Under the re-launched flightmapping.com website, there is a news and blog section.

New blog posts will be posted there.

James

So Ryanair have announced new flights from Stansted to the port of Turku in Finland – or at least port is the way we would rather think of it!

This is still another niche destination that Ryanair have added to their list – complementing their existing flights to Tampere, to the north east. Both of these destinations could be considered as alternative gateways to Helisnki, although I would strongly advise checking out the best fares for direct flights to Helsinki first.

But the real beauty of Finland, especially when you fly to destinations outside the capital, must surely lie in its wonderful and never-ending array of scenic coastline and inland lakes? This is certainly a great part of Europe to drive around, but to appreciate it at its best, you really need to take to the water.

Turku is gateway port for numerous islands just off the shore, but also for more ‘serious’ ferries to the enclave of Mariehamn, and even on to Stockholm. I have personally taken the overnight ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki as part of a Nordic ‘surface trip’ (I can’t call it a road trip, as most of it was by rail or ferry). These superferries really are like floating villages – but unlike cruise liners, you feel like you are actually going somewhere to.

With the various different low cost airlines serving southern Finland and the Stockholm area, it is easy to fly outbound to one, and back from the other – and there is certainly no reason to assume that just because Ryanair go there, they are your best or only option.

• Who offers flights to Stockholm (all airports) from the UK / Ireland?
• Who offers flights to Finland from the UK / Ireland?

As I do my daily rounds of the blog world, twitter and Facebook, the term ‘peak oil’ rears its ugly head from time to time, and I am automatically left thinking ‘what about offpeak oil’?

I don’t want to flippantly dismiss serious concerns about energy supply (not my core topic of ranting), but I am frequently reminded of the farce that governs congestion on roads in the UK, and elsewhere in the world. Whilst the airline industry, and to a lesser extent the rail industry (European railway networks are slowly catching up) has long since adapted to the notion that the price of tickets is a commodity which rises and falls with demand, except in limited cases (bridges, M6 Toll, London Congestion Charge), there is no such mechanism to govern usage of our roads.

Now, of course, there would be no point in altering the cost of petrol at the pumps – people would just buy when the station is quiet and use later – so the answer must lie in some form of road pricing. This was understandably dismissed previously, as public distrust of the last government meant that it was seen as just another stealth tax.

No we have a new transport minister, is it time to look again at a demand-led road pricing system, offset by a reduction in the price of petrol?

This would at least mean that the cost of driving would be lower during off-peak hours, and there would be a dis-incentive against driving during peak hours, when congestion makes fuel consumption higher.

Every little helps.

So BAA have confirmed which Scottish airport they are going to sell, and they have gone for Edinburgh, not Glasgow (see news).

So this leaves us wondering – why did they sell Edinburgh when it was showing stronger growth than Glasgow? This might raise more cash, but BAA are only selling because of competition regulations, they would rather maintain ownership of all their Scottish assets.

Perhaps they see an upturn being due at Glasgow, especially considering the recent poor performance of Prestwick, and the prospect of attracting a certain Irish carrier to Glasgow’s ‘main’ airport?

The answer, I’m afraid is not quite as glamorous as you might hope, but it is still a bargain:

Jumbo Stay: Image courtesy of Hostelbookers

Travelling to Stockholm? Late or early flight through Arlanda airport – or just someone who, like us, loves planes?

Well, if that is the case, then the answer is simple – stay at the unique (because it is a bargain airport hotel as much as any other reason) Jumbo Stay hostel, developed from a former Pan-Am Boeing 747.

Flightmapping has been fortunate to have slept on flat bed transatlantic flights, and at Jumbo Stay, and he knows which one is more comfortable! The irony is that this hostel shows how much space in the air is at a premium. Even the most luxurious First Class cabins (Jet Airways, Emirates A380 etc) still have less space than Jumbo Stay, which is a bargain hotel, especially by Stockholm standards.

Whilst much of the attention in the news at the moment is over the resignation of Defence Secretary Liam Fox, we are naturally more interested in getting to know more about new transport minister Justine Greening, who steps up to the post after former transport supremo Phil Hammond was moved to take the place of Liam Fox.

We know Ms Greening is passionate about improving tube services. More importantly, we know that, as a sitting MP for a constituency near Heathrow, she is firmly opposed to a third runway at London’s main hub airport. So no surprise there.

Jet2 pride themselves in being the low cost airline of the north, which means that those of us based in the Midlands or the south don’t fly with them very often. We do however check their website from time to time, but tonight, nothing is working. The following message comes up:

We’re sorry, but there was a slight problem in processing your booking request. This doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, we kindly request that you close your internet browsing session, as your computer may have stored some incorrect data in your current session.

Can you please close your internet browser (normally by clicking the X in the top right corner), open it and then start your flight search again at the Jet2.com home page.

We do apologise for any inconvenience and look forward to welcoming you on board your next Jet2.com flight.