holiday destination, so it is no surprise that 62% of parents feel concern over their child misbehaving or crying while up in the air. 

Some 32% of respondents worry about their offspring acting up at airport check-in and security, while 24% are aware of their child’s behaviour at meal times.

But for families flying from Gatwick, the process of travelling through the airport has been made easier.

Gatwick Airport’s chief executive, Stewart Wingate, said security assistance lanes for families have been launched which allow people to travel through security at their own pace. 

And through providing push chairs and creating “kid zones” in both Gatwick terminals, the airport has helped to ensure that parents set-off on holiday as free from stress as possible. 

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Japan’s massive earthquake and tsunami in March has failed to put off potential holidaymakers visiting the country, a recent survey suggests.

Tourists open to Japan holidays

More than 60% of those questioned across the world said they would be open to travelling to the country, according to the poll by website Hotels.

Japan is one of the top three countries that more than half of travellers from around the world say they would like to visit, with the majority keen to see the nation’s capital Tokyo the most. Around 86% of those surveyed said they would not rule out a trip to Japan in the next 12 months.

However, the cost of a holiday to Japan is a crucial factor for most of those surveyed, with 70% saying they would visit the country only if the price was right. Travellers may want to take advantage of a number of cheap flights to Japan from UK airports such as Gatwick.

Hideki Yokoyama, of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, said: “I am very encouraged that so many people in the survey indicated that they are willing to travel to Japan. I hope that everyone can visit Japan and experience the best of Tokyo’s fantastic hospitality which never changes. Moreover, I would like everyone to see that the whole of Japan is working together for a rapid recovery. Please feel free to visit Japan now or in the near future.”

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Further flights from London to Kuala Lumpur will be offered to UK travellers later this year, when new services are officially launched from Gatwick Airport.

October 24 will see the introduction of flights between Gatwick and the Kuala Lumpur Low Cost Carrier Terminal, with　AirAsia X due to provide the services.

By the middle of December 2011, it is hoped that as many as six weekly flights will head from the London airport to the south-east Asian city.

Citing some of the benefits of flying from Gatwick, AirAsia X noted that the airport offers decent options with regards to both accommodation and public transport links.

Central London and other regions close to the hub are easy to access thanks to its transport links, the airline indicated.

Discussing the new flights, Stewart Wingate, Gatwick Airport chief executive, said demand for long-haul travel appears to be rising among UK consumers.

He added: “Malaysia is ranked as one of the world’s top 10 leisure destinations and its capital city, Kuala Lumpur, is one of the most visited cities in the world.”

In deciding to offer flights to Kuala Lumpur from Gatwick, AirAsia X suggested that it will now be able to maximise the airport’s commercial opportunities, with traffic flow potentially increasing between the two destinations.

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Passenger numbers at BAA airports increased by more than 4% last month, new figures have revealed.

A total of 9.9 million passengers went through the company’s six airports during June, a 4.4% rise compared with the same period last year.

The figures were boosted by the busiest-ever June experienced at Heathrow. The record month saw 6.1 million passengers handled at the west-London airport.

It experienced a boost in the number of people flying from the airport to Brazil, while US destinations also performed strongly.

In contrast, Southampton experienced a slight drop in passenger numbers – down by 0.8%.

Results for the firm’s three airports in Scotland were positive, with Aberdeen experiencing a 10.1% rise, Edinburgh up 7.6% while Glasgow saw 2.6% increase. 

Gatwick, which was owned by BAA but is now run by US-based investment fund Global Infrastructure Partners, experienced a 5.2% increase in passenger numbers.

A 13.9% rise in scheduled traffic from Europe helped to boost numbers to 3.2 million during the month. 

BAA chief executive Colin Matthews said: “June’s passenger figures are an early indication of a busy summer, and we will focus on delivering the best possible service standards at our most popular time of year.”

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British tourists will be able to expand their horizons from this December after an airline announced two new services to Vietnam, flying out of Gatwick Airport.

Direct flights to Vietnam from Gatwick

The direct flights from Gatwick’s North Terminal, which are being offered by Vietnam Airlines, will take travellers to the exotic locations of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

There will be a range of price options to cater for the budgets of all travellers, with economy, upper economy and business seats all available on the four weekly flights on Boeing 777-200ER aircraft.

The additions of the new flights direct to Vietnam were welcomed by Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate, who hailed the exciting opportunity for travellers.

Mr Wingate said: “These new long-haul routes are exciting news for Gatwick and for the 90,000 UK holidaymakers who travel to Vietnam each year who, this winter for the first time, will be able to fly direct to Vietnam.” 

The Gatwick CEO added that the flights would also help create business opportunities for firms looking to trade with Vietnam, while the Gatwick Airport brand as an international travel hub would also benefit.

Figures show that more than five million tourists visited the Asian country last year as its popularity as a holiday destination soared, and the new flights from London are likely to increase the number of Britons able to enjoy the chance of exploring the country.

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People travelling from Gatwick to Durban could soon cut three hours from their journey time thanks to a new direct service.

Comair plans to fly from Gatwick to South Africa’s third largest city three times a week.

The airline, the British Airways franchise in South Africa, estimates that the new link will shave three and a half hours off the time it takes to fly to Durban.

The flight currently takes around 14 hours as UK travellers have to go via Johannesburg or a second country.

But Comair has a few issues to overcome before the Gatwick flights can take off and airport transfers can be booked.

The airline has not yet set a start date, which may have been delayed by the fact that it still needs to secure a long-haul fleet.

Another issue facing Comair will be whether it will be allowed to use BA branding or whether it will have to rely on its budget firm Kulula.

A Comair spokesman said decisions had yet to be made, with BA adding that it had “a long and successful relationship with Comair in South Africa”.

The country has seen a boost in popularity since the World Cup in 2010 with more people flying from Gatwick, Stansted and Luton every year.

Comair already operates flights from the new King Shaka International Airport to Johannesburg, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.

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