Airbus believes that formation flying could potentially happen on high-frequency routes from 2050 onwards.

In its latest vision for sustainable aviation, the plane manufacturer also said that shorter flights would save fuel and dramatically reduce CO2 emissions.
It stated that by the middle of the 21st century, flights in Europe and the USA could be an average of 13 minutes shorter, saving around nine million tonnes of fuel each year.
Shorter journey times, which could be achieved by the optimisation of air traffic management and on-board technology systems, would lead to the annual saving of more than 28 million tonnes of avoidable CO2 emissions a year as well as the saving of five million flying hours.

Airbus also envisages planes free-gliding on their approach into airports to reduce emissions and reduce noise, and aircrafts climbing more steeply on take-off to minimise noise and allow for shorter runways.
In addition, the company imagines an increase in the use of sustainable biofuels and other potential energy sources such as electricity, hydrogen and solar power, plus highly intelligent aircraft which are able to “self-organise” and select the most efficient and environmentally friendly routes.

It would also like to see passengers reaching terminals faster, so travellers at airports such as Stansted and Luton can get to their destinations in a speedier and more relaxed manner.

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A new survey of British Airways (BA) passengers has discovered that the Caribbean is the most attractive destination for summer holidays.

South Africa wasn’t too far behind though in the minds of the airline’s customers and Florida, London and the Maldives rounded off the top five.

The findings are good news as BA is launching additional services to Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua and Jamaica from London Gatwick this summer, and spokesperson Claire Bentley said the appeal of the Caribbean is strong while the weather in the UK continues to disappoint.

“The thought of relaxing on a stunning beach in the warm and friendly Caribbean is a real draw as the summer weather continues to be a bit of a let down,” she said.

Florida’s appeal is similar with its beaches and good weather of its own, as well as the obvious Disney attractions and other theme parks, while three extra flights to Orlando per week are also being added to BA’s schedule from Gatwick.

And Ms Bentley was keen to point out the allure of second-placed South Africa, describing it as a ‘dream destination’ and highlighting places like Cape Town and Table Mountain and the Garden Route.

Overall, the poll showed that a high volume of people prefer beach getaways where they can relax and unwind on their summer holiday, with romantic city breaks, fun-filled family trips and ‘all-action adventures’ trailing behind the beach break.

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Those renting holiday accommodation in the capital this Olympic summer will pay triple the amount they would elsewhere in the country, it has been revealed.

Typically, one bedroom in a one-week holiday rental during July and August will set customers back £711 in London, TripAdvisor’s survey showed.

Good value for money can be found in Yorkshire though, where a similar room would cost you £217, as well as in the Scottish Highlands (£229), North Wales (£237) and Cumbria (£242).

Dorset is the second most expensive for rental accommodation, with a room setting you back £389, followed by Edinburgh’s £370.

According to the survey, holiday rental accommodation in popular overseas resorts is much cheaper than it is in the capital during the next two months.

The Dalmatian Coast in Croatia is the cheapest, at £264 per room on average, with Spain’s Andalucia next at £274 and the Canary Islands – including Tenerife – will cost £281 typically.

Laurel Greatrix, a spokeswoman for TripAdvisor, said: “Holiday rentals are always a great option.

“Cost-conscious travellers – especially those travelling in groups – should look to destinations like Yorkshire and the Scottish Highlands in the UK, and Croatia and Andalucia in Europe, to find great properties without breaking the bank.”

The following are the typical July and August weekly holiday rental prices: Yorkshire £217; Scottish Highlands £229; North Wales £237; Cumbria £242; Kent £258; East Anglia £260; Gloucestershire £308; Somerset £317; Devon £332; Cornwall £341; East Sussex £352; Edinburgh £370; Dorset £389; London £711.

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Experiencing New York is something most people want to do at least once in their lifetime, but research has shown you have to pay a high price for the privilege.

Whether it’s enjoying the Big Apple’s alluring boutiques, savouring the views at the top of the Empire State Building or taking a stroll through Central Park, there is a reason for everyone to head to the airport with great excitement.

But although you would expect the cost of seeing Spiderman: Turn off the Dark on Broadway, or eating out at Planet Hollywood in Times Square to cost a pretty penny, the findings also show that ‘the city that never sleeps’ has the highest hotel room rates among the most fashionable locations.

Hotels.com has revealed that the average room prices in New York rose by 4% to £173 in 2011, while Berlin – which is the most affordable top fashion city – saw rates fall by 3% to just £73.

Following the Big Apple, which has been made famous by much-loved shows such as Friends and Sex in the City, was Singapore, which saw prices rise by 11% to £136.

London, which is easily accessed via Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted airports by overseas tourists, was the fifth most expensive location.

The capital’s average hotel room rate climbed by 1% to £115 in 2011.

Los Angeles (£111), Barcelona (£104) and Tokyo (£102) all had cheaper rates than London last year.

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New research suggests British holidaymakers will find it cheaper to take a beach trip overseas than to stay in the capital in the first week of the Games.

According to findings from M&S Money, travellers will have an average of 25% more in their pockets by flying abroad from UK hubs such as Stansted and Luton than spending a week in London while the global sporting event takes place.

An overseas beach break to tourist hotspots will cost £1,298 on average between July 28 to August 4, but spending the same amount of time in the capital is more expensive – at a sum of £1,631.

The survey found that Alicante in Spain is the cheapest destination among the 10 analysed at £927, while those who plan a week’s break to Bodrum in Turkey can expect to spend £1,102.

Bridgetown in Barbados, which would cost £1,836, and Daytona Beach in Florida – setting travellers back by £2,034 – were considered the top two areas that exceeded London’s prices during the same timeframe. The pollster said the capital’s figure was that much because of the large amount needed for spending, equating to £596 per week.

Around 2,000 holidaymakers who planned to go abroad in the next few months were also questioned as part of the research. Results showed that more than half (54%) are planning a staycation, with one in four (25%) citing it as a cost-effective break.

Of those planning to holiday in Britain, a fifth (21%) said they will take a trip to the seaside, compared with 28% of people flying overseas for their beach break. The report concluded that domestic and outgoing travellers have £341 spending money in their budget per person per day, or £287 each week.

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Travellers abroad could be losing out when it comes to exchanging their currency depending on where they bought their notes in the UK, research by a consumer organisation suggests.

Which? magazine exchanged £500 at currency exchange shops in 10 different places in Britain on a particular day in March and discovered “significant” differences in the number of euros they were given.

In London and Glasgow, Which? researchers were given 578.50 euros, but they only received 565 euros in Birmingham, Haverfordwest and Sheffield.

Researchers found their best Thomas Cook offer of the day in Sheffield at 585 euros, while it found the worst Thomas Cook offer was in Manchester at 553.80 euros – a difference of more than £25 that could be used to cover airport transfers to or from an airport.

Marks & Spencer, however, gave the same currency exchange rates throughout the UK and Sainsbury’s also offered very similar amounts in all their branches tested. According to Which? there were also occasional, but uncommon, differences in the amounts offered at different branches of Asda and Tesco.

The consumer organisation urged holidaymakers to shop around for their currency exchange rates, as there were considerable variations in the amounts given by internet and central London outlets across eight weeks.

Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd, said: “Holidays don’t come cheap and these anomalies don’t help hard-pressed consumers. Currency providers need to make sure their rates are consistent to ensure a fair deal for everyone.”

More than three million passengers will pass through Heathrow Airport over the Easter school holidays, as families jet off on sunny breaks and to see loved ones.

Gearing up for a busy week, Heathrow is laying on additional staff, while pre-flight play areas for children will also be established.

Between Friday March 30 and Sunday April 15 the airport expects to handle 3.4 million passengers.

Friday 30 will be the busiest day – 220,000 people will pass through the west London airport. Around 190,100 visit in a normal day. The highest ever number to use the London airport in one day was 233,561 on July 31 last year.

And on Sunday April 15, the airport will see the most arrivals – some 46,000 passengers will descend on Terminal 5 alone.

But unlike the hustle and bustle at Heathrow, the roads may be fairly quiet.

RAC spokeswoman Vicki Burn told the BBC that between the strike by petrol tanker drivers, and unleaded petrol now costing on average, a record high of £1.40 a litre, people could be deterred from driving to see loved ones over Easter – instead choosing air travel for those longer trips.

“People need to be wary and keep an eye on what is happening,” she said. “My advice is not to panic-buy petrol, which will make the situation worse.”

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Walking holidays are becoming increasingly common both in the UK and around Europe.

The London to Stansted bus can provide an easy route out of the country before the hike begins, dealing with all the necessary airport transfers.

Two locations in Europe are particularly popular for that holiday stroll: Amalfi in Italy and the Lycian Way in Turkey.

Those in Italy tend towards the Amalfi-Sorrento coastline of wild mountains, old fishing towns which tumble to the water’s edge and the spectacular paths with views for miles.

At the Lycian Way on Turkey’s south coast, a popular hike is from Ovacik to Kilidonya lighthouse.

Demand is also high for routes in France where visitors like to sample local food. A seven-night trip around the Luberon, for example, will set you back £840, although that also covers the return journey to Avignon.

One firm popular with those looking for walking tours is On Foot Holidays, which helps plan routes and the little details to ensure customers need only worry about their legs. It promises to take people “into the heart of a real Europe: local hotels, local food and wine, scenery, culture, history”.

Mark Knowles, of Hampshire-based Walks Worldwide, said Albania is also popular this summer, especially the so-called Accursed Mountain trek. He said he has had to add two extra departure dates to satisfy demand.

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Travellers heading to Mumbai will once again be able to travel on Virgin Atlantic after the airline announced it was restarting its service to the Indian city.

Sir Richard Branson’s carrier will begin flights from Heathrow Airport to Mumbai from October 28, three years after suspending its service due to falling interest and ever increasing competition from rival airlines.

However, demand has flourished in the intervening years to make the destination Heathrow’s 12th busiest route, seeing as many as one million people head to the commercial and entertainment centre every year. Air India and British Airways already serve the Heathrow to Mumbai route.

The Airbus A330 aircraft will fly daily along the route for Virgin, and the new move is expected to create around 100 jobs both in India and the UK.

“We are proud to be flying to Mumbai again, linking this wonderful city to our key destinations of London, New York, Boston, Washington and Chicago,” said Virgin Atlantic chief executive Steve Ridgway.

“India’s phenomenal growth continues to drive travel to the UK and the USA and we know our passengers are going to love the connections the new flight offers.”

Those flying on the aircraft will be able to enjoy Panasonic’s latest in-flight entertainment system, which includes easy-to-use touchscreen technology and over 300 hours of content.

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Passengers using one of Spain’s largest airways will soon benefit from improved services at London’s Heathrow airport that will be offered due to a merger with British Airways (BA).

In January last year Iberia merged with BA and from March 25 travellers using Iberia from Madrid will arrive into Heathrow’s Terminal 5 instead of Terminal 3, which is the main terminal used by BA.

Arriving into this BA hub will give Iberia travellers easier connections to over 100 destinations in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa, that BA fly direct to from London.

The terminal move will mean travellers will not only get to enjoy the 110 shops and eateries in Terminal 5 but also the minimum connection time will now be 60 minutes – half an hour less than from Terminal 3.

Another advantage will be the increase of check-in kiosks and bag drops that passengers will be able to use, which will reduce waiting times dramatically, as previously Iberia passengers could only use nine check-in counters in Terminal 3.

Iberia Plus Gold and Platinum cardholders will also be able to use the luxurious VIP lounges in Terminal 5 and business class clients will be able to use special check-in counters and fast-track security control procedures.

Eight daily return Madrid-London flights are currently offered by Iberia at Heathrow.

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