Mr Plane Guy Plane Blog,
Flight Reviews,
Airport Lounges
& Travel Hacks.

And this week certainly hasn't been quiet. easyJet being bought for £5.7 billion has me worried about my favourite airline! Gatwick has finally won its second runway battle, Norse Atlantic could be up for sale, and there's a brand-new airport lounge at Amsterdam Schiphol. Plus, I've found this week's Plane Deal of the Week and we're off to Barbados.

If you've ever walked past an airport lounge and wondered whether there was a way inside without flying Business Class, the answer is yes. Priority Pass is the world's largest airport lounge membership programme, giving travellers access to over 1,800 airport lounges and travel experiences across more than 700 airports worldwide. Unlike airline lounges, you don't need elite status, a Business Class ticket or a First Class boarding pass. Whether you're flying easyJet to Mal

Finding the best carry-on suitcase isn’t just about size or brand. It’s about how it moves through an airport. After 15+ years working in aviation and travelling constantly, from long-haul flights I’ve used everything from budget cabin bags to premium suitcases. Most look good online. Very few actually perform in real life. In this review, I’ll break down exactly how the LEVEL8 20” carry-on performs across: airline cabin bag rules (easyJet, Ryanair, BA) real-world travel (air

After spending years working in aviation and flying hundreds of times myself, I've realised something. Airport check-in shouldn't be confusing. Yet every week people ask me the same questions. "Can I go straight to security if I've checked in online?" "Do I still need to queue?" "What's the difference between check-in and bag drop?" "Why does Ryanair charge £55?" "How early should I check in?" …and one of my favourites… "What exactly is Check-In Chicken?"

If you have a Priority Pass membership and you're flying from London Gatwick, you might be wondering which airport lounges you can actually access. Not every Gatwick lounge accepts Priority Pass, and some lounges require a small supplement even if you have a membership.

Liverpool Airport is a little bit special to me. I grew up only a few miles away from Speke, with Widnes just along the road, although strangely I hardly ever actually flew from Liverpool Airport when I was growing up. In the 1980s, there really wasn't much to fly on. Liverpool's airport existed, of course, it officially opened in 1933, but it was nothing like the airport it is today. What I remember much more vividly is my dad taking me there to see Concorde. Every Grand

If you collect Virgin Red points, fly with Virgin Atlantic or simply like getting more value from your supermarket shopping, this is one of the best Virgin Points offers I’ve seen in a while. Right now, Tesco Clubcard members can get 30% extra Virgin Points when manually converting Tesco Clubcard vouchers into Virgin Points before 23 September 2026. And honestly? If you already collect Virgin Points, this is a pretty easy win.

I Used To Spend Hours Searching British Airways... I've spent years collecting Avios. Like most people, I used to log into the British Airways website, search one date, search another, change airports, refresh again... and still come away wondering where all the reward seats had disappeared to. The frustrating part? The Avios weren't the problem. Finding the reward seats was. After far too much trial and error, I found a much easier way. This is how I now search for Brit

Air France now allows eligible passengers connecting through Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) to turn their layover into a city break lasting between one and four nights. You can either explore Paris itself or choose a Disneyland Paris package, making it one of the easiest ways to squeeze an extra destination into your holiday. For anyone already connecting through Paris, it's a fantastic excuse to spend a little longer in one of Europe's greatest cities.

People assume that because I spend my life reviewing airlines, airport lounges and premium cabins, I always book flights separately. Quite often I don't. One of the biggest travel secrets I've learned over the years is this: Package holidays are often cheaper than booking the flights and hotel yourself. Yes... even if you're travelling as a couple. Sometimes the flights alone cost almost as much as the package.

With SIM Local, you download your data plan before you travel, activate it when you land, and you’re instantly online. No hunting for SIM kiosks. No stress. If you’re looking for the best eSIM for travel, especially for unlimited data abroad, here’s my Plane Honest Sim Local review.

If you've ever walked past an airport lounge wondering whether you're missing out, you're certainly not alone. For years, I assumed airport lounges were reserved for First Class passengers, airline elite members or business travellers with enormous expense accounts. Thankfully, that's no longer true. Today, Priority Pass gives everyday travellers access to hundreds of airport lounges across the UK and more than 1,700 airport lounges and travel experiences worldwide. Whethe

Welcome back to another edition of Plane News Weekly, your Sunday roundup of airline news, loyalty updates, airport lounges, travel deals and everything happening in the world of aviation. (OK sometimes Monday if I'm too busy!) This week has been a mixture of loyalty bargains, airline shake-ups and and a nostalgic return to Lille, where I used to live a few years ago. It was brilliant wandering around the old streets again, although I don't remember it ever being quite so ho

Where I’ve Stayed in New York Over the years, I’ve stayed all over New York – from Midtown skyscrapers and Brooklyn boutique hotels to convenient stopovers in New Jersey and even out on Long Island. Each neighbourhood has its own rhythm, and I’ve learned that a Plane Luxury Escape in NYC doesn’t have to mean five-star prices – you just need to know where to look. Whether you’re crossing the Atlantic with Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy or upgrading to Virgin Atlantic Upper

If you've been searching for Virgin Flying Club, you've come to the right place. Officially known as Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club, it's one of the UK's best airline loyalty programmes, helping members earn Virgin Points through flights, everyday spending and travel partners before redeeming them for reward flights, upgrades and unforgettable trips. After spending 15 years working for Virgin Atlantic, I've seen the airline from both sides of the cabin door. Since leaving, I

I think Hilton Honors might actually be one of the easiest hotel loyalty programmes for ordinary travellers to get value from. With more than 9,000 hotels worldwide, no blackout dates on reward stays and the flexibility to mix points and cash, it's much more accessible than I first imagined.

The Phoenix is a mythical bird, famous for rising from the ashes. At Dublin Airport, it appears to have risen from several tonnes of scaffolding. With Terminal 1 currently surrounded by cranes, construction work and temporary walkways, I wasn't expecting to find what could well be the best airport lounge in Ireland hiding behind it all.

One of the UK's busiest airports made the headlines today after a water outage affected both terminals, leaving toilets unable to flush and many cafés and bars unable to serve drinks. Thankfully, flights continued operating, but it shows how quickly airport operations can be disrupted. It actually reminded me of my time working at Gatwick. On one particularly chaotic day, the airport's departure board system failed. Flights appeared to be departing from completely the wrong

When Manchester Airport announced its brand-new Executive Lounge in Terminal 2, I couldn't wait to visit. After all, "Executive" is a big word. It conjures up images of quiet surroundings, business travellers answering emails over a flat white, champagne in hand, comfortable seating and somewhere to escape the organised chaos of a busy airport terminal.

The new route gives travellers across London, Surrey, Sussex and the wider South East another lower-cost option for reaching Istanbul, while also opening up connections across Pegasus Airlines’ extensive network.