bmi no-frills option
The low-cost airline revolution began to look unstoppable this week as bmi British Midland announced it would launch a new budget operation in March.
With traditional, full-cost carriers forced to contract by the economic downturn and the events of September 11, it looked inevitable that more short-haul routes would be taken up by no-frills operators. British Airways has already indicated it will axe unprofitable services.
The move will send a shiver down the spines of tour operators. Suffering from a serious drop in bookings, they will be further hit by customers deserting the conventional package in favour of building their own holidays online.
bmi's announcement came hard on the heels of a claim by easyJet, which plans to order up to 75 more jets worth some £275m at list price, that it carried 37% more passengers last month than in the previous December.
Initially, bmi's new airline will fly daily from the carrier's base at East Midlands airport to Nice, Palma, Malaga, Barcelona and, on Saturdays, Sundays and Tuesdays, to Alicante and Faro. First flights will be on March 23 and will start at £25 one way, excluding taxes. bmi said it would unveil full details of fares next week. Prices will not include food, but "quality catering" will be available on board at a price.
Passengers will be able to make bookings later this month, with discounts for those who book via a website. Travel agents will also sell tickets. The airline will be in direct competition with Go, which plans to start cheap flights from East Midlands airport at the end of May. Go had not revealed the destinations it hoped to serve at the time bmi made its announcement, but is known to want to fly to Prague.
Tour firms continue to counter the threatened shift towards do-it-yourself travel with an ever greater range of options. Among the latest is Mundi Color (020-7828 6021/0161-848 8680). Specialising in packages to Spain, Portugal and Mexico, it has launched a new programme of activity holidays, including horse riding and cycling in Andalucia, and arts and crafts and cookery courses in Catalonia.
The ride of your life
X, the "fourth dimensional" roller coaster apparently designed to break all the rules, is scheduled to start operating today at Six Flags Magic Mountain, just outside Los Angeles. Riders travel in wing-shaped vehicles which spin backwards and forwards independently through 360 degrees while hurtling along at 76mph. The two-and-a-half minute ride includes a 200ft climb facing the sky before flipping over, head first for a near vertical plummet to earth.
Transatlantic ski prices slide
The wave of ski bargains in North America looks unlikely to lose momentum. The latest market research shows bookings for winter sports holidays in the US and Canada (made through travel agents) had plunged by 58% and 42% respectively by the end of November, compared with the total recorded at the same point of the previous year. European business was much brisker, however, suggesting late bargains this side of the Atlantic may be less prolific. Italy, in particular, has proved popular with an increase of 20%.
