Won’t extra runways at Heathrow or Gatwick entice Britons to spend elsewhere?

Q I’m looking at the idea of adding runways at Heathrow and Gatwick from an angle that has not properly been considered: the financial impact of making it easier for people to go abroad and spend money rather than at home. Is it an own goal?

Toby P

A It is refreshing to consider another perspective on whether or not there should be a third runway at Heathrow and a second at Gatwick. The main opponents and their arguments are well entrenched. The aviation industry insists expansion can unlock the growth that the UK desperately needs. Environmentalists look on with horror, saying we need less flying not more – because of the damage aviation does across the board, from extra noise and traffic locally to carbon emissions globally.

Yours is a salient point. The UK’s tourism balance of payments deficit this year will top £20bn this year, I predict. In rough numbers, we will spend perhaps £55bn on overseas trips while earning only £35bn from visitors from abroad. At a time of financial constraints, to lose close to £300 per citizen on tourism is serious.

The question is: what effect will aviation expansion have? Alleviating the constraints at our two busiest airports should, obviously, increase the supply of seats to destinations near and far. Another effect: air fares should fall relative to the status quo. At present, prices are higher than they would otherwise be because the market cannot expand supply in line with demand.

If the current trajectory continues, then you could expect the tourism deficit to widen. But there are many other variables at work. In particular, if a higher proportion of the newly available seats are filled with overseas visitors rather than outgoing British holidaymakers, then the gap would begin to narrow. That, in turn, will depend on this government and the next encouraging inbound tourism. Overall, I see airport expansion as an opportunity rather than a threat.

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Q There’s a horrid rumour that Ryanair is going to suspend flights to Perugia and Ancona from October until April 2026. Is this true?

Jim P

A Both Italian airports are small and mainly served by Ryanair, including flights at present from London Stansted. These links are much appreciated by British holidaymakers – and property owners – in the Le Marche region of central Italy. But according to Ryanair’s website, the last departures this year will be on 25 October. This is the final day of the summer season for international aviation. There is then a break of five months until 29 March: day one of summer 2026 in airline world.

While it is not impossible that flights could be added to either or both destination, I am afraid it looks most unlikely. Normally airlines like to announce new routes or extended seasons many months in advance, so they can start selling tickets. This isn’t always the case: Air Canada announced its new Edinburgh-Montreal route just three months ahead. But in a relatively predictable market Ryanair is unlikely to decide that, after all, it can make money flying to small central Italian airports in winter.

UK-Italy is one of the most high-intensity pairs of nations for aviation in the world, with hundreds of flights each week. Just tomorrow from the London airports to the Milan airports there are an astonishing 34 departures. But while there is plenty of business travel and “VFR” (visiting friends and relations) traffic year-round to Milan and Rome, many routes are highly seasonal. Turin and Verona tend to be busier in winter due to the influx of skiers. But the great majority of seaside and inland leisure destinations (including, respectively, Ancona and Perugia) attract strong demand only in summer. So I fear you will have to make plans to travel from Rome to Le Marche during the coming winter.

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Q We are risking the storms in Barbados in June in return for an excellent price. But we’re confused by which currency to take: US or Barbadian dollars, or both?

James L

A Intuitively, when visiting a country, it seems appropriate to take the currency of that nation. But not Barbados. The Barbadian dollar is locked to the American dollar at a rate of B$2=US$1. Local businesses on the island really don’t mind whether you settle a bill (or leave a tip) of B$10 with a local banknote of that value, or use an American five-dollar note instead.

Many UK currency providers sell Barbadian dollars, but at an unfavourable rate. You might find a company that gives you $1.25 for each pound only offers you 2.25 Barbadian dollars. In this example, buying the island’s currency in advance will lose you 10 per cent on the deal.

You can arrive with a fistful of American dollars knowing that they will be accepted everywhere. I recommend lots of single-dollar bills, especially for tips. Any change from traders will be returned in either (or both) currencies. Just make sure you do not leave the island with any Barbadian dollars. While US dollars are welcomed practically everywhere on Earth, currency from small Caribbean islands are not.

In case you are able to wander further: the Eastern Caribbean dollar, used in Antigua, Grenada and St Lucia, is locked at EC$2.70 to one American dollar. The awkward rate makes conversions trickier. But you should still stick to US currency. Similar advice applies for travel to Belize (which matches the Barbadian rate of two local dollars for one American) and Bermuda, where the US and local currency are at par.

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Q We live in Bristol and are tempted by the easyJet flights to Olbia. We want to go for eight nights in August. We have two small-ish children, so expect it to be hot and a bit mad. We plan to avoid the Costa Smeralda completely (apart from flying in and out of Olbia) because of crowds and costs. Where do you suggest we stay, and what could we contemplate in terms of day trips?

Rod D

A Sardinia is an entrancing island although, as you say, August will be the height of the tourist season. I wouldn’t hang around the Costa Smeralda, the northeastern quadrant of shoreline either side of Olbia. Don’t underestimate the size of Sardinia when planning where to go. With a family, you will probably need to rent a car; I made do with trains, buses and hitchhiking, but that may not suit you.

There are two areas I recommend from personal experience. First, and closest, is the northwest – centred on Alghero, a pretty waterside town with beaches, history and natural good looks. It is less than two hours from Olbia airport, and you could also pause in the sleepy but attractive small city of Sassari.

Alternatively, head down the east coast for about three hours. I enjoyed a beach holiday in Perdepera, partly because of the intricate valleys and soaring peaks around Gairo Sant’Elena. I have not seen any ghost villages to match that of Gairo Vecchio: ruined stone cottages filling a hillside.

I hope you might also make the two-hour journey through the mountains from this district to Cagliari, the capital – one of my favourite Italian cities. It is full of fragments of the past, spanning Carthaginian, Roman, Byzantine, Spanish and Italian eras, overlaid with an indulgent layer of 21st-century dolce vita.

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