Something to Declare: Asia in comfort; northern Norway
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Your support makes all the difference.Flying from London to the Far East via Helsinki might seem an odd idea, but the Finnish capital is on or close to the "Great Circle" line that constitutes the most direct track between the UK and key Asian cities.
Bargain of the week: Asia in comfort
Flying from London to the Far East via Helsinki might seem an odd idea, but the Finnish capital is on or close to the "Great Circle" line that constitutes the most direct track between the UK and key Asian cities. In addition, connections in Helsinki are swift and efficient. If you can travel in April or May, Finnair is selling business-class flights to five Far Eastern cities - Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai or Singapore - for around £1,230 (the exact fare will differ by a few pounds because of variations in airport taxes). Book through Airline Warehouse (0870 770 7339)or online at www.airlinewarehouse.com
Destination of the week: northern Norway
No-frills flying is catching on to and within Norway. From 1 April the low-cost airline Norwegian (00 47 815 21 815; www.norwegian.no) will fly from Stansted to Bergen and Stavanger.
On 19 April, it will also increase services to Oslo. Fares are likely to be low (typically £100 return) on all three routes thanks to competition from Ryanair to Torp airport, south of Oslo, and Haugesund, between Bergen and Stavanger.
Once you reach Norway, the cost of flying domestically has fallen sharply for those who can book in advance and be flexible about dates of travel. This week Norwegian was quoting £56 for a flexible one-way ticket from Oslo to Tromso, more than 700 miles north. A fixed-date ticket from Kirkenes, close to the Russian border, was on sale at £36 - remarkable for a journey of 875 miles in an expensive country.
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