And just like that, summer is behind us, and we find ourselves well into September. I don’t know about you, but August seemed to flash by in the blink of an eye. At this rate, it’ll be Christmas before we know it – though I’ll save that topic for another column (it’s still a bit early for mince pies, isn’t it?).

August was not just a whirlwind; it was also a record-breaking month – both for us in the industry and our much-loved regional airport Leeds Bradford Airport. Across our three branches, we experienced our best August on record for new bookings, meanwhile, Leeds Bradford celebrated a significant milestone, with over three million passengers passing through its terminal this year so far. August alone topped 530,000 passengers, making it their busiest month ever. For a regional airport, that’s no small feat

Now, speaking of reconnecting, you might have seen some headlines recently about the return of Monarch Airlines. If you have got a good memory or just a healthy dose of scepticism like me, you will know this isn’t the first time these rumours have done the rounds. Social media posts from accounts under the name LetsMonarch have claimed the airline is back in business, even suggesting they have been granted an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) and are recruiting cabin crew for flights launching as far off as 2027. But before we all get too excited, it’s worth remembering what happened last time. In August 2023, a man going by the name Daniel Ellingham claimed to be Monarch’s new chairman and promised a relaunch. Just two weeks later, it all unravelled – the project supposedly ran out of money, the LinkedIn profile turned out to use a doctored image of an American politician, and the website vanished. This time, the social media accounts are live again, but the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has made it clear: they have received no formal application from Monarch for an operating licence or AOC. In fact, they’ve issued a warning advising the public not to share personal information with these accounts. Should anything emerge from this be sure I will be letting you know.

On a personal note, I decided to take a sneaky weekend break recently – nothing extravagant, just a quick UK getaway to Barmston Beach in a lovely caravan. Sometimes, a short break closer to home can be just as refreshing as a trip abroad, especially if you catch the right weather, which we did. It was a perfect reminder of how much this beautiful country has to offer. Plus, you don’t have to worry about packing a passport, although I did forget to take towels.

placeholder image — Playa Del Bobo Beach, Tenerife

As always, I’ll leave you with a quick round-up of where people are heading right now. Once again, September took the top spot for bookings last week, with 16% of all new holidays due to depart this month. October came in second with 13%, and a huge 35% of all bookings were made at the last minute. As for where we are flying, the top three destinations were no great surprise: Palma (PMI) took the crown, followed by Tenerife (TFS) and Dalaman (DLM).