easyJet unveils new cheap flight options from the UK to Europe

One of the thrilling surprises for Australians visiting the UK is the ready availability of flights to exotic destinations for the cost a rail trip back home. 

There may be all sorts of restrictions; the extras can pile up and some of the flights leave from secondary airports. But there are some real bargains to be had if you have a sense of adventure. 

EasyJet - one of the leading budget airlines - has just unveiled two new routes for summer 2026 from the UK to Germany and Italy. 

Seats now on sale to Naples from Liverpool John Lennon Airport and to Munich from London Southend. 

The Naples flights will operate on Mondays and Fridays from August 3, while easyJet’s new flight to Munich will start on September 17, operating twice weekly on Thursdays and Sundays and starting ahead of Oktoberfest. 

EasyJet holidays has also launched packages to both cities with flights and accommodation included. 

“We are really pleased to be launching even more new routes and package holidays," said  Kevin Doyle, easyJet UK country manager. 

"By continuing to grow our network, we are providing even greater choice and connectivity from across the UK.” 

As of today, easyJet serves 22 UK airports, offering more than 640 routes to 140 destinations from the UK to Europe and beyond. 

The airline also recently announced new routes from across eight UK airports including new connections to Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, the Canary Islands, Egypt and Malta. 

Worth checking out. Just don't expect any frills. 

Budget flights between Sydney and Bangkok resume

Budget airline Thai AirAsia X has resumed direct flight services to and from Sydney, Australia, operating from its main hub in Bangkok at Don Mueang International Airport.

The inaugural flight from Bangkok took off on Friday last week and returned from Sydney on Sunday.

The revived Bangkok-Sydney service offers a total of six weekly flights.

The new route launch makes Thai AirAsia X the only low-cost airline providing direct services from Bangkok-Don Mueang to Sydney, offering connections for passengers traveling from Sydney to a range of destinations across the AirAsia Group network.

These include favourite destinations among Australian travellers such as Krabi, Phuket, and Chiang Mai, as well as popular international destinations including Japan, South Korea, India, China and more.

“The return of Thai AirAsia X to Sydney comes along with an enhanced flight network within the AirAsia Group that will give travellers the much sought-after convenience and seamlessness," said Tassapon Bijleveld, CEO of Thai AirAsia X.

"Guests from Australia will also find the flight schedules between Sydney and Bangkok very favourable and they can choose from six flights per week. As a show of appreciation to our valued guests, we are also introducing a new meal set exclusively for our Premium Flatbed guests.

“Operating from Don Mueang greatly enhances connectivity with AirAsia Group’s extensive network, particularly to destinations in India, where there is a strong and growing demand for travel to Australia.

"Our Fly Thru service also provides a hassle-free experience, allowing guests to travel seamlessly as they only need to clear immigration and collect their luggage at their final destination.”

Thai AirAsia X currently operates a fleet of 10 Airbus A330 aircraft with three seating zones - Premium Flatbed, quiet zone and economy.

The airline now serves eight key destinations from Bangkok, with direct flights to Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo, Nagoya (Japan), Seoul (South Korea), Shanghai (China), Sydney (Australia) and New Delhi (India).

A Wizz bang future for budget airline?

Many Australians may not have heard of low-cost airline Wizz Air, but it could soon be a familiar flight option. 

Hungarian-based Wizz is considering launching non-stop flights from the UK to the Middle East and, potentially, to Asia, Travel Mole reports.

Marion Geoffroy, managing director of Wizz Air UK said future destinations could include the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Saudi Arabia, using longer-range A321XLR planes. 

Asian destinations could be reached with a stop in the UAE via its joint venture Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, which currently flies to the Maldives.

“The macroeconomic environment forces everyone to be very rational about capacity,” Geoffroy said, adding the airline will not enter the ultra-competitive transatlantic market.

Wizz serves many cities across Europe and has the largest fleet of any Hungarian airline.

Budget airline expands its footprint in Europe

Budget airline Wizz Air is name that anyone who fancies a cheap trip from London this summer should jot down. 

Wizz this week announced it will launch four new routes from its London Gatwick base to Burgas and Varna in Bulgaria and Venice and Palermo in Italy.

It will also increase the frequency of flights on recently announced new routes to Larnaca in Cyprus, Milan and Vienna, Travel Mole reports.

Tickets are available now on wizzair.com starting from £8.99 - which is an incentive to hop on a flight to somewhere you have never visited before. 

Wizz Air will fly five times a week to Venice from March 27 and twice weekly to Palermo, the capital of Sicily, from March 29.

From June 15 it will launch five flights a week to Varna and four flights a week to Burgas. 

From the end of March, all of Wizz Air’s flights from Italy to London will be operating from and into London Gatwick. 

"Today marks another important step in our continued expansion at Gatwick," said Marion Geoffroy, managing director of Wizz Air UK.

"The lifting of Covid travel restrictions for fully vaccinated passengers arriving in the UK is a positive development for the travel industry, and we’re looking forward to welcoming more customers onboard."