Holidaymakers are being offered a chance to head straight to the slopes or soak up the sun with British Airways as it unveils its winter schedules.

The airline has increased flights to domestic and European short-haul destinations, including new routes for skiers to Grenoble and Friedrichshafen and to Fuerteventura, for those seeking winter sunshine.

Those looking for sun also get extra flights from Gatwick to Florida and the Caribbean as well as a new direct flight to Punta Cana.

Lynne Embleton, British Airways director of strategy, said: “It’s always great to get away for a winter break and this year British Airways has a brilliant choice of flights for those looking to visit friends and relatives around the UK, bask in the winter sun or ski to their heart’s content.

“Our Heathrow and Gatwick teams have worked hard behind the scenes to put these schedules together, listening to our customers and offering plenty of seats to the places our customers want to fly.”

The extra services have been added by making adjustments to existing flights.

British Airways used to fly to Punta Cana via Antigua but is now going to start a new twice-weekly non-stop service, which will also increase capacity to Antigua.

A long-haul Boeing 777, moved from Heathrow to Gatwick, has also enabled the airline to add two more flights a week to Barbados and one more to Kingston.

Family friendly Florida will benefit from extra flights, with three more a week to Orlando and an additional flight to Tampa.

There’s also more Mediterranean sun in Malta, which gets its first winter schedule with five flights a week to the popular island, after British Airways resumed services in March this year.

Canary Island fans can also flock to Fuerteventura, thanks to the new twice-weekly route to the Spanish island, or to Tenerife, with two extra flights a week.

Ski Holiday

Alpine sports lover will have more skiing choice with two new twice weekly flights to Friedrichshafen and Grenoble, while existing routes to Turin and Salzburg, get two and one extra flights a week, respectively.

Fliers from Heathrow to Mexico City will have the choice of an extra weekly flight, while short-haul travellers will have more reasons to visit Vienna and Berlin, with an extra daily service, while Munich has six more flights a week, Brussels and Dusseldorf three and Amsterdam, Barcelona and Copenhagen, on each.

Domestic services have been boosted with six extra flights a week to Glasgow, five more a week to Newcastle, and two each to Aberdeen and Manchester.

The start of the winter season also sees three destinations move terminals at Heathrow. Belfast and Dublin flights will move from Terminal 1 to Terminal 5, while flights to/from Barcelona will relocate from Terminal 5 to Terminal 3.