A popular airline is set to give long-distance friends 'well deserved' reunions by offering free flights.
That’s right – Loganair has launched an exciting new competition and is calling on the public to help track down some of the country’s longest distance friendships across its network, as the award-winning regional airline looks to bring one deserving duo back together with complimentary flights.
Whether it’s childhood best friends who now live hundreds of miles apart, or university flatmates who haven’t seen each other since graduation, Loganair says its latest ‘Season of Connections’ campaign is a celebration of friendship that endures, no matter the postcode.
As the UK’s leading regional airline, Loganair prides itself on connecting communities across the UK, whether that be from remote islands or bustling business hubs like Manchester, Glasgow, and Edinburgh, and its extensive network of flights allows passengers nationwide to explore a wide range of destinations.
This competition – which is launching this week on the airline’s Instagram and Facebook channels – aims to do just that, and all without the lucky winners having to spend a penny.
Loganair is giving long-distance friends ‘well deserved’ reunions with free flights / Credit: Loganair
The ‘Season of Connections’ competition invites people to share their story and explain why their long-distance friendship deserves a long-overdue reunion.
The winning pair will receive return flights to each other’s city, helping bridge the gap.
It follows the huge response to Loganair’s Christmas giveaway last year that offered one lucky winner a year of free flights across Loganair’s extensive network, and now the airline is hoping to bring another memorable reunion to life – this time between two friends kept apart by distance.
“This campaign is all about celebrating the real, meaningful connections that define our lives, and demonstrating the role regional travel can play in bringing people together,” commented Lyn MacDonald, who is the Head of Marketing and Brand at Loganair.
“Whether it’s been months or years since friends last met in person, we want to help make that reunion possible.”
The competition runs until Sunday 17 August, and to take part, all you’ll need to do is visit Loganair’s Instagram or Facebook pages and follow the link in bio to submit your story.
The winning friends will be announced later this summer, with their reunion taking place in the autumn.
Leeds Christmas Markets is returning to the city centre in just two months' time and some major plans and changes have been announced.
Although Pop Princess Zara Larsson might want us to believe "Summer isn't over yet", it's safe to say that the recent downpours we've had across West Yorkshire disagree.
Leeds Christmas Markets are also ringing in the new season with a jam-packed video posted to social media announcing all the current plans and changes for its 2026 schedule.
This year, outdoor events company Thor’s Tipi are stepping up as the all-new operators of this Christmastime spectacular and are organising a celebration where 'even if you’re not from Yorkshire, you’re going to leave being from Yorkshire'.
Leeds Christmas Markets are returning to Leeds City Square from Thursday 19 November with plenty of Yorkshire-centric stalls / Credit: The Hoot Leeds
Although Leeds locals already know that Yorkshire is 'God's Own Country', the Leeds Christmas Markets team are making sure that the county is represented through its food, drinks and wider stalls.
In a video uploaded to its social accounts, foodie expert and Little Bao Boy Founder James 'Jimmy Chews' Ooi was given the honour of revealing all these exciting plans.
Informing everyone that "You best come hungry", Ooi noted that some of the phenomenal vendors taking part include La Grassa and The Savvy Baker.
Real Markets Yorkshire and Stump Cross Caverns are also getting into the Christmas spirit and setting up their own stalls at Leeds City Square this November.
La Grassa is just one of many familiar foodie faces returning to Leeds Christmas Markets / Credit: The Hoot Leeds
Rated restaurants and bars are contributing to the festive frenzy too, like Cabaret Thursdays at Italian restaurant Bibi's and beer garden destination Green Room are hosting singalongs at Leeds Christmas Markets.
There will be plenty of activities for families happening all around the unofficial capital of West Yorkshire like elf-themed scavenger hunts, various elves on various shelves and lots of live music.
If it wasn't apparent already, in the words of Jimmy Chews himself, there's about to be "So much Christmas that Mariah Carey is going to look like the Grinch".
Leeds Christmas Markets are returning to Leeds City Square from Thursday 19 November and there will be plenty of exciting announcements to the upcoming celebrations ahead of the big day.
Aldi has announced a ‘special’ 62-hour closure of all its 1,000+ stores across UK
Emily Sergeant
Aldi has confirmed it'll be closing the doors of all of its stores across the UK for 62 hours this year.
Christmas is always known to be one of the busiest periods of the year for the retail industry, and Boxing Day has a reputation for being the ultimate day for shopping deals and discounts in the UK - but this year, just like it has done on several years in the past, Aldi has made the decision to close all of its stores nationwide on this bank holiday.
The supermarket retailer says it wants to thank its colleagues 'for all their hard work' throughout the year by giving them some extra time to spend with their families.
This means that all Aldi stores will be closed on both 25 and 26 December.
That's not all though, as stores will also be closed on New Year’s Day, and will reopen once again on Saturday 2 January 2027.
Aldi has announced a 'special' 62-hour closure of all its UK stores / Credit: Aldi UK
Opening hours at different Aldi stores across the UK will vary in the lead-up to Christmas, so it's important to check the times for your local store, but the retailer has confirmed that most branches will be operating extended hours to 'ensure customers can stock up ahead of the big day'
In the interim period between Christmas and New Year, stores will reopen as usual on Sunday 27 through to Wednesday 30 December, with reduced hours also likely on Sunday and New Year's Eve.
Speaking on the decision to shut up shop for a full 62-hour period this festive season, Rachel Geary, who is the Communications Director at Aldi UK, said: "Christmas is a special time for our customers, but it is also one of the busiest periods of the year for our teams.
"Our colleagues work incredibly hard to ensure customers can pick up everything they need ahead of the big day.
"We never take that effort for granted. Closing our stores on Boxing Day is one way of saying thank you and giving colleagues a proper chance to rest, switch off and spend more time with the people closest to them."
Emily Sergeant -
1st August 2025 
