Spain and Portugal for Visitors

Connects Dublin, Cork and Shannon with various Spanish and Portuguese airports, including Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Lisbon, Madrid, Málaga and Tenerife.

Connecting nearly 30 French airports with Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Lisbon, Madrid, Málaga, Oporto, Oviedo, Palma de Majorca, Seville, Valencia, Valladolid and Vigo.

Defunct airline connecting Latin America and the Caribbean with, yup, Madrid. It went under overnight in 2006, with a great deal of noise in the media because thousands of passengers were left stranded. The link now goes to the original press communiqué blaming the Spanish Aviation Authority for all the company's woes.

Flights from Italy to Barcelona, Bilbao, Lisbon, Madrid, Málaga, and Valencia.

Flights from all over the states to Madrid and thence to other Spanish and Portuguese destinations, most changing at New York JFK, many by a codeshare arrangement with Iberia.

The online booking engine of British Midland, which connects Europe with Nottingham Airport.

Connecting GB with most destinations in Spain, if not directly, at least via its oneworld association with Iberia.

Airline formed by the merger of Virgin Express and SN Brussels Airlines. It connects most of Western Europe, including Spain and Portugal (but not Great Britain) and also has important African destinations.

Iberia's low-cost airline has aroused the wrath of unions, who see it as a cosmetic, cost-cutting exercise, but why should you care? They're cheap and offer flights to Valencia and Barcelona, plus useful routes between, e.g., Oporto, Lisbon or Málaga and Barcelona.

Flights from the US to Madrid and Barcelona, with connections to Lisbon and Oporto. Delta operations are as yet unaffected by the expected merger with Northwest Airlines.

One of the first and most successful budget airlines, connecting minor British airports like Glasgow, Liverpool and Luton, with not so minor Spanish ones like Alicante, Barcelona, Málaga, Madrid and Palma, Majorca.

One of the least economical of the low fare airlines: the packages are better value for money.

Not especially cheap flights from Southampton and Essex to Alicante, Málaga or Murcia.

Describing itself as "Scotland's low fares airline" and offering well priced flights from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Belfast to Faro, Alicante, Málaga and Barcelona.

German budget airline flying to Barcelona, Bilbao, Majorca, Valencia and Sevlille.

Spain's national airline links it with almost everywhere in the world. It is particularly strong on Europe-Latin America connections.

Not especially low-fare airline operating between Leeds Bradford Airport and Alicante, Barcelona, Faro, Ibiza, Málaga, Murcia and Palma Majorca.

Long-established website dealing with air travel in general.

Flights to Spain from all over Germany.

Flights from Manchester, Luton and Gatwick to Alicante, Faro, Gibraltar, Malaga, Minorca and Tenerife.

Laughably priced flights from Birmingham to most of the Spanish and Portuguese sun-sea-and-sand destination airports. In the Canary Islands, Tenerife Sur; Las Palmas, Gran Canaria; Arrecife, Lanzarote; in the Balearics, Ibiza, Palma Majorca and Mahon on Minorca; and on the mainland, Málaga, Murcia, Alicante and Barcelona, as well as Faro in the Algarve.

easyJet's eternal rival is Dublin based, but has its largest operating base at London's Stansted Airport. It is actually considerably larger than easyJet because it has more European routes and in terms of passengers is the third largest airline in Europe (behind Air France-KLM and Lufthansa). Ryanair claims to be "50% cheaper than easyJet," which by my reckoning means they would owe me money if I flew with them. Fortunately, I don't have to - Ryanair must be one of the most complained about airlines of all time.

SATA is a Portuguese, Azores-based airline which runs a number of useful internal and transatlantic routes.

Brilliant site which allows flyers to rate airlines and airports and express their opinion on matters such as onboard catering or cabin staff.

Portugal's main link with the rest of the world.

Britannia Airways was never really more than a charter company operated by its owner, Thomson Holidays, so the name change was no great shock.

US Airways flies to Madrid and Barcelona.

Italian budget airline flying to Bilbao, Barcelona, Madrid, Ibiza, Valencia and Palma Majorca.