A FLIGHT attendant has revealed the cheapest month to book flights for your summer holiday next year.

After the peak travel season in December, airlines look to maintain revenue during the quieter months – which means cheaper flights.

1

Travel operator Ski Vertigo alongside a flight attendant have revealed that January is the best time to secure a great bargain for your next holiday.

Lower demand after the holiday season

The fun, festive period between November to December is one of the busiest travel times for obvious reasons – Christmas and New Years.

And because of the travelling people get up to during this period, less travel in January.

This dip in demand encourages airlines and travel agencies to reduce prices to fill empty seats and hotel rooms, making the new year a great time for budget-conscious travellers to book their holidays.

Fewer travellers during winter months

January is often seen as a time to recover from the financial toll of the holidays, and many avoid travelling in the colder winter months.

With winter weather being less appealing for leisure travel and most people saving their holidays for later in the year, there’s significantly less competition for flights and accommodations.

This reduced demand pushes prices down, making it a prime opportunity for bargain hunters.

Greater availability of flights and accommodations

With fewer travellers in January, airlines and hotels are left with more unbooked seats and rooms.

In response, they lower prices to encourage bookings.

This increased availability gives travellers more options at lower prices as providers look to fill the excess capacity typical during this slower period.

Promotions aimed at boosting early-year sales

Many airlines, hotels, and travel companies launch early-year promotions to kickstart sales after the holiday rush.

These deals are designed to appeal to tourists looking for bargains after the festive season.

January is a highly competitive month for these offers, with substantial discounts and package deals available, making it one of the cheapest times to plan and book a holiday.

SECRET CABIN CREW WORDS

Flight attendants have a special language they use to talk about passengers, including the ones they find attractive.

There are a number of other secret phrases used by pilots and cabin crew too, some serious and others less so.

• Cropdusting: If a passenger is being very rude and difficult, then it’s not unheard of for a flight attendant to break wind and ‘cropdust’ past the offender.
• Code Adam: This is used by airport staff to alert other staff of a missing child, in honour of Adam Walsh, a child who was abducted in a department store in 1981.
• 7500: If a pilot “squawks 7500” it means the plane has been hijacked, or a hijacking is a threat.
• Crosscheck: If you hear this phrase, usually made by senior cabin crew, it means that the emergency slides attached to each door have been deactivated.

FANCY draining a stein without emptying your wallet?

We have rounded up Europe’s best-value Oktoberfest hotspots.

6

A survey by travel giant Tui has revealed the cheapest city break destinations to enjoy a pint.

And Jacob Lewis shares where to find the tastiest beers at prices you will raise a glass to.

6

WHY settle for one type when you can have dozens?

Prague’s beer scene is overflowing, with pints from £1.86.

The Czech capital is a paradise for beer lovers, packed with interesting bars, and boasting a host of microbreweries and centuries of brewing history.

From traditional pilsners to strange craft concoctions, the city has got something to tantalise every taste bud.

Three nights’ B&B at the Ibis Praha Mala Strana in Prague is from £356 per person, based on two sharing, including flights from Birmingham on October 25 with 22kg checked baggage.

See jet2citybreaks.com.

6

THIS city serves up bargains faster than you can say “cheers” in Romanian (it’s “noroc”, by the way).

With pints for as little as £1.50, Bucharest is a beer lover’s budget-friendly dream.

It has an 18th-century brewing heritage, but is not afraid to put modern twists on old favourites.

And it is another great option without raising your credit card bill too much.

Four nights’ room-only at the 3* Hotel Trianon in Bucharest is from £565 per person, based on two adults sharing, including flights leaving London Heathrow on October 19 with hand luggage only.

See tui.co.uk.

6

Advertisement

PARTY along the Danube without sinking your budget.

Budapest’s nightlife — especially its ruin bars — is legendary, as are beer prices.

You can get a local pint for as little as £1.20, or enjoy craft beers starting from £1.70.

The best part? Many Budapest breweries use locally sourced ingredients, including native hops and Hungarian barley, providing a true local flavour.

Three nights’ room only at the 4* Soho Boutique Hotel in Budapest is from £285 per person, based on two adults sharing, including flights departing London Gatwick on October 21 with hand luggage only.

See tui.co.uk.

6

WHILE not the cheapest, with a pint averaging £3.50, Munich is the spiritual home of Oktoberfest.

Rub elbows with lederhosen-wearing locals in the city’s massive beer halls, tents and gardens.

The atmosphere alone is worth the admission price.

Steins of traditional Bavarian brews, oompah bands and pretzels the size of your head . . .  it’s the ultimate Oktoberfest experience.

Three nights’ room-only at the Holiday Inn Munich-Unterhaching is from £217 per person, based on two sharing, including flights from London Gatwick on October 16 with hand luggage only.

See easyjet.com.

6

BRACE yourself, beer lovers — pints here average £8.61.

Iceland’s capital boasts a beer culture born from Prohibition.

After a total ban from 1915 to 1989, it is now celebrated.

From microbreweries to bars serving quirky, volcanic-inspired brews, Reykjavik proves that sometimes, quality trumps quantity.

Just remember to budget accordingly.

Three nights’ room-only at the 4* Hotel Island Spa and Wellness in Reykjavik is from £554 per person, based on two adults sharing, including Luton flights departing October 13 with hand luggage only.

See tui.co.uk.

RYANAIR passengers will have to follow new boarding pass rules next year – and it isn’t good news.

The low-cost airline has confirmed that paper boarding passes are to be scrapped in 2025.

3

3

Advertisement

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary confirmed that they would phase our the physical boarding passes by May, saying that as many as 60 per cent currently use mobile passes.

Currently, Brits can get a boarding pass at the airport with the airline.

But passengers are charged £55 if they forget to check in and download their boarding passes before arriving at the airport.

The new rules would mean there would be no option to to check in at the airport at all, with the desks scrapped.

He said: “Our goal is to eliminate check-in desks at the airport, just like we’ve done with luggage counters.

“Everything will be managed through the app, making the process fully digital and eliminating paper entirely.”

The scrapping of the desks would also mean the scrapping of the £55 fee.

He added: “I’m one of the last remaining people still showing up with my piece of paper.

“It also means, once we get everybody onto the app, nobody will ever again pay for a boarding pass at an airport – the airport check in fee will be gone. 

“So, I think it will be a smoother, easier journey for everybody.” 

Some countries, however, require a physical print out of the boarding pass, such as Morocco, Turkey and Albania‘s Tirana, so it isn’t clear how this will be affected for passengers who forget to print one.

The Ryanair website currently states: “If you depart from a Moroccan airport, a digital boarding pass will not be accepted.

“You must carry a physical printout of your boarding pass, and you’ll need to present this boarding pass at the Moroccan airport check-in facility.”

Ryanair has also increased their luggage fees this week.

The airline previously charged up to £38 for anyone booking Priority upgrades at the airport, which come with a 10kg suitcase and hand luggage bag.

New rules could see passengers charged up to £60 if adding this after booking flights or at the airport.

A spokesperson said the fees depend on the route and travel dates selected.

Earlier this year, the Ryanair boss warned that flight prices will soar this Christmas.

Due to passenger caps at Dublin airport, he said that flight prices could hit £422, adding he will “make a fortune” this Christmas.

It’s not the only outlandish way the airline wanted to make money.

Previous Ryanair plans included paying £1 to use the onboard toilets.

And the airline even proposed standing cabins and scrapped armrests to reduce the weight of the plane – saving them money.

3

Advertisement

PLEASURE Beach Resort in Blackpool is one of the country’s best-loved seaside attractions.

The award-winning seaside theme park, which is just as popular in the colder months of the year, claims to be home to the “most haunted” ghost train in the world.

6

6

Advertisement

6

The Ghost Train at Blackpool‘s Pleasure Beach Resort first opened to the public in 1930 and remains in operation to this day, with Hollywood director Tim Burton among its fans.

Tim Burton visited Blackpool last year while he was filming Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and went on a private tour of the Blackpool-based ghost train for inspiration.

But a tour – or even a ride – certainly isn’t for the faint-hearted, with claims that it’s the world’s most haunted ghost train.

The popular ride is said to be haunted by a clog-wearing spirit aptly named ‘Cloggy’.

Cloggy, who died 20 years ago, was one of the ride’s original operators, and earned his nickname because he always wore clogs.

It was after Cloggy passed away that guests reported being “touched” or “grabbed” by someone – or something – they could only hear.

Over the years, staff members have also claimed to hear odd noises like tapping, scratching and groaning as well as loud footsteps.

A group of workmen also reported unusual events like signs working without any power or electricity, while others have claimed to see a ghostly male figure resembling German philosopher Karl Marx.

Other parts of the seaside theme park are also said to be haunted, including Hiram Maxim’s Flying Machines, the park’s oldest ride.

A ghostly little girl is said to haunt the ride’s gift shop.

Other spooky sightings at the park include a phantom hanging man and a blood-stained woman.

The TV series Most Haunted investigated Blackpool Pleasure Beach Resort in 2004, with the late Derek Acorah claiming to make contact with Cloggy

Still in use today, the Ghost train will form one of the four scare zones at Pleasure Beach Resort’s Journey to Hell event.

Journey to Hell is an experience-led event, featuring live actors through themed areas of Pleasure Beach Resort.

There will also be immersive scare zones and unlimited riding after dark, guaranteed to leave adrenaline flowing and hearts thumping. 

Two new live-action scare zones are set to feature in 2024.

I just love the whole vibe

The Alice and Wonderland-themed ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ will see the park’s Alice in Wonderland ride transformed into a nightmarish world where Alice and friends have gone insane.

Meanwhile, inside the bizarre ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ visitors will find the lair of a macabre collector and have to flee through a maze of horrors.

There will be nine rides in the event, all available for unlimited riding, with the north of the Pleasure Beach home to terrifying roaming creatures.

‘The Ghost Train: Vault of Shadows’ returns for the second year, and the resort’s network tunnels will become home to a live-action scare zone.

Entry tickets start from £39.50 per person, with the event running from October 11 until October 31, 2024.

Andy Hygate, director of operations at Pleasure Beach Resort, said: “The story goes that Cloggy loved his job so much that, even after he passed away, he continued showing up for work and causing mischief. Even the most skeptical of staff have stories to tell, and some point blank refuse to work on that particular ride.

“Other people can’t get enough of the ghostly goings on though, and we’ve had guests travel from all over the world to get a glimpse of Cloggy and the other ghosts that are said to haunt Pleasure Beach.”

6

Celebs who love Blackpool

Plenty of A-listers have been spotted in the northern seaside town, including Robbie Williams and Samuel L Jackson.

Tim Burton, who is arguably the town’s biggest fan, first visited Blackpool in 2006 to watch The Killers perform.

Since then, he’s returned to the town on several occasions, even shooting his Miss Peregrine’s School For Peculiar Children in the Blackpool in 2015, and turning the lights on at Blackpool Illuminations.

Burton told Granada Reports: “I just love the whole vibe. It surprised me because I don’t really know why. Sometimes things are an emotional response.

“I don’t know if it’s because I grew up in California and used to wander alone on these amusement piers.

“It just had a gravity to me; the old and new, the texture of the older buildings. The whole environment was something that really spoke to me.”

Plans are underway to develop pet-friendly apartments at the seaside theme park.

And this award-winning theme park is opening a new £300m attraction in the UK.

6

6

Advertisement