Something to declare: Destination of the week - Germany

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Destination of the week: Germany

"In Germany," says a leading aviation analyst, "anyone with a pulse and an airline business wants to start their own low-cost company." Judging from the next two weeks of activity, he is quite right.

London Stansted is becoming Britain's main hub for Germany. Air Berlin (0870 738 8880; www.airberlin.com) has begun flights from the Essex airport to Berlin, Dortmund, Münster, Nuremberg and Paderborn; Hamburg starts on 1 November.

The start of winter schedules next weekend sees two airlines closely linked with Lufthansa beginning flights to Stansted. Germanwings (020-8321 7255; www.germanwings.com) has three flights a day to Cologne-Bonn airport with plenty of availability at around £58 return. Cirrus (booked through Lufthansa on 08457 737 747 or www.lufthansa.co.uk) is starting the first year-round flights to Leipzig this offers a high-quality service, rather than no-frills flights, but a £129.50 return fare is on offer.

Warning of the week: All change

When the winter schedules begin on 27 October, British Airways is shifting many of its long-standing Gatwick services to Heathrow. The US routes to Denver, Phoenix and San Diego move from the Sussex airport to Terminal 4, as do the African services to Harare and Lusaka and the former Gatwick-to-Athens service. Short-haul flights to St Petersburg, Sofia and Tripoli move to Heathrow Terminal 1. For details, call 0845 77 333 77; www.ba.com.

Bargain of the week: Beyond the EU

Gordon Brown is to give air travellers to eastern and southern Europe an All Saints' Day present. At present, Air Passenger Duty for flights outside the EU stands at £20 in economy, £40 in business or first class. But on 1 November, the tax for countries that are set to join the EU will be cut, falling to £5 in economy, £10 in business. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania switch to the lower rate, lessening the incentive to fly to Scandinavia and then travel by sea. Similarly, travellers to Hungary and Slovenia will no longer need to fly to Austria and go overland to avoid the higher rate. Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania all benefit, as does Slovakia, though with no direct flights from the UK, this is academic. The same bonus has been given to Cyprus, Malta and Turkey, and although Switzerland is not EU, Zürich will benefit from the new rate.