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RYANAIR has axed hundreds of thousands of seats across many routes in Europe resulting in Brits losing direct routes to some of their favourite holiday destinations.

If you’re trying to think of some alternative spots for your next holiday, the experts at MoneySuperMarket along with Sun Travel have found options some for you.

Carcassonne, France

In 2025, Ryanair cut many services to France including its route to Bergerac which is known for its half-timbered houses and medieval streets.

If you still want that for your next break, Carcassonne is a great alternative.

MoneySuperMarket said: “Carcassonne makes a brilliant alternative to Bergerac for travellers still wishing to fly with Ryanair.

“The city shares Bergerac’s medieval charm, featuring a historic fortress, winding old streets and an impressive local wine scene.

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“For an aesthetic even closer to Bergerac, the village of Alet-les-Bains is only an hour’s drive away, with half-timbered houses that feel like a step back in time.”

Brits can fly directly from London Stansted to Carcassonne with Ryanair with a flight time of two hours.

Or fly from Manchester and arrive in the French city in just two hours and 10 minutes.

Marrakesh, Morocco

It’s not just France that’s affected, Ryanair announced it would be cutting its routes routes to Tenerife North starting from winter 2025 season.

However, if it’s winter sun that Brits are looking for, then there are a few other spots to fly to instead.

Ryanair will instead be putting more capacity into its routes to Morocco – so a trip to Marrakesh, Agadir, Rabat or Essaouira could be an option.

Whether you’re looking for a city break or a beach destination – each city offers something different.

But all have souks to explore, pretty resorts and hotels as well as high winter temperatures.

Flying to Marrakesh takes under four hours from the UK and flights from London are as little as £15 in December.

Krakow, Poland

Ryanair also cut flights to Brive in France as a result of the rising tax rate.

But if you still fancy the charm of the French city that’s known for its fantastic food, then you might find what you’re looking for in the Polish city of Krakow.

MoneySuperMarket added: “Brive is loved for its food markets, history, museums, and that artisanal distillery feel, but Krakow could be an alternative with a stunning medieval old town, lively markets, and rich museums.

“Krakow also offers its own vodka distillery experiences, bringing the same taste of local culture while also being an easy city to reach from many UK airports.”

Brits can fly to Krakow from major airports in the UK with flights taking just over two and half hours.

In January one-way tickets are as little as £15.

Madeira, Portugal

Ryanair recently announced plans to axe flights to the Azores in March 2026.

The autonomous Portuguese islands are known for their dramatic volcanic landscapes and have long been a favourite with UK holidaymakers.

One alternative recommended by the team at Sun Travel is beautiful Madeira.

Still in Portugal, the archipelago has the lush greenery of the Azores as well as black sand beaches.

It’s not just about nature, though, as there are still bustling cities like Funchal where holidaymakers can explore the Old Town and visit the Mercado dos Lavradores market.

Or wander through the pretty Madeira Botanical Garden and Monte Palace Tropical Garden.

Flights to Madeira depart from the likes of Bristol, Manchester, Bournemouth, Leeds, Nottingham, Liverpool and London for as little as £16.

Porto, Portugal

In August 2025, Ryanair said confirmed that two million seats across Spain would be being scrapped including those to Vigo.

The city is known for its vibrant seafood scene, beautiful Atlantic coastline, and as a gateway to the Cíes Islands which are just a 45-minute ferry trip away.

For a different budget-friendly, and direct route from the UK – check out Porto.

The coastal city in northwest Portugal is known for its huge bridges, port wine production, and colourful, winding streets.

Its position by the sea means that, like Vigo, it has plenty of fresh seafood.

While you’re there, don’t forget to try the ‘Porto sandwich’ called Francesinha, which is made with layered meats like steak, ham, and sausage between toasted bread slices.

You can fly directly from the UK to Porto from London, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The flight time is under two and a half hours – and they’re as little as £15.

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Here’s another alternative destination to visit this year as Ryanair scraps hundreds of flights – and it’s known for winter sun.

Plus, discover the six alternative Med holidays for 2025 with quieter beaches, cheaper food and affordable deals.

Elphaba and Glinda have changed the box office, at least for this weekend.

“Wicked: For Good” — the conclusion to Universal Pictures’ two-part film franchise — hauled in an estimated $150 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend, marking the second-highest domestic opening this year, trailing only blockbuster hit “A Minecraft Movie.” Globally, the film grossed about $226 million.

The opening weekend audience for “Wicked: For Good” skewed even more female (69%) than the first film, which counted 61% of its viewers as women, according to data from EntTelligence.

Lionsgate’s “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” came in a distant second at the domestic box office with $9.1 million. The third installment of the illusionist franchise has now brought in a cumulative $36.8 million in the U.S. and Canada and a total of $109.4 million globally across its two weekends.

Disney’s 20th Century Studios’ “Predator: Badlands,” Paramount Pictures’ “The Running Man” and “Rental Family” from Searchlight Pictures rounded out this weekend’s top five.

The Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-led film was bolstered by a massive marketing push that began early last year before the first “Wicked” movie debuted. Though the films are based on the hit Broadway play, Universal wanted to expand awareness of the story to markets that had been less exposed to the theatrical show.

As a result, the franchise has partnered with more than 100 brands, including toy companies like Lego and Mattel as well as more unexpected firms such as household goods giant P&G and online Asian supermarket Weee!, where director Jon M. Chu serves as chief creative officer.

The film’s opening weekend success also points to a demand for female-focused franchises.

After 2023’s “Barbie” grossed $1.4 billion at the global box office, there were countless calls for more films geared toward women. But this year, many of the big-budget movies were male-leaning, and the narrower returns at the box office have prompted questions about whether films were reaching all possible demographics.

“Women continue to be a really underserved audience,” said Shawn Robbins, director of movie analytics at Fandango and founder of the website Box Office Theory. “In terms of large blockbusters, it’s been a minute since there’s been a female-skewing movie on the scale of ‘Wicked’ or ‘Lilo & Stitch.’”

Russian officials claim that a prototype of the Sukhoi Su-75 Checkmate fighter could be in flight testing by early next year. Development of the single-engine aircraft, which first broke cover four years ago, is otherwise said to be ongoing with a heavy emphasis on potential export sales. There also continues to at least be plans, which currently look to be aspirational, for further variations on the design, including an uncrewed derivative.

Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) officially unveiled a Su-75, also known as the Light Tactical Aircraft (LTA), or LTS in Russian, at the 2021 Dubai Airshow. A full-scale mockup of the jet was shown at that event. Later that year, UAC said that work on an actual flying prototype was underway.

We’re “still working on development of this aircraft,” Sergey Chemezov, head of Russia’s state-run defense conglomerate Rostec, told TWZ and other outlets at this year’s Dubai Airshow on Tuesday, according to a translator. “We need some time to get the real prototype for the test flights.”

“Basically, we are almost at the stage of the testing flights, and in the near future, we will be launching it into production,” Chemezov added, again per the translator.

“I think this is the beginning of 2026,” Sergey Bogdan, Sukhoi’s chief test pilot, also said about the expected timeframe for the start of Su-75 flight testing in a separate interview with Russia’s state-run Channel One television station on Tuesday. “The aircraft is already on the shop floor, it is already being finalized, and there are already certain time plans. Therefore, with God’s help, it should take place soon enough.”

Specifications for the Su-75 that UAC has provided at this year’s Dubai Airshow say the design, at least in its present form, has a maximum takeoff weight of some 57,320 pounds (26,000 kilograms). The jet is said to be able to carry up to 16,314 pounds (7,400 kilograms) worth of air-to-air and/or air-to-ground munitions on an array of underwing hardpoints, as well as one inside three internal bays. UAC has stated the aircraft’s top speed to be between Mach 1.8 and Mach 2 with an engine in the 32,000 to 36,000-pound-thrust-class (14,500 to 16,500 kilogram-force). Size-wise, the design, as it was shown in 2021, is approximately 57 feet long and has a wingspan of 39 feet.

As TWZ has noted in the past, despite its LTA moniker, the Su-75 is really more of a middle-weight design. As a comparison, Lockheed Martin’s single-engine F-35A is 51 feet long and has a wingspan of 35 feet, and has a stated maximum takeoff weight in the “70,000 pound class.” As another reference point, Russia’s twin-engine Su-57 Felon, a heavyweight fighter design, measures 66 feet in length with a 46-foot wingspan, and has a stated maximum takeoff weight of 74,957 pounds.

Based on models and renderings that UAC has shown, the Su-75’s design has evolved since 2021. This includes the enlargement of the rear edges of both wings, with flaperons that now stretch all the way down both sides of the tail, and the extension of the wing roots at the nose end of the jet. The shaping of the wing tips, as well as parts of the nose and tail ends of the jet, has also changed. The cockpit canopy now has sawtooth edges at the front and back, as well.

There have also been changes observed to what is easily one of the Su-75’s most striking visual features, its highly angular air intake that wraps around the underside of the nose section. The mock-up that was unveiled in 2021 had a divider in the middle of the intake, which has since disappeared in renders and models of the design. The underside of the intake has also gotten flatter. It still has a diverterless supersonic inlet (DSI) style of design, the benefits of which you can read about in more detail here. Lockheed pioneered DSI technology in the 1990s, with this becoming a key aspect of the F-35’s design. It has now appeared in various forms on a number of other crewed and uncrewed aircraft, especially ones developed in China.

Overall, like the Su-57, the Su-75’s design does look to have some low-observable characteristics, but appears to be mostly focused on reducing the radar signature from the frontal hemisphere, rather than any kind of all-aspect stealth. UAC claims that Checkmate will be effective in areas “protected by air defense systems” and “in a complex jamming environment” thanks to its sensor suite, including an active electronically scanned array radar and an infrared search and track (IRST) system, and other features.

As noted, since the Su-75 was first unveiled, UAC has talked about plans for an entire family of designs based on the single-seat LTA configuration. Models of a two-seat crewed version, as well as the aforementioned uncrewed derivative, have been shown over the years.

Evidence is growing that Russia’s Su-75 Checkmate may appear not only as a single-seater, but also an unmanned wingman and a two-seat version — the latter eyed by Middle Eastern buyers. Commercial models with “Iran” and “UAE” markings hint at export plans. https://t.co/YFNxsirvHL pic.twitter.com/nZgDwlzHpr

— Mohammad Hassan Sangtarash (@MHSangtarash) November 15, 2025

There is notably a more refined model of the uncrewed Checkmate design on display at this year’s Dubai Airshow. It shows an overall configuration in line with the revisions to the single-seat design.

The Checkmate drone model also notably features what looks to be an electro-optical targeting system (EOTS) underneath its fuselage that sits inside a windowed enclosure broadly akin to the ones seen on the U.S. F-35 and Chinese J-20, as well as other designs globally. There is what appears to be another electro-optical and/or infrared sensor system with a more fixed forward field of view on the underside of the fuselage, as well. A sensor aperture is also present on top of the nose. These latter two systems look to be part of a distributed aperture system (DAS) type arrangement that could also have a more capable IRST capability. Advanced combat drones have a particular need for an array of sensors around the aircraft to provide general situational awareness, especially if they are designed for more independent autonomous operations, as well as to help spot and track targets in the air and down below.

All of this being said, much about the Checkmate effort, especially plans for follow-on variations, crewed and uncrewed, currently look to be highly aspirational.

“Generally, it takes about 10 to 15 years to create the proper aircraft,” Rostec’s Chemezov said in Dubai on Tuesday about ongoing work on the Su-75, according to the translator. “You can have a baby born in nine months, but the aircraft will take a little longer than that.”

Chemezov’s remarks here are, broadly speaking, true. As a point of comparison, the first flight of a pre-production Su-57 prototype occurred in 2010 and it took another decade or so for serial production of that design to officially kick off. At the same time, this then points to UAC reaching a high level of maturity with the baseline Su-75 design, let alone putting it into large-scale production, sometime well into the next decade, at the earliest.

When it comes to the prospective first flight of the Su-75, it should be noted that, to date, there has been no imagery or other hard evidence of a real prototype under construction or any initial testing. This is in marked contrast to how images and other details highlighting progress on other advanced Russian aircraft developments, like the S-70 Okhotnik-B uncrewed combat air vehicle (UCAV), have emerged in the past.

The pressures of the ongoing war in Ukraine make it impossible not to question whether Russia is really willing to dedicate the resources necessary for a new fighter project. Though Rostec’s Chemezov was quick to downplay any concerns in Dubai earlier this week, there are also real questions about Russia’s current ability to produce combat aircraft, crewed or uncrewed, in general, after years of Western sanctions. The Russian defense industry chief also acknowledged the additional demands that conflict has placed on Russia’s defense industry to meet the immediate needs of the country’s armed forces. Deliveries of production Su-57s to the Russian Air Force have been notably sluggish, with the Russian Air Force having received around 18 of the jets between 2022 and 2024. The service has a standing order for 76 of those aircraft, and it is unclear when it might be fulfilled in full.

Earlier this year, authorities in Belarus, a very close Russian ally, announced that they were exploring a joint partnership on the continued development of the Su-75. This could help at least defray the costs of the Checkmate program.

Since 2021, UAC has also been very heavily pitching the Su-75 as a more advanced, but also lower-cost fighter option, especially for smaller air arms in the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Africa. In the ensuing years, there have been reports of interest from a host of countries, including India, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran, Algeria, and Vietnam. To date, however, there have been no confirmed orders.

It is worth noting here that reports earlier said Algeria had become the first export customer for the larger Su-57. UAC also said just this week that it had delivered the first two export Su-57s to an unnamed foreign customer. No visual evidence of Su-57s entering service outside Russia on any level has yet to emerge.

Competition, in general, in the international fighter market only looks set to grow, as well. China has been making particularly pronounced inroads in this space globally, and export variants or derivatives of its J-35 stealth fighter could be on the horizon. The Su-75, which again has yet to even fly, faces additional challenges posed by the fact that any nation that buys Russian weapon systems runs real risks of triggering secondary sanctions, especially from the United States.

Altogether, it very much remains to be seen when a prototype Su-75 might take to the skies for the first time, as well as when, or if, any of the broader ambitions for the Checkmate program, including the drone derivative, become a reality.

Jamie Hunter contributed to this story.

Special thanks to Michael Jerdev, who you can follow on X under the handle @MuxelAero, for sharing additional imagery from the 2025 Dubai Airshow.

Contact the author: [email protected]

With searches for ‘avoid jet lag’ soaring, travel experts have revealed the perfect time to fly

Anyone heading off for some winter sunshine this festive period might find themselves fretting about jet lag – particularly if you’re travelling somewhere quite distant. According to Google Trends data, searches for ‘avoid jet lag’ have rocketed by 9,900% over the past month, with holidaymakers worried this could ruin their break.

But dodging jet lag could be as straightforward as picking the ideal departure time, according to specialists at Go2Africa. They recommend booking your flight to arrive at a local time between 2pm-5pm, which means you’ll touch down in optimal conditions with plenty of daylight exposure and the chance to remain alert until bedtime. This sets you up for a properly synchronised body clock throughout your getaway.

Circadian rhythm alignment

One explanation for why your arrival time can help prevent jet lag is that it allows your body’s circadian rhythm sufficient time to adjust to external signals like light and darkness.

Any sudden shift, such as crossing time zones during air travel, can throw this alignment off balance and trigger jet lag symptoms.

Strong reset signal

“Light is the strongest signal to the body that it needs to reset”, the specialists explain. “Strategic exposure or, of course, avoidance, changes your circadian phase, supercharging the reset of your internal body clock.”

Daylight and wakefulness

The experts add: “Getting to your destination between the hours of 2pm and 5pm local time is perfect as you have enough daylight to reset your body clock, but it’s not so late that you will struggle to stay awake until bedtime. Arriving too early (morning) risks falling asleep prematurely or being awake for too many hours before night, confusing your clock.”

Other ways to beat jet lag

If you can’t manage to touch down at the ideal time, there are still plenty of methods to reduce your chances of suffering from jet lag.

The first approach is to slowly modify your sleep pattern at least three days before you travel. Achieve this by hitting the hay 30 to 60 minutes earlier each evening.

Another suggestion is to maximise your light exposure by stepping outdoors into natural sunlight as quickly as possible once you’ve landed.

Though if you touch down during the evening hours, experts recommend steering clear of harsh lighting (particularly screens) for an hour or two before your local bedtime.

During your first complete day at your destination, synchronise your meals, wake-up time and sleep schedule with the local timezone, as your body’s digestive rhythm also plays a crucial part in your circadian system.

The U.S. Air Force says it estimates a fleet of Next Generation Airlift (NGAL) aircraft will be flying operational missions by the 2040-2041 timeframe. The service hopes to have its C-5M Galaxy and C-17A Globemaster III cargo planes replaced by NGAL types by the mid-2040s and mid-2070s, respectively. By 2075, the C-17, a type that has been under particular strain in recent years, will have been in service for 80 years, though the remaining individual aircraft will be younger than that.

Air Mobility Command (AMC) laid out its latest vision for its future airlift fleets in a strategy memo released earlier this week. The document reconfirms that the current plan is for a single NGAL aircraft to supplant the C-5M and C17A, which AMC had first disclosed publicly in September. At that time, the command had only said it was targeting the mid-2040s timeframe to begin making the transition to its new cargo planes. The Air Force had 222 C-17As and 52 C-5Ms in its inventory as of the start of Fiscal Year 2025.

“With an accelerated NGAL Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) in FY27 [Fiscal Year 2027] and an uninterrupted acquisition process with consistent funding, the first NGAL aircraft could be produced as early as FY38,” the Airlift Recapitalization Strategy document, dated November 18, 2025, explains. “It is estimated [that] the NGAL program will reach Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in FY41.”

U.S. government fiscal years run from October 1 of the year before through September 30 of the year in question. So, for example, Fiscal Year 2041 starts on October 1, 2040, and ends on September 30, 2041.

“One NGAL aircraft will replace one C-5M aircraft until the entire C-5M fleet is retired. Then, the C-17A fleet will be replaced by NGAL at a one-for-one swap,” the document adds. “Uninterrupted inter-theater airlift capacity is paramount for global operations during fleet recapitalization. Current recapitalization projections require C-5M viability until 2045 and C-17A viability through 2075.”

The Air Force’s C-5Ms were all upgraded from older B and C variants that began their service careers in the 1980s. C-17As first began entering operational service in 1995. Neither of these aircraft is still in production.

By 2045, the youngest C-5Ms will have been flying for some 56 years. As already mentioned, the Air Force is now set to keep flying C-17s for eight decades. The service took delivery of its last Globemaster III in 2013, which will be 62 years old in 2075.

It’s also important to point out here that a succession of major crises globally has led to persistently high demand for the C-17 fleet in recent years. The aircraft have played notably critical roles in the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, the delivery of military aid to Ukraine immediately before and since Russia’s all-out invasion in 2022, and various contingencies around the Middle East since 2023. This, in turn, has put immense strain on the aircraft, and their crews, and has created additional sustainment challenges. With all this in mind, how exactly the Air Force concluded it would be feasible to keep the C-17s flying through 2075 is unclear.

“To mitigate risks associated with acquisition delays, funding uncertainties, or technological challenges, the existing C-5M and C-17A fleets’ operational viability must be maintained until a fully capable replacement is fielded, which may require extending the service life and associated Military Type Certificate (MTC) of each platform,” the AMC airlift strategy document does note.

There have been growing discussions already about re-engining the C-17 fleet, which could help extend the operational life of those aircraft. New engines that offer greater fuel economy and/or higher reliability could give the aircraft a boost in performance, as well as reduce operating costs and sustainment demands.

“The C-17 and C-5 … served us well for decades, but they’re not going to fly forever, and so we’d like to recapitalize those on our timeline,” Air Force Gen. John Lamontagne, head of AMC, had told TWZ and other outlets at a roundtable on the sidelines of the Air & Space Forces Association’s 2025 Air, Space, and Cyber Conference in Spetember. “We’d like to have a plan in place so when the service life starts to erode on the C-17, whether it’s wings, engines, or more, we’ve got a competition already going.”

AMC does also have plans now for other capability upgrades to its existing airlift fleets, especially the workhorse C-17s, to ensure their continued relevance, especially in future high-end fights. The Globemaster IIIs are already in the process of getting new beyond-line-of-sight communications suites, and new defensive systems could also be on the horizon.

Many questions about the successor NGAL aircraft still remain to be answered, as well, including whether or not the Air Force might require the design to incorporate stealthy features. Vertical takeoff and landing capabilities and other ways to reduce dependence on traditional runways, access to which is expected to be greatly limited in future major conflicts, might also be part of the equation. The Air Force has explored advanced airlift and aerial refueling tanker concepts that include these elements on multiple occasions in the past. TWZ has been calling attention to the growing need for more survivable cargo planes and tankers for years now.

“As far as what we want in the next[-generation airlift] platform, we want agility, we want speed, we want to be able to operate in a higher threat environment,” Gen. Lamontagne had said in September. This includes “countermeasures that are effective against those threats that are coming from increasingly longer ranges.”

On top of all this is the key equation of how the Air Force expects to replace the C-5M and C-17A with a single platform. The Galaxy and Globemaster III are very different size-wise, as well as in the kinds of missions they were designed to perform, as TWZ has highlighted in the past.

At least one company, Radia, is openly pitching a new airlifter to the Air Force that is bigger than the C-17 and the C-5. However, the Windrunner design is also still in a very aspirational phase of development, as you can read more about here.

Lockheed Martin and Boeing, among others, have also been publicly showing various concepts for advanced transports and tankers in recent years.

The Air Force has talked previously about the potential for NGAL to be a ‘system of systems’ rather than a single aircraft. Speaking in September, Gen. Lamontagne said it remained possible that multiple aircraft types could ultimately come under the NGAL umbrella, but raised concerns about whether his service “can afford, grandkids, kids, all of them.”

No matter what aircraft the Air Force ultimately acquires under NGAL, the service has now set a clear goal for them to begin entering operational service within the next 15 years or so.

Contact the author: [email protected]

Sasha Jones and Rhian Ewer, both 33, flew from Manchester Airport to Copenhagen for a Christmas market day trip that they said worked out cheaper than staying in the UK

A couple jetted off to Copenhagen for a 14-hour Christmas market visit, claiming it was cheaper than attending one in the UK.

Sasha Jones and Rhian Ewer, both 33, embarked on their festive adventure from Manchester Airport with a return fare of just £58.

The pair boarded a 6.50am Ryanair flight and touched down in the Danish capital around 9.30am local time. Upon arrival, they made a beeline for Tivoli Gardens, one of Europe’s most renowned Christmas attractions.

They spent the entire day immersed in the festive spirit, perusing stalls and enjoying rides. “Christmas is our favourite time of year,” Sasha, from Warrington, Cheshire, shared with Luxury Travel Daily. “We love adventures, and Christmas always feels really magical, and the draw for us was the combination of markets and rides”.

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“The markets were great, with lots of local sellers and homemade crafts and trinkets, although the markets within the gardens didn’t have many food and drink stalls. We had a fantastic day, the mix of markets and rides kept us entertained and busy. We even got to meet Santa Claus, who remembered us from our trip to Lapland earlier this year.

“It was such a fun experience, it was great to see how the markets differ from the ones back home and to see a variety of stalls. It was perfect, once the sun set, it took the place to a whole new level. The city had such a wholesome feel, and we were sad to leave. We spoke about putting our tree up the day after we got back, and were really in the spirit and were ready to start the festivities.”

They forked out just £52.40 on a return taxi to Manchester airport and utilised Copenhagen’s metro to reach the city centre for only £3.50 each way.

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Due to Rhian’s disability access, Sasha was able to gain entry as a carer, meaning their full access ticket with rides cost just £45 in total.

The duo kept expenses low by bringing their own breakfast bagels from home. Lunch came to £7 for chicken strips, and they dined at a burger bar, spending around £40 for two burgers, chips and drinks.

They boarded a 9.50pm Easyjet flight home and touched down in Manchester at 11pm. The entire trip cost the pair £113 each, and they reckon a journey to London’s Christmas markets would have set them back twice as much. Pub general manager, Sasha, added: “It’s cheaper than travelling to London for the markets.

“It usually costs at least £80 for a return from Warrington to London. And we explored markets in a completely different country, but were in our own beds at the end of the day. It was an amazing day.”

Are you someone who loves extreme day trips and have a travel story you want to share? Email [email protected]

A BRIT has become the first person to fly around the world in economy class.

Dale Charman, 44, spent £1,300 to set off from London Heathrow to return just 67 hours later, having stopped at Kuala Lumpur, Sydney and Los Angeles.

The tube driver, who posts videos on YouTube on his channel ‘Dale Charman Travels’, said he had seen videos of people online doing the same challenge, but for business and first class – not economy.

So the flight enthusiast decided to be the first to fly around the globe in economy.

Dale set off from London Heathrow at 9:35pm on August 25 and then returned to the capital – after 24,000 miles of flying – on August 28 just after 5pm.

According to Dale, he was “absolutely knackered” after his journey, which included four flight.

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He said: “I knew I’d be tired, because that’s obvious.

“What I didn’t think about was I wouldn’t be laying down for the best part of three days.

“It’s amazing how much pain you get in your knees and your hips, just being in a sitting position for so long.

“My friends and family all think I’m crazy – some people think it’s cool, my mum thinks I’m absolutely crazy.”

Over the course of nearly three days flying, Dale explained how he tried to sleep as much as possible and when he wasn’t asleep he would watch films via the in-flight entertainment screens.

After spending 12 hours on a Malaysia Airlines flight from London to Kuala Lumpur, Dale had just a five-hour layover before boarding another Malaysia Airlines flight, lasting eight hours, to Sydney in Australia.

Once in Sydney, Dale had a seven-hour layover, so had enough time to make a quick visit to the Sydney Opera House.

He then returned to the airport and boarded a 13-hour Qantas flight to Los Angeles in America.

Dale added that the flight has the best “comfort food” out of all the flights, consisting of beef and mash.

Even though Dale had another seven-hour layover in Los Angeles, this time he decided to stay in the airport as it took over an hour to get through immigration.

Then, all that was left was a 12-hour Virgin Atlantic flight back to London Heathrow, landing just after 5pm on August 28.

Dale then had a couple of days of rest, before heading back to work on August 31.

Dale said: “I just think it’s a cool thing to do. Obviously the environment doesn’t particularly like it.

“I’d never flown across the Pacific.

“I’ve been to Australia and I’ve been to the US many, many times, but I’ve never done that other bit.

“I thought it was cool to cover that, and it’s just an adventure.

“You never know when you’ll wake up tomorrow, and I thought it was just a cool thing to say I’d done.

“It’s a shame I didn’t have more time to actually visit these places properly, but I always use it as an excuse – I’ll have to do it again when I’ve got more time and more money.”

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In other aviation news, a budget airline has slashed flights from a major UK airport in a scramble to cut costs.

Plus, Jet2 is set to launch its first ever flights from a major UK airport with 29 new ‘sunshine’ routes.

Earlier this week, a flight carrying 153 Palestinians from Gaza landed in South Africa without documentation. The passengers were stuck on the plane for 12 hours before the South African authorities, who claimed they had not been informed by Israelis about the deportation flight, allowed them to disembark on humanitarian grounds.

The Palestinians on board had paid between $1,500 and $5,000 to a company called Al-Majd Europe to leave Gaza. The operation is run by a few Palestinians on the ground in coordination with the Israeli occupation authorities. At least two other such flights had already been made since June this year.

This is the latest scheme Israel is deploying to depopulate Gaza – a longstanding goal of its apartheid regime that goes back to the early 20th century.

Since the beginning of the Zionist movement, Palestinians have been perceived as a demographic obstacle to establishing a Jewish state. In the late 19th century, Theodor Herzl, one of the founding fathers of Zionism, wrote that the displacement of Arabs from Palestine must be part of the Zionist plan, suggesting that poor populations could be moved across borders and deprived of employment opportunities in a quiet and cautious manner.

In 1938, David Ben-Gurion, a key Zionist leader who would later become Israel’s first prime minister, made clear he supported forced “relocation” and saw nothing “immoral” in it. Part of this vision was carried out 10 years later during the Nakba of 1948, when more than 700,000 Palestinians were forced out of their homes in what Israeli historian Benny Morris has called “necessary” ethnic cleansing.

After 1948, Israel continued efforts to displace Palestinians. In the 1950s, tens of thousands of Palestinians and Palestinian Bedouins were forcibly transferred from the Naqab (Negev) desert to the Sinai Peninsula or Gaza, which was under Egyptian administration at that time.

After the June 1967 war, when Israel occupied Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, it adopted a strategy of what it called “voluntary migration”. The idea was to create harsh living conditions to pressure residents to leave, including demolishing homes and reducing employment opportunities.

In parallel, “emigration offices” were established in the refugee camps of Gaza to encourage people who have lost any hope of return to their homes to leave in exchange for money and travel arrangements. Israel also encouraged Palestinians to go work abroad, especially in the Gulf.  The price Palestinians had to pay for leaving was never being allowed to come back.

After October 7, 2023, Israel saw another chance to carry out its plan of ethnically cleansing Gaza – this time through genocide and forced expulsion. It thought it had the necessary international sympathy and diplomatic capital to carry out such an atrocity, as statements by various Israeli officials, such as ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, show. They even came up with the so-called “General’s Plan” to fully depopulate northern Gaza.

The new scheme for forcing Palestinians out of Gaza fits well into this historical pattern. What distinguishes it, however, is that Palestinians are made to pay for their own forced displacement and their desperation is exploited by Palestinian collaborators who seek to make easy profit. This, of course, is meant to further the financial depletion of the Palestinian population and create more internal fissures and tensions.

This scheme, like previous ones, also has the central feature of denying Palestinians return. None of the passengers on the plane received Israeli exit stamps on their passports, which was the reason the South African authorities struggled with the admission process. Having no legal record of leaving the Israeli-occupied territory of Gaza means these people are automatically classified as illegal migrants and have no possibility of returning.

It is important here to clarify why Israel is allowing these flights to take place while impeding the evacuation of ill and injured Palestinians and students accepted in foreign universities. These exits of patients and students would be legal, and they imply the right to return – something Israel does not want to allow.

That there are Palestinians willing to fall for this flight scheme is unsurprising. Two years of genocide have driven the people of Gaza to unimaginable desperation. There are that many Gaza residents who would willingly board those planes. And yet, Israel cannot fly us all to South Africa.

Through decades of Zionist occupation, Palestinians have persevered. Palestinian steadfastness in the face of wars, sieges, home raids, demolitions, land theft, and economic subjugation confirms that the Palestinian land is not merely a place to live, but a symbol of identity and history that people are not willing to give up.

In the past two years, Israel has destroyed the lives and homes of two million Palestinians. And even that has failed to kill the Palestinian spirit and drive to hold onto the Palestinian land. The Palestinians are not flying out; we are here to stay.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial policy.

SHE sang about the Hollywood icon on her new album – and now it seems Taylor Swift could pay homage to Elizabeth Taylor’s British roots by filming the music video here.

Hitmaker Tay is flying to the UK next week for a top-secret shoot.

And I have heard whispers that it is for her track Elizabeth Taylor, which features on her chart-topping record The Life Of A Showgirl.

Sixties acting legend Elizabeth — famous for her roles in Cleopatra and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? — was born in 1932 in Hampstead, North London, where there is a plaque, right, on her childhood home. She moved to LA with her family when she was seven.

A source said: “Taylor is super excited to be back in London filming for her new music video.

‘Luxurious and feminine’

“Elizabeth Taylor is a British icon and Taylor wants to pay homage by shooting scenes in the capital.

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“Taylor has always written about her love for London, and the video will capture different locations around the city.”

Actress Elizabeth, who died aged 79 in 2011, was married eight times, including twice to British acting legend Richard Burton, and was often portrayed as searching for lasting love.

Speaking about the track for the official release party of her latest album, Taylor said: “It has got to do with fame, attention, love, notoriety, anxiety that this isn’t going to be forever — and how heartbroken would you be then?

“I wanted to tell a story that referenced some of the cool things about her life, but that are also parallel to mine.

“I used details from her life, but the feelings of what it kind of conveys are things I’ve absolutely experienced time and time again.

“The production of this is something that I’m so proud of because it’s luxurious and feminine and then goes really hard and tough in the chorus.

“It’s just one of my favourite songs.”

The track has gone viral on TikTok thanks to a remix with Backstreet Boys’ 1997  banger Everybody (Backstreet’s (Back).

Sounds like Taylor’s fans will be in for a treat.

RED-HOT MILLIE’S IN GOOD NICK

MILLIE BOBBY BROWN gave fans her Christmas presence by draping herself across a fireplace.

The Stranger Things star dazzled in tiny hot pants, a crop top, fur-trimmed boots and an oversized Santa hat in the shoot for fashion and beauty label Florence By Mills.

Sharing a snap of Millie on Instagram, the brand wrote: “Elf on the shelf? Try Mill on the sill.”

It will be Millie’s first Christmas as a mum after she and hubby Jake Bongiovi adopted a daughter this year. Looks like she’ll sleigh it.

IS IT GET BECK, MACCA?

CRUZ BECKHAM has hinted that he is hoping to work with Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney.

The wannabe pop star and son of David and Victoria Beckham said he would love to collab with Macca, who he was introduced to when he was a kid.

Chatting to me at London’s Winter Wonderland, Cruz revealed: “There are so many people I would love to collaborate with.

“Paul McCartney – he’s such a legend. I’ve always been a huge fan – I met Paul when I was little.

“John Lennon is also a hero of mine.”

He added: “There’s more music coming out next year. Hopefully an album when the record label will let me.”

Cruz officially launched his music career last month by releasing singles Lick The Toad and Optics – the latter an explicit pop track about drugs and sex.

It includes the lyrics: “Take a thousand selfies in your bed while I trip in mine. I love me some mushrooms and good head.”

Cruz has also teamed up with The Kooks frontman Luke Pritchard to work on some songs.

Earlier this year, Luke said: “He’s naturally going to come under criticism because of who his parents are. He’s aware of that.

“It was great when he said, ‘Jesus was a nepo baby too’. I thought that was quite a funny response.”

Meanwhile, Cruz was spotted kissing his girlfriend, songwriter Jackie Apostel at Winter Wonderland on Thursday.

They went Instagram official last year after they were first seen hanging out at Glastonbury in Somerset.

Cruz is clearly going to be a busy boy in the coming months, but hopefully baby Becks and Macca can Come Together at some point.

TELLY etiquette guru William Hanson said he declined to appear on BBC’s Celebrity Traitors after show bosses approached him earlier this year.

The final was watched by 12 million fans earlier this month, with comic ALAN CARR crowned the winner.

At Richmond Theatre, William told me: “They didn’t sell it brilliantly to me.

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“They were, like, ‘There is no hair and make-up, if you are in it, you have to film for 12 days, you need 406 different outfits, you are in the Travelodge by Inverness Airport and it is a 40-minute drive and the fee is rubbish.

“I thought, I don’t know if I really want to do this.”
William was a bit of a traitor after all.

Airlines including British Airways, easyJet and TUI have confirmed a host of new places they will be flying to next year. Here’s the full list of new destinations being introduced in 2026

As the chill of winter descends upon the UK, many Brits are already dreaming of sun-soaked holidays in 2026. The great news is that airlines are adding a whopping 31 new destinations to their schedules for those looking to jet off next year.

Major airlines such as British Airways, easyJet and TUI have unveiled a plethora of new locations they’ll be servicing in the coming year. The majority of these fresh flights will kick off in the spring, carrying on throughout the balmy summer months.

Newcastle Airport is set to benefit the most from these additions, with easyJet preparing to establish a new base there in 2026, leading to an additional 11 destinations departing from Newcastle.

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In other news, Jet2 has confirmed seven exciting new destinations from East Midlands Airport. These include the picturesque Split in Croatia, the exotic Agadir in Morocco and the stunning Chania in Greece.

Scroll down for the comprehensive list of new destinations being introduced in 2026, reports the Express.

London Heathrow

• St Louis, USA, with British Airways from April 2026.

London Gatwick

• Bangkok, Thailand, with British Airways from Summer 2026 (upgraded to year-round).

Newcastle Airport

EasyJet is gearing up to launch a new base at Newcastle Airport come next spring. This will result in an expansion of its network from the airport, including flights to:

• Antalya, Turkey, with easyJet from March 29, 2026.
• Dalaman, Turkey, with easyJet from March 31, 2026.
• Rhodes, Greece, with easyJet from Summer 2026.
• Corfu, Greece, with easyJet from April 3, 2026.
• Faro, Portugal, with easyJetMarch from 29, 2026.
• Malta with easyJet from March 30, 2026.
• Prague, Czechia, with easyJet from August 2, 2026.
• Reus, Spain, with easyJet from March 31, 2026.
• Nice, France, with easyJet from March 29, 2026.
• Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, with easyJet from August 3, 2026.
• Enfidha, Tunisia, with easyJet from March 29, 2026.

East Midlands Airport

• Antalya, Turkey, with SunExpress from Easter 2026.
• Agadir, Morocco, with Jet2 from Summer 2026.
• Costa de Almeria, Spain, with Jet2 from Summer 2026.
• Preveza, Greece, with Jet2 from Summer 2026.
• Thessaloniki, Greece, with Jet2 from Summer 2026.
• Chania, Greece, with Jet2 from Summer 2026.
• Pula, Croatia, with Jet2 from Summer 2026.
• Split, Croatia, with Jet2 from Summer 2026.
• Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, with TUI from Easter 2026 (re-introduction).

Bristol Airport

• Reus, Spain, with easyJet from June 25, 2026.
• Thessaloniki, Greece, with easyJet from June 27, 2026

Stansted Airport

• La Palma, Spain, with Jet2 from October 26, 2026.
• Jerez, Spain, with Jet2 from May 2026.
• Samos, Greece, with Jet2 from Summer 2026 (new weekly services).

Manchester Airport

• La Palma, Spain, with Jet2 from April 3, 2026.
• Samos, Greece, with Jet2 from Summer 2026 (new weekly services)

Birmingham Airport

• Samos, Greece, with Jet2 from May 4, 2026.
• Rome, Italy, with easyJet from March 5, 2026.

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By 2027 passengers will be able to fly non-stop to Australia from the UK

Australia’s national carrier Qantas has revealed the first images of its ultra-long-range Airbus — the aircraft that will make aviation history by flying non-stop for 22 hours. The groundbreaking jet will connect Sydney directly to London and New York by 2027, setting a new global record for the longest commercial flight ever operated.

Currently being assembled in Toulouse, France, the aircraft’s major components — including the fuselage, wings and landing gear — have already been joined. Qantas showcased the milestone at its annual general meeting in Brisbane, describing the next-generation aircraft as a “game-changer” for international travel.

The A350-1000ULR will serve as the backbone of Qantas’s ambitious Project Sunrise initiative, designed to link Australia’s east coast with the world’s major cities without stopovers. Each flight will last up to 22 hours — saving travellers as much as four hours compared to current one-stop journeys.

The jet will soon move into a dedicated hangar for the installation of its engines and flight instruments, before beginning a rigorous testing programme in 2026. Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson hailed the milestone as a defining moment for the airline’s global ambitions.

“Given Australia’s position in the world, Qantas has a long history of breaking aviation barriers. Project Sunrise will not only overcome the tyranny of distance, it will fundamentally change the way our customers travel the world,” she said.

“These flights will cut up to four hours off the journey and transform how people experience ultra long-haul travel, through science-backed design to minimise jetlag and maximise wellbeing.”

The aircraft’s record-breaking range is made possible by an extra 20,000-litre rear fuel tank and state-of-the-art onboard systems, ensuring maximum endurance, comfort and safety. When Project Sunrise launches in 2027, it will make possible what once seemed unthinkable — non-stop flights halfway around the world.

To address the physical challenges of such long-haul travel, Qantas has partnered with Australian designer David Caon and researchers from the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre. Their team, which includes sleep scientists, developed tailored lighting patterns and meal timing strategies to help reduce jet lag.

Unlike the standard A350-1000 aircraft, which seat more than 300 passengers, Qantas’s version will carry just 238, providing travellers with more personal space and introducing a new “Wellbeing Zone” between Premium Economy and Economy. The area will feature stretch handles, guided exercise screens, a hydration station and light refreshments to keep passengers feeling fresh throughout the flight.

Project Sunrise takes its name from Qantas’s legendary “Double Sunrise” flights during World War II, which stayed airborne long enough to witness two sunrises in a single journey. With the new generation of aircraft, Qantas is rekindling that pioneering spirit — once again pushing the limits of air travel.

The airline also announced the launch of a new domestic travel class, Economy Plus, which will include extra legroom, priority boarding and dedicated overhead locker space. The upgrade will be available for purchase from February, with complimentary access for top-tier frequent flyers.

The first of 12 A350-1000ULR aircraft is expected to be delivered in late 2026, paving the way for commercial operations in early 2027. Qantas said its teams are “incredibly excited” about the project, calling it a “landmark moment for international aviation.”

THE first look at the plane set to serve the world’s longest flight has been revealed – and it even has a wellbeing area.

Qantas and Airbus have unveiled the first look of the aircraft that is due to travel non-stop between Australia and London and New York.

Nicknamed Project Sunrise, it will be the longest flight available to date -lasting 22 hours – thanks to an additional 20,000 litre fuel tank.

The flight is expected to cut up to four hours off total travel time compared to today’s one-stop services.

Onboard the plane, the cabins have been developed with the help from aviation experts.

Sleep scientists have even helped to combat jetlag on the plane, through features including unique lighting and a timed meal service.

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The cabin will also give passengers more space than usual.

There will be 238 seats, compared to over 300 seats usually found on other A350-1000 operators.

Also onboard the plane, there will be a Wellbeing Zone located between Premium Economy and Economy.

In the Wellbeing Zone, there will be stretch handles, guided on-screen exercise programmes, a hydration station and a range of refreshments.

For First Class, there will be six spacious suites that feature a flat bed and separate reclining arm chair.

Each suite will also have work and dining space for up to two people, a full-length wardrobe and other storage areas.

For entertainment, each suite will have a 32 inch touchscreen, with Bluetooth connection.

There will also be a Business Class, Economy Plus and Economy cabins.

Key features of an Economy seat include 13.1-inch screens, a six-way adjustable headrest, multi-use seatback table, two USB-C outlets and a shelf for personal devices.

And there will be free Wi-Fi across all cabins.

Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said: “Given Australia’s position in the world, Qantas has a long history of breaking aviation barriers.

“Project Sunrise will not only overcome the tyranny of distance, it will fundamentally change the way our customers travel the world.

“These flights will cut up to four hours off the journey and transform how people experience ultra long-haul travel, through science backed design to minimise jetlag and maximise wellbeing.”

The first of 12 new aircraft will be delivered in late 2026, with the first commercial flight due to take off in the first half of 2027.

The initial flights launched will be from Sydney to London and New York.

The news follows Qantas’ announcement of new Economy Plus seats.

The airline’s new Economy Plus cabin features extra legroom for passengers.

The new cabin will launch in February 2026 on the Airbus A321XLR, A220 and Boeing 737 aircraft.

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In other aviation news, thousands of flights have been cancelled across the US amid a government shutdown – here’s what to do if you’re affected.

Plus, a UK airline has gone into administration after 28 years – after axing ALL flights.