Wouldn’t it be great to still be living in aviation’s golden age?

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Q Are you able to keep in mind the times whenever you turned up on the airport an hour earlier than the flight with a ticket despatched to you thru the publish? When there have been a minimum of two employees behind every desk to test in your baggage and challenge boarding passes? And when the flight landed within the metropolis marketed?

‘Cynics R Us’

A Sure, I keep in mind these days. And aside from extra relaxed check-in deadlines and the airport safety expertise, they have been dreadful. Fares have been ridiculously excessive. One motive was the excessive price of “distribution” – ie, getting tickets to passengers. When easyJet was based by Stelios, the entrepreneur realised that paper tickets procured at a journey company and despatched by way of the publish wasted money and time. Initially, Britain’s greatest funds airline bought solely by telephone, then quickly moved every little thing on-line.

At the moment, you’ll be able to ebook a flight inside a few minutes in your smartphone, and infrequently test in straightaway (although I argue strenuously that the check-in course of is an pointless hurdle). The price of making every transaction has fallen from many kilos to a couple pence, feeding by way of to decrease fares. Within the winter that easyJet celebrates its thirtieth birthday, one notable facet of aviation’s transformation is that this: when £29 for a one-way journey was launched between Luton and Scotland’s two most important cities, it was revolutionary. At the moment, you’ll be able to simply discover fares of underneath £29 from Luton to Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Who wants people? Self-service bag drop is a boon. Arriving one morning at Stansted airport with simply 48 minutes earlier than my Ryanair flight to France departed (after a Community Rail failure), and with a folding bike to test in, the method was so clean I even had time for a espresso (made and served by a human) on the best way to the gate.

In your level about flights touchdown “on the metropolis marketed”: the blossoming vary of secondary airports throughout Europe provides alternative. Whereas Hahn in western Germany is of little use in case your vacation spot is Frankfurt, the previous US Air Drive base is a wonderful gateway for a stretch of the Moselle. Likewise, Vasteras in Sweden just isn’t precisely Stockholm – however an enthralling riverside city full of good-looking structure and attractive cafes.

Most of all, I have fun the astonishing security requirements that aviation has achieved. That is the golden age of flying.

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Q With regards to airport drop-off charges for automobiles, I feel the concept they’re nudging folks onto public transport to be kinder to the atmosphere is ludicrous. You’re about to hop on a jet airplane that burns many tons of gas. What subsequent? Do you assume this concept might even unfold to dropping folks off at a railway station?

Neil R

A Sure, railway stations are subsequent. I consider it’s only a matter of time earlier than drop-off prices are launched – and never simply on the new Excessive Pace Two stations. Site visitors congestion as a consequence of folks being dropped off at massive stations is an rising concern (besides, arguably, at Leeds since constructing work at present makes it nigh-impossible to get close to the station in a automobile).

In London, all of the rail termini are on the Tube community and have a great deal of buses. Birmingham New Avenue, Manchester Piccadilly, Edinburgh Waverley and Newcastle are additionally nicely served. Most intercity passengers might use public transport.

Step one, I predict, can be quietly including a surcharge of some kilos to Uber pick-ups and drop-offs at most important rail stations. The know-how for that is fairly easy (it already occurs with Uber at some railway stations in India). There ought to be an choice for dropping off/choosing up someplace close by with no cost (and with out merely shifting the congestion). Such a transfer would possibly show adequate to decrease demand for driving to stations. I feel stepping into airport-style limitations or a “pay on-line earlier than midnight tomorrow” palaver could be a step too far.

Again to airports. Are they falsely claiming inexperienced credentials for bringing in or rising drop-off prices for automobiles? I don’t consider any airport hopes we are going to fortunately pay up, believing we’re saving the planet. However native site visitors congestion, noise and air pollution on roads serving airports are important. The argument for drop-off prices could be extra convincing, although, if the income have been ring-fenced for bettering public transport to the airport.

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Q I’ve been fortunate sufficient to go to Iran, and so I would like a full US visa fairly than the same old Esta to go to America. I take advantage of the visa most of the time for transit flights. It expires in March 2027.

Annoyingly, my UK passport is now full of an extreme variety of stamps, because it appears you get two each time you sneeze within the European Union. I’ll in all probability have to get a brand new passport early subsequent 12 months to make sure I’ve sufficient clean pages for visas for international locations like India, which want two clean pages.

Any recommendation on how I can hold utilizing the US visa into 2027? Getting a brand new one takes 4 or 5 months.

Gary R

A Frequent guests to the Schengen space (comprising a lot of the EU plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland) see pages of their passports consumed at a daunting charge by entry and exit stamps. Every go to makes use of half a web page of a passport. This may proceed till April 2026, when the digital EU entry-exit system replaces stamping.

As you point out, the issue can have an effect on journey to different international locations. The apparent reply for anybody in your place is to acquire a second British passport. These are issued routinely to anybody who has an affordable excuse. I surmise that you’re required to journey usually on enterprise; your employer might presumably provide a letter explaining that you will need to make frequent journeys whereas juggling visas.

You’ll be able to apply on-line within the traditional approach for a alternative, however should then “go analogue” and speak to UK Passport Workplace employees about why you received’t be sending in your present passport. Demand for passports proper now’s low, making it a superb time to use. In case you receive a second passport promptly, you can begin utilizing it for these EU journeys – protecting the present one together with your US visa. When renewal of the visa is due, you’ll not want to fret about being with no passport whereas it’s being processed.

Lastly, you say you largely use the visa for transit flights. To locations in Latin America, you might know that Air Canada is making a giant push in providing onward connections for British travellers by way of Montreal and Toronto, with some interesting fares. A Canadian eTA is required, however they don’t thoughts when you have been to Iran – and cost solely C$7 (£4).

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Q The place would you go for sunshine in March or April, with a most flying time of 5 hours from the UK?

Alan B

A The optimum mixture of sunshine and tradition is to be present in north Africa and the southern Mediterranean. To be as positive of solar because it potential to be, Egypt is the reply – particularly Luxor, which is simply inside 5 hours flying from the UK (although the time spent taxiing takes about 20 minutes additional, which provides to a tiring journey). EasyJet has two flights per week from Luton. Luxor presents entry to the world’s highest focus of antiquity, and can be a comparatively small, calm and pleasant metropolis.

Malta is considerably nearer and far simpler to achieve from throughout the UK, in addition to possessing deep cultural roots; tie in a go to to the sister island of Gozo should you can.

One other sturdy contender: Tunisia. Even in March, you’ll be able to anticipate vivid, sunny days (although the Mediterranean will nonetheless be fairly chilly). With loads of daylight however not one of the intense warmth of summer season, March and April are glorious months during which to discover this fascinating North African nation. Begin in Tunis, the capital: a mixture of Arabic depth and French fashion. Close by Carthage is the prime archaeological website and nicely price a day – although the city-state that after dominated the western Mediterranean does get bizarrely tangled with suburbia. Additionally shut: Sidi Bou Mentioned, a cliff-top village that distils most succinctly the character of Tunisia – with blue-and-white painted cottages clustered round cobbled lanes. Most travellers, although, intention for the string of resorts south alongside the east-facing shore from Hammamet.

Neighbouring Algeria is equally sun-sure, however not but nicely arrange for tourism. Morocco’s resorts, the Portuguese isle of Madeira and Spain’s Canary Islands are price contemplating. However they’re inclined to Atlantic climate: the ocean is usually mightier than the sky.

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