If you won't stop your kid from kicking my seat on an airplane, I will... and I have: KENNEDY's hilarious rant against 'gentle parenting' at 30,000ft
For those who fly a lot, the number of inconsiderate slobs who inhabit our shared space is shocking. Indeed, the real Long-COVID may be incurably boorish behavior.
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Times
an hour ago
- Times
The best airlines in the world — according to you
Each year the Times and Sunday Times Travel Awards celebrate the very best of the business. But while editors decide on the shortlist, it's you, the readers, who choose the winners — based on the holiday companies and destinations that have impressed you over the past 12 months. Last year, more than 470,000 votes were cast for more than 100 companies and destinations. This year, for the first time, we have two different airline categories — breaking it down into best short-haul and best long-haul carriers to better reflect our travel habits. I've been writing about airlines and aviation for a decade, and have flown all over the world on scores of them, from Asia to America, so I know a thing or two about the best (and the worst). Now is the time to have your own say on the world's best airlines — and by voting you could win prizes ranging from a £1,600 mini-break in a pretty corner of Wales to a £45,000 itinerary around India's finest hotels. But before you click through to cast your vote, let's look at how you voted last year. Last year we had just one airline category, covering both short-haul and long-haul, which Emirates won. The Dubai-based carrier is one of the world's mega-connectors — each year it carries tens of millions of passengers, most of them transiting via its Gulf hub. British Airways came second and Singapore Airlines third. Emirates has always been a reader favourite. It may only have clinched the top spot in 2024, but in 2023 and 2022 it was in a solid second place after British Airways. Singapore Airlines, which flies to Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester, has been in third place for the past three years. It's perhaps no surprise that British Airways lost out in 2024. In the latest Which? Travel report of short-haul airlines, it scored a middling 57 per cent for customer satisfaction score. • Have your say here — and be in with a chance of winning a great prize Singapore Airlines is regarded as one of the best airlines in the world, thanks to excellent customer service and a modern fleet, although it's likely readers don't fly it as often as our flag carrier. All three airlines, as well as Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Turkish Airlines, Tui Airways and Qantas, are shortlisted in the long-haul airline category. But this year, there is now also a best short-haul airline category, which means that budget carriers including easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air are in with a chance of an award. Emirates is a highly regarded carrier, loved for its convenient home base of Dubai and for its fleet of Airbus A380s, some of the sky's most comfortable and roomy planes. The 'Gulfie', so-called for its base in the Gulf, is also one of the world's most-connected airlines, this year launching new routes to exciting cities including Siem Reap in Cambodia and Shenzhen in southern China. It serves eight airports in the UK, including smaller hubs such as Glasgow and Newcastle. I have flown many times with Emirates over the past few years — always in economy — and have been consistently impressed with the product, particularly on its spacious Airbus A380s. Children are well catered for with toys and Emirates merch, and the in-flight entertainment is one of the best in the sky (if you can forgive the editing out of swear words). The same can be said of its premium cabins — in business class there's even an airport chauffeur thrown in with the fare and in first you can have a shower at 37,000ft. Given how much you fly, we know you have opinions on airlines — both good and bad. We want to know the airlines that you think have gone above and beyond in the past year, whether that's through superb customer service, a world-leading product or exciting new destinations, and now's the time to let us know. Click here to vote — you'll need to choose one in each category in order to be entered for the prizes.
The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
Are online travel agents cleaning up their acts?
On Thursday I will fly on British Airways from London to Denver. The return trip cost £621. But I could have bought the same flights for around £30 cheaper going through an online travel agent (OTA). Odd though it may seem, the practice of selling some seats at deep discounts through a middleman has some merit from the airlines' point of view. The roots of the practice lie in the bad old days of heavily regulated fares. On many routes airlines could not be seen to sell tickets cheaper than the official fares. So they sold through companies called 'consolidators' who punted out cheap seats though retail agencies known as 'bucket shops'. Often the ticket would show an official fare that bore no relation to the amount paid – eg £1,200 for a trip that actually cost £500. That maintained the fiction that every airline was adhering to super-high fares. Thankfully, these days – in most circumstances – airlines can charge what they like. Yet they still often pay a modest commission to online agents who undercut them. Airlines use intermediaries to provide additional sales power. They want to be relevant in the intensely fare-sensitive part of the market, such as people who search on Skyscanner and other price-comparison sites. Take my flight from London to Denver this week. BA knows that there are plenty of us who will book direct, in order to minimise problems when things go wrong – and, in the case of buying on the benefit of a cooling-off spell of 24 hours in which to cancel for a full refund. To meet this demand, the airline can apply a modest premium. But for those who are simply interested in the lowest fare, BA seats are likely to be available more cheaply through an OTA. My rule is only to use an online travel agent if the saving is 10 per cent or more. In this case, it was under five per cent. Not enough to persuade me to agree to the online agent's terms and conditions. The OTA reserves the right to apply credit card surcharges, and has a 'confirmed quotation' stage – after which point, fares could be increased, with little choice but to pay the extra. What if the airline cancels the flight? The online agent doesn't even mention the word 'refund', even though this is the traveller's legal right in the event of a cancellation. As we discovered during the Covid pandemic, many OTAs took a cut of the airline's refund (and some just hung on to the customer's cash, blaming the carrier). In the EU, though, the rules are being redrawn in the traveller's favour. This week, the European Commission said that it had agreement from two giants, Expedia and that money will be handed back in full within two weeks of the cancellation. Similar undertakings have been made by other big OTAs, including Etraveli. You may not know this Swedish firm, but its brands include GoToGate and MyTrip. I used the latter to buy a ticket for a JetStar flight from Singapore to Melbourne earlier this year – which was cancelled at the gate. The cash took 17 days to come back. In contrast, still holds some of my money for a booking that fell victim to Covid five years ago. I shall revisit that transaction and see if the new agreement works to my advantage. It may be that UK travellers get a windfall from the EU's work – despite our bold decision to reap the many benefits of Brexit that we are now enjoying.
Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Telegraph
Skip the plane food and other ways to look after your gut on holiday
I always look forward to my trips to Spain – not for grand restaurant meals, but for the simple pleasures of local ingredients that put their dull British counterparts to shame. Often it's the most basic, affordable foods that bring the greatest joy. The first thing I seek out is proper tomatoes, which taste like a completely different fruit, and nothing at all like the bland versions back home. I made a salad with spring onions, local extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and fresh basil. The local anchovies are fantastic, and I'll have some served as tapas on some fresh bread soaked in tomatoes and olive oil. In summer, the peaches and nectarines are amazing, and I keep a large bowl on the table. Holidays are rightly seen as a time where we can relax and indulge in good food and drink. However, over recent years as I've become more immersed in how what we're eating affects our health, I've come to realise that there are still ways we can indulge that also look after our health. You can absolutely still enjoy wonderful food, and look after your gut. Travel, especially long flights, can quickly disrupt your digestive system. Dehydration, changes in routine, alcohol or sugary drinks, and unfamiliar foods can all upset your gut microbes, who are just as sensitive to change as you are. This might mean constipation, bloating, or sudden digestive upsets – even in the absence of any infection. Here are my simple tips on how to look after your gut while still making the most of your well-earned break. Bring travel snacks – and never eat on the plane Even on long haul flights to the US, I'll never eat a meal on the plane. Airline meals are usually mass-produced, over-processed, overpriced and not remotely gut-friendly. Worse still, eating at 35,000 ft can confuse your internal body clock – your gut microbes have circadian rhythms too – and eating out of sync can disrupt your digestion and sleep. Hold off until you land and eat a proper meal on solid ground. For most of us flying to European destinations this summer, the flight will be less than three hours, so there's no reason to accept the biscuits or pretzels either. These snacks are designed to make you thirsty, encouraging you to spend more on drinks. They're low in fibre, full of sugar and salt and are highly processed, and eating them will signal to your immune system that something's wrong – leading to fatigue, inflammation, and hunger pangs soon after. Instead, have a well-balanced meal before leaving home, so you're not at the mercy of what's available on your journey – the food you'll come across at service stations, in the airport and on your flight will be lousy. To avoid being tempted, I try to always bring a bag of mixed nuts and seeds (or a sachet of Zoe daily 30+ mix), the more variety of plants and the fresher the better, usually in at least a 50g bag or a jar, and bigger if I'm sharing with the family. If you forget, you can often pick up nuts at the airport. I think of nuts as a treat and look forward to eating them, knowing they are high in protein, healthy fats and also high in polyphenols and fibre for my gut microbes. Dodge the hotel breakfast trap Some of the worst dietary decisions you'll make on holiday happen first thing in the morning. Hotel breakfasts can be a minefield of heavily processed choices: white bread, pastries, jams, sugary cereals and fruit juices masquerading as healthy options. It's a sugar overload that leaves you crashing by mid-morning, more tired and more likely to overeat later in the day. Then there's the cooked breakfasts loaded with processed meats like bacon and sausages, full of unwanted unhealthy chemicals and additives that will irritate your gut microbes. My advice is to avoid all of these options. For the healthiest start to the day, fill a bowl with an unflavoured yogurt and top with any fruit, nuts and seeds that are available. Also put some of the local cheeses on your plate for some extra protein. These are all gut-friendly foods adding polyphenols or natural probiotics in the fermented foods that have been shown to improve your immune health. Don't assume this option will be boring or that it won't fill you up. The local fresh food will be delicious and healthy – reframe it as a proper treat you don't get to enjoy at any other time of the year. When I'm in Spain, I particularly look forward to eating the local goat's cheese on a pan con tomate or a slice of bread covered in olive oil and squeezed tomatoes. If there aren't many fruits or nuts available, seek out a good supermarket on the first day and stock up, so you can add your own healthy toppings to your yogurt the next day. Get your fibre fix – and enjoy some diversity When you find a nice restaurant for lunch or dinner, the salad and vegetable options can sound dreadfully boring on the menu. However, while the translation may just be 'boiled vegetables', these will often be a fantastic mix of local vegetables with a delicious dressing. I try to find fried artichokes, charcoal grilled aubergines and large flat green beans fried in garlic. Try to get some diversity into your diet by enjoying these vegetables that you wouldn't normally include in your meals back home. The more different plants you eat the more diverse your gut microbiome is supporting many different species. With Zoe, we have worked out that around 30 per week is optimal. Holidays in the Mediterranean also provide a great opportunity to try local fish. My favourite are fresh barbecued sardines which are great in Spain and Portugal. Bear in mind that many prawns and calamari on menus in Europe are likely to be imported from Asia and frozen, rather than being local and fresh. Try orange wines – and stay hydrated It's easy to overdo it on alcohol on holiday, but if you are going to drink then red wine is always a good option as it's high in polyphenols. But if red wine isn't your thing, it's worth trying local orange wines, which contain more polyphenols than their white counterparts. Polyphenols are essentially fuel for your gut microbes. While going about your day, remember to always carry water with you to keep hydrated. I don't bother in the UK, but it's really important in the heat. I carry my reusable water bottle with me when travelling, which I can fill up at airports now. Dehydration can make you easily constipated and your gut sluggish. Passing urine less often than usual, having dark urine or being constipated are all signs you need to be drinking more. For non-alcoholic options that aren't water, you'll be better off with a non-alcoholic beer than a sugary soda, like Coca-Cola or Fanta, or enjoy some fizzy mineral waters that have some taste, like the San Pellegrino in Italy or Vichy Catalan in Spain. Remember to eat fermented food Whatever damage you do to your gut by overindulging in food and alcohol on holiday, fermented food can help to counterbalance this. Fermented foods, if eaten daily, help protect your gut lining and reduce gut and body inflammation. Just three small portions a day can make a meaningful difference. One way to get them into your day is to enjoy fresh, local cheeses, many of which are naturally fermented and rich in beneficial microbes. I also always pick up some kefir (a fermented milk drink) from a local supermarket and add it to my breakfast each morning throughout my holiday. If I'm going somewhere like the US, where fresh fermented foods are harder to come by, I take no chances: I'll take a sachet of dried kefir grains and add milk to it on the first day, effectively making my own kefir. It will last me the holiday and is a guaranteed way of keeping your microbes happy – even in the most processed of food environments. Don't forget to move It's easy to slip out of your exercise routine when you're on holiday, but staying active is one of the best things you can do for your gut. Regular exercise prevents constipation, reduces bloating and even has a modest but meaningful impact on the diversity of your gut microbiome. Think about what you can do in the local area – climb the steps at the tourist attraction and make the most of sunny mornings and late evenings by going for a walk. Don't get stressed about it, but don't completely abandon your step count – I aim for at least 10,000 steps a day even when on holiday. Don't worry about holiday weight gain Your holiday won't damage your gut health irreparably, but you can get it back on track by getting back into a healthy routine when you're back home. Resuming your regular meal times and including enough fibre at each meal will help. I also find it helpful to try time-restricted eating, delaying breakfast until 11 am and not eating after 9 pm, to give my gut a break – but that's not as easy in the Med. Almost everyone puts on weight while on holiday – I often gain 2kg – but it should return to normal within two weeks without too much stress. While these tips can keep your gut in good shape while on holiday, don't be too obsessed about your health while on your break. Relax, de-stress and savour the local food, your gut – and your whole body – will thank you for it. Bon Voyage!
