Time out en route to Oz

JOE WALSH TOURS is offering return flights with Malaysia Airlines to Auckland, out of Ireland, from E729 plus taxes, in a deal that includes a free stopover in Kuala Lumpur, Penang or Lankawi.

Stopover hotel prices start at E19 per person per night and the company also has good value accommodation in Auckland, with prices starting at E41 per person per night.

Details from 01-2410 888, email: [e-mail] or log on to www.joewalshtours.ie.

Meanwhile, Austravel is offering 14 nights in and around Sydney from E 1,406 per person. This includes return flights with Austrian Airlines to Sydney where stopovers are permitted in Vienna in both directions and Kuala Lumpur in one.

It also packs in 10 nights at the three-star Travelodge Hotel Sydney, a five-day self drive, including four nights’ accommodation, visiting the Blue Mountains, Hunter Valley and Port Stephens, and B-class car hire for five days. Book and depart by July 31.

Similar deals are available to Queensland, but the price increases to E 1,895 per person. This includes 14 nights in Cairns, return flights with Japan Airlines to Cairns, one free night accommodation in Tokyo or Osaka, including transfers and breakfast, a Quicksilver Great Barrier Reef Tour and a Kuranda Scenic train and skyrail Rainforest Cablecar all-inclusive day tour. Book by July 31 and depart by August 14.

For further details and reservations, telephone Austravel in Dublin on 01-642 7000. Flights, hotels and Australian visas can be booked online at www.austravel.ie

RYANAIR, Europe’s top low-fares airline, has rolled out its winter schedule, which starts on October 30 and runs until March 25, 2006.

The company offers seats starting at just less than 1 (excluding taxes) across a network of 233 routes to 21 European countries. Details are available on www.ryanair.com, but do note that for travellers out of Ireland taking in two or more travel segments, it will be necessary to keep two or three computers going at the same time to make bookings.

COMPETITION to Ryanair and other low-cost travellers is coming from

Centralwings, the Polish carrier which adds Shannon and Dublin to its portfolio this winter.

The lead-in price for routes to Poland is pitched at less than E15 (excluding taxes) but

do a bit of digging on the net to get the best prices.

Centralwings will offer flights from Warsaw to Shannon and from both Katowice and Wroclaw to Dublin, reflecting perhaps the growing number of Polish people living in Ireland and, of course, the cultural interest of the Irish in this fascinating country.

The new destinations (winter schedule from October 30) are now available for booking on www.centralwings.com.

NOT one to be left out in the cold, Aer Lingus has also announced details of price cuts this autumn.

Fares start from as little as E49 to Barcelona, Marseilles and Nice while fares to Naples, Malaga and the recently announced new routes for winter 2005, Almeria and Krakow, start from E64, one-way, including taxes and charges.

During the next two weeks, Aer Lingus is offering the remaining seats of over 300,000 for travel during September, October and November with fares to the UK starting from as little as E19 one-way, including taxes and charges.

In addition to these flight deals, aerlingus.com offers discounts on over 20,000 hotels worldwide, with rates starting from E13 per person per night sharing, as well as Hertz car hire from E24 per day.

For more information on fares and schedules, go to www.aerlingus.com.