BUDGET airline Ryanair has announced a number of new flights to France will be added to its summer 2009 timetable.

New routes will be available from Bristol and Edinburgh to French destinations such as Limoges, Carcassonne and Toulon, with some beginning in March although the majority are set for take off in July.

Ryanair marked the news with the launch of a million €1/£1 seats for travel across its European network in February and March, but which have to be booked before midnight on Monday, January 19.

Flight details:

From Bristol International Airport to:
Limoges, starts July 2 and operates three times a week
Montpellier, starts July 2 and operates three times a week
Perpignan, starts July 3 and operates twice a week
Toulon, starts July 2 and operates three times a week

From Edinburgh International to:
Carcassonne, starts March 31 and operates three times a week
Limoges, starts March 30 and operates twice a week
Poitiers, starts April 1 and operates twice a week

IT seems likely that the Bank of England will reduce interest rates even further than the current two per cent later this week.

This is bad news for those people drawing a sterling pension or reliant on their savings, but some help may be available from the French government.

The Connexion newspaper and Coral in her article about life as an expat in France, highlighted the allocation de solidarité aux personnes agées (aspa), a benefit for older people.

Allocation de solidarité aux personnes agées is available to those aged over 65 (or 60 where the person is incapable of work) and dependent upon income levels.

For a single person yearly income can not exceed €7,781.27, for a couple their income can not be more than €13,629.44 - the financial support will top up your income to these amounts.

Your principle residence has to be in France and you can start your request for assistance by going through your local mairie.

THERE is much to be said for a quiet Sunday in France without the shops being open, and so letting people get on with other pleasures of life.

Whilst some shops can open, the vast majority still have their doors closed, something that President Sarkozy was keen to see come to an end.

He has been forcing through changes that would have relaxed the rules, but came up against opposition in his own party from traditionalists as well as unions.

Now though it looks as though he has come to a compromise with his own party members that will allow stores to open on a Sunday ten times each year in agreement with the Mairie.

Other commercial regions, such as Lyon, will be able to extend their opening hours, with the area around Lille also expected to benefit as it currently faces competition from shops in Belgium who are able to open on a Sunday.

The opposition Socialist party and unions say that it just means more hours at work for staff, whilst smaller businesses say they can't afford to pay another day's wages and compete with larger stores.

* The winter sale dates have been published with shops able to offer discounts from January 7, 2009 for five weeks with the option of additional time if chosen.

THE closure of the SpeedFerries service between Dover and Boulogne has seen 100 jobs lost and many customers wondering what travel options are open to them.

A key feature of SpeedFerries was the chance to book a number of tickets in one go that provided a great deal of flexibility and very competitive prices.

Unfortunately, the announcement on the SpeedFerries website provides little help on what people can do, beyond advising those who paid by credit card to reclaim any money through their card issuer.

And passengers are asked to make alternative travel arrangements, so here is a round-up of what is available.

LD Lines offer for SpeedFerries passengers
The ferry firm is offering a 75 per cent discount on its current prices for people with valid tickets booked on the Dover to Boulogne route.

The deal will let customers turn up at the ports of Portsmouth, Newhaven, Le Havre or Dieppe with their tickets an hour in advance for travel before December 17, 2008.

After this date people who were intending to travel between Dover and Boulogne are asked to contact the ferry firm to arrange their replacement booking.

Norfolkline ticket deal
The company has made available a 20 per cent discount on ticket prices for travel between Dover and Dunkerque for affected SpeedFerries customers who are able to provide proof of an existing reservation.

The offer is bookable from now until December 12, 2008, for all departures until the end of 2009, subject to availability.

At present these are the only special deals I've seen being offered to passengers of SpeedFerries, although there is capacity on SeaFrance, P&O Ferries and Eurotunnel.

As for the tricky situation of clawing back the money spent on tickets paid for by credit card, I'll repeat the advice offered up by APACS, the UK trade association for payments.

I asked what cover is available for those who have paid with a credit card, APACS answered:

Consumers will definitely be covered if they have bought their ticket(s) with a UK-issued credit card and the transaction value was over £100 (and less than £30,000).

They will have protection through Section 75 of the 1974 Consumer Credit Act, which states that your card company is equally liable (as well as the retailer) in situations where customers do not receive goods or services they have paid for.

So people who have paid for tickets in excess of £100 with a credit card and can't get their money back from the retailer, can get their money back from their card issuer.

And for those who have paid with a debit card?

The Consumer Credit Act doesn't cover purchases made with a debit card as it is not a credit product.

However, under Visa rules, Visa debit card issuers are able to initiate a process called a 'chargeback' to recover a consumer's money from the retailer's bank. There is no transaction limit with regard to Visa debit cards, so you can approach your card issuer whatever the amount concerned.

Under UK Maestro rules, you don't have the same rights - the one exception being if you order goods online from an overseas website.

In conclusion, if you paid over £100 with a credit card you are covered. If you paid with a debit card you may be covered - speak to your card company to find out exactly where you stand. In both cases you may be asked to substantiate your claim.

You should therefore retain any receipts or documentation and details of any efforts made to recover costs directly from the retailer/company involved.

I also wondered where people stand if they are resident in France yet have bought tickets with a card registered in the UK?

If you are resident in France but the card is issued by a UK card company you should be covered - the relevant factor is the location of the company that issued the card, not the location of the cardholder.

ANOTHER ferry firm has stepped in to offer a special deal for travellers who have tickets for the suspended SpeedFerries service between Dover and Boulogne.

Norfolkline has made available a 20 per cent discount on ticket prices for travel between Dover and Dunkerque for affected SpeedFerries customers who are able to provide proof of an existing reservation.

The offer is bookable from now until December 12, 2008, for all departures until the end of 2009, subject to availability.

Passengers will be required to provide their SpeedFerries booking reference number at the time of booking and SpeedFerries booking confirmation at check-in.

This offer is only available via Norfolkline’s contact centre by calling (0844) 499 0825 or (from outside the UK) (00 44) 208 127 8311.

LD Lines recently announced a similar deal for passengers hit by the financial troubles being faced by SpeedFerries.