Payments Protection

With Alternative Airlines "Payments Protected" scheme you don’t need to purchase a separate Airline Failure Insurance Policy to safeguard your flight purchase. Neither do we force you to buy airline failure insurance to cover airlines that are unlikely to go bankrupt. With Alternative Airlines "Payments Protected" scheme you are automatically covered against the failure of many of the airlines bookable through this site. Our insurers won't cover all airlines and an up to date list of the airlines where your money is totally safe from airline failure can be found here, or you can see check whether the "Payments Protected" logo appears on the relevant page of your chosen airline. If you are in any doubt please give us a call and speak to one of our expert advisors

Book Flights with Confidence

To make it easy, we have entered into an arrangement with IGI insurance Company Limited, through Marcus Hearn as brokers, to pay up to GBP1500 (One thousand five hundred pounds sterling) in respect of each passenger whose scheduled air flights are necessarily and unavoidably cancelled prior to departure due to the bankruptcy or liquidation of any scheduled airline which has been designated by us as "Payment Protected".

These airlines are identified with the "Payments Protected" logo on our airline information pages, and are listed below. Booking a "Payments Protected" airline through Alternative Airlines costs you no extra, and guarantees that your fare will be fully refunded even if the airline goes bankrupt. In most cases if you were to book directly with these airlines your payment would be unprotected.

Which airlines are excluded?

There are two types of airline that currently we are unable to designate "Payment Protected":

(1) Low-cost airlines, where the costs of your flight tickets is paid directly to the airline and is not therefore covered by our insurance policy.

(2) Airlines which our insurance underwriters do not wish to cover in the event of financial failure. These include any airline which has filed for "bankruptcy protection" (equivalent to "Chapter 11" status in USA) as well as, as at 01st November 2008, Alitalia, Olympic Airlines and Air Zimbabwe.

Of course you may still book these non-protected airlines at your own risk, and customers paying with UK credit cards may be independently protected by their payment card issuer.

What if my Airline fails?

(1) If you’ve booked through us on a "Payments Protected" airline, just contact us and we will arrange a prompt refund of the fares, taxes, and service charges paid.

(2) If you’ve booked through us on an airline which is not "Payments Protected", and paid using a UK credit card, just contact your credit card issuers and request a full refund. Please also contact us and we will help you in any way we can to secure this payment as quickly as possible.

(3) If you’ve booked through us on a low cost carrier and used a debit or charge card, you will probably get nothing, but it is still worth claiming from the liquidators of the airline, please contact us and we will get their name and address for you.

This information is for your guidance only and whilst we will make every effort to keep it current it cannot be construed in anyway as representing anything other than our corporate opinion.

Airlines with "Payments Protected" include:

ADRIA AIRWAYS AEGEAN AIRLINES AEROFLOT AEROGAL GALAPAGOS AEROMAR AEROMEXICO AEROPOSTAL AEROSVIT AEROSUR AFRIQIYAH AIRWAYS AIR ALGERIE AIR ASTANA AIR AUSTRAL AIR BALTIC AIR BURKINA AIR BOTSWANA AIR CALIN AIR CANADA AIR CHINA AIR EUROPA AIR FRANCE AIR INDIA AIR IVOIRE AIR JAMAICA AIR MADAGASCAR AIR MALAWI AIR MALTA AIR MAURITIUS AIR MOLDOVA AIR NAMIBIA AIR NEW ZEALAND AIR ONE AIR PACIFIC AIR SEYCHELLES AIR TAHITI AIR TAHITI NUI AIR TANZANIA AIR TRANSAT AIR VALLEE AIR VANUATU ALASKA AIRLINES ALBANIAN AIRLIES ALL NIPPON AMERICA WEST AIRLINE AMERICAN AIRLINES ARKIA ISRAELI AIR ARMAVIA AIRCOMPANY ASERCA AIRLINES ASIANA AIRLINES AUSTRIAN AIRLINES ATLASJET AIRLINES AVIASECA AVIANCA AZERBAIJAN AIRLINES BAHAMASAIR BANGKOK AIRWAYS BELAVIA -BELARUSIAN BELLVIEW AIRLINES BERJAYA AIR BH AIRLINES BIMAN BANGLADESH BINTRE CANARIAS BMI BRITISH AIRWAYS BRUSSELS AIRLINES BULGARIA AIR CAMEROON AIRLINES CARIBBEAN AIRLINES CARPATAIR CATHAY PACIFIC CATOVAIR CAYMAN AIRWAYS CENTRAL CONNECT CHINA AIRLINES CHINA EASTERN

CHINA SOUTHERN CIMBER AIR CIRRUS AIRLINES CITY AIRLINE COMP. AER du MALI(CAM) COPA AIRLINES CONTINENTAL AIRLINES CONVIASA AIRLINES CROATIA AIRLINES CSA CZECH AIRLINES CUBANA AIRLINES CYPRUS AIRWAYS CYPRUS TURKISH AIRLINES DALLOO AIRLINES DELTA AIR LINES DNIPROAVIA DOMODEDOVO AIRLINES DRAGON AIR EASTERN AIRWAYS (UK) EGYPTAIR EL AL ISRAEL AIRLINE EMIRATES ESTONIAN AIR ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES ETIHAD AIRWAYS EUROFLY EVA AIR FINNAIR FIRST AIR FLYLAL GABON AIRLINES GARUDA INDONESIA GEORGIAN AIRWAYS GHANA AIRLINES GMG AIRLINES GOL AIRLINES GULF AIR HAINAN AIRLINES HAWAIIAN AIRLINES HEMUS AIR HONG KONG AIRLINES HONG KONG EXPRESS IBERIA ICELANDAIR INDIAN AIRLINES INTERAIR SOUTH AFRICA IRAN AIR ISLAND AIR (Hawaii) ISLAS AIRWAYS JAT AIRWAYS JET AIRWAYS INDIA KAVMINVODYAVIA AIR KD AVIA KENYA AIRWAYS KINGFISHER AIRLINES KLM KOREAN AIR KUWAIT AIRWAYS LAM MOZAMBIQUE LAN AIRLINES LAO AIRLINES LIAT LIBYAN ARAB AIRLINES LOT POLISH AIRLINES LUFTHANSA LUXAIR MALAYSIAN AIRLINES MALEV AIRLINES MALI AIRLINES (CAM) MANDARIN AIRLINES MARTINAIR MAT MACEDONIAN MEXICANA MIAT MONGOLIAN AIRLINES MIDDLE EAST AIRLINES

MOLDOVAN AIRLINES MONTENEGRO AIRLINES MYANMAR AIRWAYS NEPAL AIRLINES OLT OMAN AVIATION OPEN SKIES (BA) OUR AIRLINE PACIFIC WINGS AIRLINES PAKISTAN INTERNATIONAL PHILIPPINE AIRLINES PLUNA PRECISION AIR PULKOVO AIRLINES QANTAS QATAR AIRWAYS ROSSIYA-RUSSIAN AIRLINES ROYAL AIR MAROC ROYAL BRUNEI AIRLINES ROYAL JORDANIAN AIRLINES RWANDAIR EXPRESS S7 AIRLINES SAMARA AIRLINES SANTA BARBARA AIRLINES SAS SCANDINAVIAN SAT AIRLINES SATA INTERNATIONAL SCOTAIRWAYS SEVERASTAL AIRCOMPANY SHANDONG AIRLINES SHANGHAI AIRLINES SHENZHEN AIRLINES SILK AIR SINGAPORE AIRLINES SKY AIRLINES SKYWAYS EXPRESS SKYWEST AIRLINES SOLOMON AIRLINES SOUTH AFRICAN AIR SRI LANKAN AIRLINES SPANAIR SUDAN AIRLINES SURINAM AIRWAYS SWSS INTL AIRLINES SYLT AIR SYRIAN AIRLINES TAAG-ANGOLA AIRLINES TACA AIRLINES TACA REGIONAL AIRLINES TAM BRAZILIAN AIRLINES TAM MERCOSUR TAP PORTUGAL TAROM ROMANIAN TATARSTAN AIRCOMPANY TRANSAERO AIRLINES TUNIS AIR TURKISH AIRLINES TWIN JET UNITED AIRLINES URAINE INT AIRLINES URAL AIRLINES US AIRWAYS UTAIR UZBEKISTAN AIRWAYS VIETNAM AIRLINES VIM AIRLINES VIRGIN ATLANTIC VIRGIN NIGERIA AIRWAYS VLADIVOSTOK AIR VLM AIRLINES VRG LINHAS AEREAS WELCOME AIR WINAIR XIAMEN AIRLINES YEMENIA-YEMEN AIRWAY

British Airways Cabin Crew Christmas Strike Tuesday, 15 December 2009 17:57 |

Yesterday British Airways Cabin Staff announced formally what everyone in the UK airline was expecting but dreading, that is they were going to take strike action over Christmas 2009 in response to BA’s management demands for cuts and changes in working practices. This article examines the prospect of highly damaging flight cancellations and programme disruptions from an industry insider perspective.

British Airways: from the World’s Favourite to national embarrassment ?

The UK airline industry is reeling in response to yesterday’s announcement that British Airway’s cabin staff will go out on strike for 12 days over the peak Christmas 2009 travel period. There is total agreement that this action will severely damage the airline’s reputation – again – and even those alternative airlines which stand to gain from passengers switching onto their competing services do not believe that the disruption to the plans of up to one million travellers, at the most emotional time of year, can be good for the industry.

As with any dispute there is blame on both sides, British Airways have little good in the bank with the loyal staff who day in and day out face their customers on every flight. A succession of grievances and disputes stretch back over a number of Chief Executives and for many cabin staff this battle isn’t just about changes in working conditions, it’s about how the airline treats the vital staff who present the airline’s face to every passenger at the point of travel.

From the British Airways perspective, “goodwill in the bank” doesn’t pay pension fund deficits or escalating operating costs, so everyone must suffer some of the pain to pull the business model into a shape where the airline can initially survive and subsequently prosper.

So, assuming the strike goes ahead, who are the winners? Not British Airways. Which customer in their right mind would trust BA not to disrupt their next less important flight when they have just cancelled the one where family, relatives and children are involved. Not the cabin staff themselves, a smaller, brand-damaged BA will mean fewer flights, less jobs, a more difficult post recession. growth trajectory and consequently less opportunity for the career seeking steward or stewardess. As suggested above even the competing carriers who may pick up some short term passengers on routes which fail to operate will need to be aware that in the post recession economy passengers will inevitably be looking for proof that an airline will not fail to supply the flight it promises.

Possibly the on-line flight booking agencies such as alternativeairlines.com will gain as potential passengers look beyond the obvious choice s offered by an airline’s own web site and search for more information about each airline as well as a larger choice of alternative flights.

Whatever happens next it is clear the proposed “12 days of Christmas strike” from 22 December 2009 will, it goes ahead, will join the Peak summer 2005 catering staff strike and the Terminal 5 lost baggage disaster in leaving BA with a mountain to climb before it can ever again claim to anyone’s favourite airline.

Boom time for PNG Flights! Tuesday, 19 January 2010 10:11 |

When a country, which is only 35 years old, discovers an important natural resource which will give it a considerable new income source, way in excess of its current revenues, over at least the next 30 years, then you know something will have to change.
When that same small country, with less than 7 Million inhabitants, also has a rapidly growing tourist industry with visitors arriving from all parts of the world to experience one of the most culturally diverse nations on the planet, you know that the change will be reported worldwide.

Also when that same country is one of the poorest members of the British Commonwealth, with one third of the population earning less than £1.00 per day, but enjoying living in close traditional communities and with virtually no private land ownership allowed, then you know that the change will be both dramatic and systemic.

Papua New Guinea, PNG, is about to become the country built on LNG (Liquid Natural Gas).

Within the last decade three enormous Natural Gas Fields have been dicovered in the southern and western highlands of Papua New Guinea. Currently the investment in terms of field development, pipelines, deepwater port facilities and a brand new Natural Gas liquefaction facility near the capital, Port Moresby, is likely to exceed $9.5 Billion. It

is impossible to forecast what changes will occur to the social structures, economic factors or the fragile local environment, but it is clear that Papua New Guinean aviation will have to grow dramatically to keep pace with the development. Currently, flights to Papua New Guinea are the domain of the national carrier, Air Niugini.

This small, developing airline runs a fleet of turboprop aircraft, small jets and two large Boeings. Most aircraft are used for domestic hops and the two Boeings operate on international flights to Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan and the Philippines. Domestic competition comes from one indigenous private carrier, Airlines PNG, who, as well as serving many domestic airfields, also operate a single international service from Port Moresby to Cairns. Pacific Blue airlines complete the choice with a single international service connecting the capital with Brisbane.

Clearly this is not enough to satisfy the demand that will be created as the development proceeds. Our best guess at the changes that will result, is that there will be a roller coaster effect of increased airfares and a shortage of seats, followed by an increase in services plus larger aircraft, resulting in lower air fares and more competition. A high demand for lower priced seats will be split between local passengers and cost conscious leisure travellers. Business class cabins will be fully booked, particularly on peak flights in and out of Port Moresby for weekends back in Australia or other points in Asia.

In the long term supply and demand will even out, but for those looking for Flights To Papua New Guinea sometime in the next few years, be prepared to pay more or to be very, very flexible as to your dates of travel.

Rwanda "The Land of a Thousand Hills" Tuesday, 19 January 2010 15:20 |

Rwanda is fast becoming the must-see country in the whole of Africa. Fully recovered from a decade of strife, Rwanda is now a tourist friendly destination which is still able to deliver a true African experience. Everyone has heard of the Rwandan Mountain Gorillas and they remain the country's prime attraction, however Rwanda has amazing natural scenic beauty plus unique flora and fauna in her three National Parks.

Classic African savannah is the main attraction of the Akagera National Park situated in the east of Rwanda. As well as free roaming Impala, Giraffes, Zebra, Elephants, buffalo and the statuesque Cape Eland (the world's largest antelope), the area is also a paradise for birds. With four unique endemic species plus 525 types of birds not including the many migrants, Akagera is becoming a year round mecca for international birdwatchers.

Smaller but with an equally diverse habitat, Nyungwe Forest National Park situated in the South East of Rwanda, is a pre-historic forest containing 13 different types of primates including human-kinds closest living relative the chimpanzee, as well as the handsome Lhoests monkey plus hundred strong troops of the delightfully acrobatic Angola Colobus. As you would expect the forest is a maze of different shades of green, moss covered barks, interspersed with numerous streams and waterfalls. An extensive network of well maintained walking trails leads to various viewing points, some of which allow one to look directly onto the rainforest canopy.

Finally there is the world famous Volcanoes National Park with its population of silver back gorillas. On the border with Uganda, this National Park has become a monument to work of Dian Fossey, who lived with the gorillas for eighteen years before being buried here. The lush rainforest slopes of the Virunga peaks create a dramatic natural setting for what is arguably the most poignant and memorable wild life experience in the world.

For non-nature lovers, Rwanda has cultural, historical and community activities covering traditional music, dancing, crafts and folklore. An essential part of a visit to the vibrant capital city, Kigali, is a stop at the modern and thought provoking, but undeniably world class, Genocide museum.

For fun and sun lovers, Lake Kivu provides water sports and the resort town of Gisenyi. Sitting within the 6000 kilometre long Great Rift, valley, Lake Kivu is a volcanic lake surrounded by spectacular peaks and with safe sandy beaches.

How to get to Rwanda

International flights to Rwanda arrive at Kigali International Airport which is 10 km from the city centre. The national carrier is the expanding, RwandAir which operates international services to DR Congo (Goma), Kenya (Nairobi), Burundi (Bujumburra), Tanzania (Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro), Uganda (Entebbe) and Johannesburg (South Africa). Domestic flights operate to Cyangugu and Gisenyi. There are direct flights to Kigali from Brussels with Brussels airlines plus international flights by Ethiopian Airlines from Addis Ababa and Kenya Airways from Nairobi.

Vietnam Airlines to Vietnam Tuesday, 19 January 2010 15:57 |

Why you should use Vietnam Airlines for flights to Vietnam… You’re going to book a flight to Vietnam for your vacation; to visit friends and relatives or for an interesting business trip, which airline do you choose ?

The cheapest?
“No!”

The one with the shortest journey time?
“Perhaps.”

The one you always fly with, because whilst they aren’t special but they’ve never let you down ?
“There is always a first time …”

Flights to Vietnam

As the range of international airlines with flights to Vietnam increases, so do the number of factors which need to be considered before finally booking your flights to Vietnam.

At the outset let me make it clear that we are biased, we love flying and we love trying alternative airlines. In particular we love flying with the airline which best represents the country we are visiting.

So it’s a natural choice that we would choose Vietnam Airlines for our flights to Vietnam, but why should you?

Here’s why ……

(1)You’re going to Vietnam, so start enjoying the unique culture of this charming country at the very start of your journey. It’s a cliché but much of the charm of Vietnam lies in the gentleness of the Vietnamese people and somehow western cabin crew just don’t have the calm, relaxing effect of a Vietnamese smiling face accompanied by elegant hand gestures and perfect, but lilting English.

(2) Vietnam Airlines dominate the cities and airports you are likely to be visiting. Your arrival in the country is likely to be through the international airports at Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh where Vietnam Airlines have their main bases but if you need to travel on to one of the 17 other seventeen domestic airports in Vietnam*, all served by Vietnam Airlines, then it makes sense to buy all you air travel on the same airline.

(3) We all love flying on new aircraft, no-one likes to fly on something manufactured decades ago. We recommend that you check out the average age of the aircraft of any airline with which you are considering booking your flights. Any airline with a fleet age less than British Airways, which we use as our benchmark, passes this test. In this case BA have an average fleet age of 11.4 years which is 3.5 years older than the fleet of Vietnam Airlines.

(4) It’s great to start your journey from your friendly local airport and a first shop hop to join an aircraft originating elsewhere in Europe for the longer leg is better (in our opinion) than a slog to Heathrow and a change of aircraft somewhere in the Far East for a final, luggage losing, short last sector. Vietnam Airlines currently have flights to Vietnam from Paris and Frankfurt with London coming soon.

(5) Finally, you can sit back and relax in the sound knowledge that you are not just following the unfortunate many who choose their airline based purely on the cheapest available air fare and then spend an interminable journey regretting their choice.

Remember “It’s the journey that’s important, not just the getting there.” Make your flight part of the experience, not just a boring bookend at the start and finish of your trip. We’ve used the modern, passenger friendly example of Vietnam Airlines for Flights to Vietnam, to illustrate the point, but there is always a choice of alternative airlines to make any flight, anywhere into a memorable experience

Flights to Tehran Friday, 22 January 2010 16:43 |

"Build and they shall come" Tehran's modern international airport named, the Imam Khomeini International Airport, after the leader of the revolution is attracting more and more international services despite the current problems with looming US sanctions. The airport was originally due to open in 2004 but operations in their current form began in April 2005 and passenger numbers have uncreased steadily ever since.

Tehran is a magnificent city and the great capital of an ancient country containing world renowned archaeological sites, fascinating museums, beautiful castles, majestic palaces, great forts and historical houses. Its a vibrant place with all the sounds, smells, sights and buzz you would expect from an old and modern Middle Eastern commercial centre.

Flights to Tehran

The newer International airport is the home of the National carrier, Iran Air, which also operates from the old airport at Mehrabad. From autumn 2007, all international flights, except some flying pilgrims to Mecca, use the new airport. Iranair operate extensively to European destinations including London Heathrow,Vienna, Copenhagen, Paris,Bonn, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Milan, Rome, Amsterdam, Moscow, Gothenburg, Stockholm, Geneva, Ankara and Istanbul.

Further afield the IranAir fleet reaches as far as Bangkok and Beijing. The other based airline is the privately owned Mahan Air, which whilst also proving flights to Tehran has built a successful business by providing connecting flights from European cities such as Birmingham (UK) through Tehran to Amritsar in Punjab, India. Flights by foreign carriers into Tehran are growing. For example in January 2010, Pegasus airlines of Turkey started new flights from Istanbul, whilst Lufthansa of Germany announced a new four times per week two class, scheduled service from Munich.

Other airlines with established operations into Tehran include bmi, from the UK; Aeroflot of Russia, Austrian Airlines, Alitalia, and Air France. From the Gulf, GulfAir, Emirates and Qatar Airways all have flights. Longer haul carriers stretch from Conviasa of political allies, Venezuala to China Southern based in Guangzhou Iran has an enormous variety of natural habitats including forests, parched deserts, snow capped mountains, fantastic beaches on the Caspian Sea and the enigmatic Persian Gulf., With more airlines, more flights and easier access comes lower flight prices and more visitors. Iran is a country where real travellers will enjoy the fascination of real travel.

The people are the undiscovered treasures of the country but the spectacular natural sights come a close second. Iran will continue to grow as a tourist destination for those who want to do more than sit on a beach and where the rewards of travel aren't a suntan and hangover but a lasting memory of a unique country and vibrant culture.

Flights to China for Expo 2010. Tuesday, 26 January 2010 13:39 | Written by Paul Argyle | PDF | | Print | | E-mail

If the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 defined China’s entry into the very top tier of International Sports, then the World Expo in Shanghai in 2010 will define China’s entry into the top tier of International business. The event is due to attract 70 Million visitors and will run for six months from May 01st to October 31st 2010. In scale, scope and commercial impact the Shanghai Expo 2010 will far exceed anything that Beijing Games achieved and is likely to exert a massive influence on the agenda of international trade for the next decade. With 192 countries and 50 international organisations participating the event is already guaranteed to be an unsurpassed showcase of architecture, technological innovation, new ideas for community development and urban living.

But how are Europeans booking their flights to Shanghai to ensure they don’t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity?

The good news is that the Expo will be served through both Shanghai’s two major airports: Hongqiao International Airport and Pudong International Airport where the dominant indigenous carriers are Air China and China Eastern Airlines, the latter of which is currently merging with Shanghai Airlines to form a new mega carrier.

Air China is China’s second largest carrier after China Southern and whilst its main hub is at Beijing Capital International Airport it has a very strong network of flights from Shanghai's Pudong.

Air China

Air China flies to China from 9 European departure points: London Heathrow, Paris Charles De Gaulle, Frankfurt, Munich, Milan, Rome, Moscow, St Petersburg, Madrid and Stockholm. North America is served from Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Vancouver. With a massive fleet of almost 250 aircraft, all western manufactured by Boeing or Airbus, Air China should feature in anyone’s research into the best ways of getting to Expo 2010.

China Eastern

China Eastern Airlines has the benefit of being based in Shanghai and whilst smaller than its rival, Air China, is rapidly developing in size through its merger with Shanghai Airlines. By adding its fleet of 240 aircraft to Shanghai’s 33, China Eastern is building into itself into a formidable force in Chinese aviation. Currently its presence in Europe is small with established schedules services operating to Paris and Frankfurt but from March 28th 2010 the airline will add departures to Shanghai’s Ruding airport from London Heathrow and Moscow.

China Southern

China’s largest airline,

China Southern operates European services only to Amsterdam, Paris (Charles de Gaulle) and three airports in Russia. European carriers operating into Pudong include Virgin Atlantic, Air France, British Airways, Finnair, KLM, Lufthansa, Swiss and Turkish Airlines.

10 Chinese carriers serve Hongqaio Airport from many domestic destinations as well as All Nippon and Japan Airlines from Tokyo plus Asiana and Korean from Seoul.

Two things are clear, one is that demand for Air travel to Shanghai during Expo 2010 will be high and secondly, that the choice of different routes to get there and alternative airlines to try is enormous. This is a combination that will inevitably reward the savvy traveller who is willing to spend time researching different options and who consider their travel time as a valuable part of their Expo experience.