Getting
around in Scotland by plane is an expensive
but viable option. Air Scotland / Air Inter
handles most domestic flights. People under
25 (and students under 27) can get discounts
of 50% on some Air Inter flights. The most
discounted flights can be cheaper than long
distance rail tickets.
SCOTTISH AIRPORTS
When you fly in to Scotland you will probably
land at Glasgow or Edinburgh International
Airports. Both have modern facilities, rental
car options and good transit options for
the centre of the city. They also have airport
parking available. Check out this link for
more details - http://www.uk-airportparking.co.uk/
Edinburgh Airport
Turnhouse Road
Midlothian EH12 9DN
Tel. +44 0131 333 1000
By train: The nearest station Edinburgh
Waverley mainline.
By Bus: Buses run from Waverley Bridge (next
to the train station).
By car: From Edinburgh take the A8 past
the Grogar roundabout and follow signs.
Parking and car hire are available.
Glasgow Airport
Abbotsinch
Paisley
Renfrewshire PA3 2ST
Tel. +44 0141 887 1111
By Citylink coach: Shuttle with approximately
20 minutes journey time.
By train: Trains leave regularly from Glasgow
Central Station to Paisley where you get
a bus to the airport. This is better for
people with minimal luggage.
By car: 20 minute drive from Glasgow. M8
out to the west of the city towards Paisley,
turning off at Junction 28.
Dundee Airport
Riverside Drive
Dundee
Angus DD2 1UH
Tel. +44 01382 643 242
By Car: Two miles far from Dundee, off the
A85.
By Train: Dundee train station is five minutes
from the airport
Inverness Airport
Inverness IV2 7JB
Tel. +44 01667 464 000
By Car: From Inverness take the A96 towards
Nairn. Turn off just before Newton onto
the B9039 and follow signs to the airport.
BUYING A TICKET
Tickets between London and Paris and other
major centres around Scotland can be as
little as £5. Return tickets are usually
cheaper a good defence against immigration
officials who want to be assured that you
are going to leave the country. Get a ticket
with an airline that allows you to make
changes to the ticket without any problems.
If you are working or studying in Scotland
for more than one year you may wish to get
a one-way ticket and utilise the cheap tickets
out of London to come home.
Students or travellers under 26 years should
always ask for youth / student fares. If
you are flying from Australia or New Zealand,
ask about stopovers to break the journey.
Buying tickets with a credit card can double
your frequent flyer points and is an insurance
against dodgy travel agents. This way you
have time to check you have a ticket and
can cancel the charge if there is a problem.
If you are arriving late or departing early
check to see if the airport is open all-night
so you can catch some sleep on comfy sofas
before heading off again. Some places can
close down and public transport services
stop for the night.
CHEAP DEALS
Flight Guru offers information on cheap
flights from all major UK Airports including
Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted, Manchester,
Luton and many more. www.flightguru.co.uk
Many of the cheap airlines cut their prices
by reducing services i.e you will not be
served meals or drinks. They also offer
online reservations which cuts out the commissions
normally paid to travel agents. Most travel
agents as a result will boycott booking
for these airlines.
If you would like to book using a charter
or courier go to our links pages for helpful
links. Charter buy blocks of tickets in
advance and resell them to consumers. Flights
can be crowded, inflight service compromised
and schedules can change at the last minute
or be delayed. Courier flights are a better
way to travel however it means you have
very small baggage allowance and it is usually
impossible to travel with a friend unless
you can meet up when you arrive. However
the length of your trip may also be determined
by the flight, you may be required to serve
as a courier on the return trip.
Auto
Europe can offer bookings from USA to
Europe.
For other cheap flights check the ads in
major newspapers, student newspapers and
the free / alternative press. Many of the
cheap airlines cut their prices by reducing
services i.e you will not be served meals
or drinks. They also offer online reservations
which cuts out the commissions normally
paid to travel agents.
Ryan Air www.ryanair.com
Ryan Air flies to locations all over Europe
and the United Kingdom. For flexible travellers
these cheap flights are a big saving. However
special deals are offered only during certain
periods, check their website regularly for
details. Flights can be booked by credit
card and tickets are picked up at the airport.
Ryan Air does not refund cancellations and
only 20 kilograms are allowed as weight
allowance. Usually one piece of hand luggage
is permitted.
EasyJet
Also operates out of London but has more
limited flights than Ryan Air throughout
Europe. easyJet is a ticketless airline,
so all you need at check-in is your confirmation
number and positive proof of ID (a passport
for International flights).
For Further information visit the easyJet
web site: www.easyJet.com
*
Avoid areas with young children
* Put a request in for seats with more leg
room (these are often reserved if someone
with a disability requests them)
* Suck on lollies or inhale sachets of eucalyptus
(both provided by the airline) if you have
ear trouble with ascent or descent.
* Bring an array of activities to keep you
occupied eg. Books to read, work to do,
letters to write etc
* Request to be moved if you can spy a series
of empty seats or request that the seats
next to you be left empty until needed
* Don’t hesitate to tell other passengers
if they are talking too loud when you are
sleeping, have their chair too far back
or are generally disrupting your comfort.
* Walk around the plane regularly for exercise
once the seatbelt sign is released. If you
hang around the hostess area long enough
you may even score a few perks – drinks,
visits to the cockpit etc.
* Get in early using the bathrooms as these
can deteriorate rapidly on some flights.
* Alcohol does not help with jet lag affects.
* If you’re hungry ask for more food.
There are often spare meals that are only
discarded.
