• Weekend flights
• Short overseas transfers
• Fly from Manchester, Gatwick and Stansted

We are one of a very short list of school tour operators with a sustainable and reliable charter flight programme made possible because of our large following of adult groups and family bookings as well as schools. Over the past decade we have flown thousands of school children to Turin, Verona and Salzburg. We always operate the same route on the same day so our customers always know where they are.

UK Airports
Manchester Supp £10.
Stansted No supp. by charter flight.
Heathrow Alitalia scheduled service to Milan. Supp £15. Gatwick No supp except scheduled flights.

Short transfers
Overall, the average transfer is only just over 2 hours and some are as low as 1 hour!

Weekend flights
Our Saturday and Sunday flights, at no supplement, involve only 5 days off school, not 6 as on a mid-week departure, and you also avoid some of the weekend crowds on the slopes.

Free coach to airport
For groups of 30 paying, from mainland England and Wales to London airports. We may need to pick up other passengers en route to improve our loads.

Luggage Allowance
Airlines now enforce luggage allowances so we do recommend careful adherence to the limits. Excess charges can be high. Unless stated otherwise on your ticket, the luggage allowance is 44lb (20kg) per person including skis but not hand luggage. Hand luggage should be limited to a maximum of 5kg. Please note that all airlines reserve the right to send skis and excess baggage on a later flight if the total payload exceeds that permitted. Excess baggage will be transferred to resort as soon as possible and Equity will provide emergency hire equipment as necessary. The luggage allowance may be pooled by the whole party.

Airport security - passports
For security reasons, names on passports and travel tickets must agree. Please let us know if there are any changes at least 4 weeks prior to departure.

Free ski carriage
If some adults prefer to take their own skis, there's no charge

Check-in
Equity staff are on hand to help at departure and arrival (except for special scheduled flights). Please check in 2 hours before.

Airlines
We use top charter airlines like Monarch and Air 2000 and we use scheduled carriers like Alitalia and British Airways. Our charter series operates as below. We reservr the right to use other airlines and to fly to alternative destinations by charter or scheduled air, and to treat London airports as interchangeable.

Alitalia

Fly with Italy's National carrier for that inimitable Italian atmosphere right from day 1. We have an excellent relationship with Alitalia and many Equity Italophiles like to pay the modest supplement for the extra comfort and leg room. Alitalia fly Manchester, Heathrow and Stansted to Milan; and Gatwick to Venice. Supp. £15.


Provisional timings

Travel by COACH

• Spectacular value especially over peak season
• Many of our hotels are in resort
• Full specification luxury coaches

Equity Coach Companies
We have dramatically improved our coach programme for 2001 to meet growing demand but we have not packed our brochure with second rate resorts and hotels. We have contracted good quality only, with top resorts and excellent hotels, some of which are close enough to the slopes to operate by air as well. Long journeys by coach are no longer the nightmare they were. Coaches are more comfortable, and with motorways


virtually door to door, journey times have come down too. The English leg is in the quiet of the late evening, then the rest is on those lovely, uncrowded, continental toll roads. Delays are minimal. And of course there's the price! All school ski courses cost less by coach, at all seasons, and not just half term. The companies we entrust with our school parties are selected with the

greatest care. Many have worked with us for years and we know their safety standards and reliability are top class. All the companies we use have plenty of continental experience and excellent drivers.

Your drivers
They will be fully briefed before departure and will carry all the necessary documentation for the safe and trouble-free completion of your itinerary. All drivers are fully aware of their responsibilities and of the special nature of school travel. They are aware that they are employed to carry out your wishes and make their coach available whenever you need it, within the regulations relating to drivers' hours. There will always be 2 drivers for the overnight journey.

Your coach
Your coach will be modern, well serviced and clean. All are equipped for winter and have reclining seats, safety belts, radio/cassette system, video, WC, booster heating and drinks service. They will have a heavy duty touring chassis for comfort and safety. Capacities vary but are usually 49 seats. Some 74 seat double deckers and large 57 seat single deckers are available by special arrangement, but we do not recommend these. Although we would never choose a vehicle we knew to be unreliable, most large capacity coaches were built in the mid 80's, and it is axiomatic that older, higher mileage coaches are more prone to breakdown. In this case, a large replacement coach may not be available so it may be necessary to substitute two standard coaches at extra cost. Single deck coaches are better for comfort, luggage space and ease of use. Children should be encouraged to pack only one medium sized soft bag and one small overnight bag.
Coach WC's
Can we ask you please to note that these should be used for emergencies only. They can become unpleasant on a long journey and it is not always easy to find discharge points. There are plenty of comfort stops en-route and the driver will make extra stops on request.
Crossing the channel
We work with all the cross channel ferry companies and the Eurotunnel. P&O Stena Line operate the "short sea" route from Dover to Calais, which only takes 1hr 15mins and provides a nice break to stretch your legs and do a little shopping. The Eurotunnel is also good because you embark north of Folkestone and disembark south of Calais only 35mins later. We always apply for crossing times to suit you best but can't confirm until timetables are available. All bookings are first come, first served.

Budget Coach Hotels
Please look for the symbol . We have a series of 2 star and 3 star family hotels, which are excellent for school parties because they provide warm hospitality, cleanliness and good food. We have worked with many of them for several years.

To keep costs down we do not employ full time representatives in each of these hotels. Instead, your representative will visit you on the first day, welcome you to your hotel, help you settle in, inform you about your resort, organise your ski lessons and oversee ski fit. Your rep. will visit again during the week and in the meantime will be in touch by telephone. Of course if you need to be able to get hold of someone, you can do so 24 hours a day, every day of the week. Your Equity representative will not be in the hotel to organise your evening entertainments. Most budget coach hotels are located outside the main resort area and may be a 15-30min drive. Your coach leaves when convenient to you, not according to local timetables, and takes you straight to the lift.

Your Coach Itinerary
Every itinerary is tailored individually and the journey varies according to resort choice. France and the Italian Piemonte are about 11 or 12hrs from Calais, Austria 13 to 14hrs and the Dolomites 15hrs. You always make good time travelling overnight and it's motorway all the way. There are plenty of stops en route.

Day 1: Leave school in the afternoon and cross the channel in the late evening. Continue overnight in your coach.
Day 2: Arrive at your hotel early afternoon. Plenty of time to check-in and relax before ski fit. Your first inclusive meal is dinner. Your coach is always available for transfers to the slopes, excursions or shopping expeditions.
Days 3-8: 6 days skiing with 6 x 2hr or 6 x 4hr lessons.
Day 8: Check-out before you start your last day's skiing. All the hotels have a luggage store and 2 rooms for showering and changing later. After dinner and Ski Presentation, or occasionally with packed dinner, commence your return journey.
Day 9: Cross the channel in the morning and continue to school in your coach.