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News: easyJet adds Cape Verde, IHG and Marriott sales, Heathrow Parking deal

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News in brief:

easyJet adds flights to Cape Verde

We don’t normally cover easyJet route announcements, but this one is worth flagging.

easyJet has announced flights from London Gatwick to Sal in Cape Verde for Summer 2025.

Cape Verde will become the first Sub-Saharan destination flown by easyJet. Flights will launch on 31st March 2025 and operate three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Other new routes include:

  • Gatwick to Rimini
  • Luton to Almeria and Funchal
  • Manchester to Izmir, Kalamata, Larnaca, Madrid and Rome
  • Birmingham to Gran Canaria and Malta
  • Leeds Bradford to Malaga and Palma
  • Edinburgh to Enfidha, Olbia and Marrakech
  • Glasgow to Antalya and Reus
  • Belfast International to Reus

As we covered last week, American Express has a ‘£200 cashback on £1,000 easyJet Holidays’ spend offer available to many cardholders.

IHG and Marriott announce their Black Friday deals

We’ve seen no signs so far of any unmissable Black Friday deals, but IHG and Marriott have both announced sales which will run over the period.

The IHG sale – book here – is available now and runs to 3rd December. It is valid for stays up to 12th March.

The Marriott sale will not launch until 26th November. You will be able to book until 3rd December, for stays between 1st December and 20th January. The discount will be 20% to 25% off Best Flexible Rate.

Save on Heathrow Parking with Amex Offers

American Express has launched a number of deals with Official Heathrow Parking, the airport-run parking operator.

The offers seem to vary by card – remember to look at the Amex website or app and click ‘Save to Card’ if/when you find it before booking. The offers run to 31st January.

My Platinum card offers 10% back on a £50+ spend, capped at £25.

My British Airways American Express card has a weaker ‘5 Avios per £1 spent’, capped at 2,500 Avios.

Remember that you will also earn Heathrow Rewards points when you book, which can be converted to Avios when you earn 250 in total. Our guide to Heathrow Rewards is here.

The image above is of the driverless pods which take you from the ‘pod parking’ long term car park at Terminal 5 directly into the terminal itself.

The Official Heathrow Parking website is here.

Category

Heathrow Rewards, IHG One Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy

Comments (47)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • TimM says:
    20 Nov20 November 06:12

    That is an excellent palette of new routes from easyJet. I just wish they would revert to their previous cabin baggage policy. The ‘Hands Free’ option is especially missed.

  • Jake says:
    20 Nov20 November 07:14

    team – where did you get the info on the Birmingham flights from? I don’t see Gibraltar listed as a new route on the media notice? Is it correct?

  • tony says:
    20 Nov20 November 07:42

    Accor seem to be offering 35% off at least at some hotels in a two week, time limited offer, so I assume this is Black Friday related as well?

  • memesweeper says:
    20 Nov20 November 08:41

    Over 2,500 miles on an EasyJet seat is not an ideal way to start a holiday 😬

    • Alan says:
      20 Nov20 November 09:09

      Only just over 20% further than Canaries but get your point.

    • TimM says:
      20 Nov20 November 13:36

      Mitigations! Row 1 with an inflatable pouffe and neck pillow plus food, alcohol and your own entertainment help.

  • Michael C says:
    20 Nov20 November 08:45

    Amy thoughts on Cape Verde itself?
    Two very different individuals told me it was a holiday they wished they hadn’t gone on in retrospect.

    • Red Flyer says:
      20 Nov20 November 10:02

      Lots of horror stories online around standard of cleanliness and food poisoning. 🤢 Also, Watchdog on BBC did a feature a few months back on people returning with food poisoning – put me off researching any further as a winter sun option.

    • Richard M says:
      20 Nov20 November 11:32

      Like the Canaries, thr islands are quite spread-out and different. Went to Santiago (where the capital Praia is located) a few years ago. I suspect it was an altogether different and more cultural experience than Sal or Boa Vista where the resorts are located. Cape Verde is like a mix of Portugal, Africa and South America.

  • Tony says:
    20 Nov20 November 08:46

    EasyJet LBA to PMI….forget it. A suitcase is so expensive….but free on Jet2, same fare!!

  • drdan says:
    20 Nov20 November 09:11

    No to cape Verde.

    Got back last night after visiting a friend repping on Sal last year and Boa vista just this week.

    On Sal you can see everything there is to see in an hour, including a drive to a land mirage (like you see above a hot road)…although the Island tour can be stretched to a day. The Mosquitoes are fierce…a rock that nothing grows on.

    Boa Vista is a similar but even less developed island… And don’t kid yourself that makes for a ‘wonderful before everyone gets there’s experience.

    It’s 5-6 hours each way in economy depending on headwind.

    The 2 islands are Portuguese in culture and seem to simply offer the All Inclusive experience complete with transfer included…

    Having done both islands.. I just don’t see the flights and £200ish a night AI TUI experience being ,’worth’ it over say Southern Spain. YMMV.

    • Thomas Atkins says:
      20 Nov20 November 09:24

      Thanks for the heads-up. CV’s been on the bucket list for a while; Now relegated to the back burner…

  • Alan says:
    20 Nov20 November 09:12

    I get this might not be considered an ‘unmissable’ Black Friday offer. I’ve just booked a week HB for 2 at a Catalonia hotel in Tenerife which was discounted from £822 to £744. The from price has been the same since October so genuine discount.

    • Phil G says:
      20 Nov20 November 09:27

      Unfortunately IHG sale prices are no different to what they were last week. Waited until Monday to book the Kimpton in London but all options (cash, cash& points, etc) were exactly the same.

      • Rob says:
        20 Nov20 November 09:44

        Swings and roundabouts. We have a New Years Eve booking which hasnt moved (in fact is pricier than last week) BUT I saw HIX London Excel down to £71 for weekdays this week (will have gone now due to 72 hour booking cut off) which is astonishing for ‘on the DLR close to Central London’ given the sorts of prices we’ve seen in the last couple of years.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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