Austravel is launching a weekly charter flight to Sydney over the peak flying period to Australia from November to January, offering savings of up to £400 on return fares. Return economy fares start at £499, rising to £995 for the peak December 19 departure (when scheduled fares are around £1,200).

Details on 0870 1662979, austravel.com.

· British Airways is holding a seat sale this weekend on 26 European routes from Gatwick. Prices start at £59 return to Dublin and £69 to Bologna, Bordeaux, Genoa, Toulouse and Marseille.

· MyTravelLite, the Birmingham-based low-cost airline, launches a seat sale on Monday with some flights - to Barcelona, Murcia and Palma - going free (passengers just pay the taxes).