Russian airline KD avia is to increase the frequency of its flights between Gatwick and Kaliningrad this summer from 3 flights a week to a daily service. The daily flights, operated using a single class Boeing 737-300, will leave Gatwick at 17:15, arriving in Kaliningrad at 21:35 local time. Journey duration is around two hours 20 minutes and passengers will be able to connect to 12 cities in Russia and Astana in Kazakhstan from the airline's Kalingrad hub. Cities served in Russia include: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Chelyabinsk, Ufa, Nizhny Novgorod, Omsk, Rostov, Samara, Perm, Kazan and Volgograd. In addition to its Gatwick flights, KD avia offers flights from Berlin, Barcelona, Hamburg, Prague, Rome and a number of other European cities.

A mechanical defect was not to blame for the crash landing of a British Airways Boeing 777 at Heathrow Airport last month, a preliminary investigation has concluded. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said yesterday that the plane's engines showed no evidence of a mechanical defect, and there was no evidence that ice or birds were to blame. The cause remains under investigation.

Manx2 is to add more flights to its route network from the Isle of Man to both Gloucester and Belfast. An extra flight will leave the Isle of Man for Gloucester at 14:30 every Thursday, heading back at 16:00. The airline's Belfast service will see a 20 percent increase in the number of flights available.

 Xtra – the FREE online pub newspaper

Brewery absorbs insurance rise

Brewery group Greene King (is to absorb a 20% hike in insurance premiums and hold back beer price increases until May.The aim is to help its 1,450 tenants and lessees combat the challenging trade climate. Greene King says it will not charge licensees any extra on cover for pub buildings and will stand the in-creases itself.

Furious hosts in Doncaster want compensation after police closed their pubs during a football match – that never happened.Police gained a court order forcing all town centre pubs to shut between 12 and four pm on Saturday - Doncaster Rovers were to play Leeds United at midday. Police predicted trouble between rival fans.It was announced on Saturday morning that the game would be postponed due to a frozen pitch. However, the closure order still stood.Doncaster Licensed Victuallers Association chairman Dave Sissons said: "The pubs were closed for no reason. Everybody is fuming."There must have been about 60 premises in Doncaster that were closed. "Saturday afternoon is the busiest time of the week for many of them."The LVA has referred the case to the Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations, which will consider legal action to seek compensation.

A statement from South Yorkshire Police said: "Doncaster Police gained a court order to close the pubs in Doncaster town centre until four pm on Saturday."This decision was based upon reliable intelligence and to prevent any disorder in the town centre."

High Court judges have ruled that poker is a game of chance, not skill, by rejecting an appeal against a previous test case decision. Derek Kelly, the former chairman of poker club the Gutshot, in Clerkenwell, London, was appealing against a decision last year when a jury said poker was a game dependent on luck. In the case in January 2007, Kelly was found guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Count on two counts of contravening the 1968 Gaming Act by hosting poker games at the venue. He was later conditionally discharged for two years. If Kelly had been found not guilty it could have opened the door for pubs to legally host poker games without a licence.However under the Gambling Act 2005, which came into force last September, pubs can now legally host equal chance poker games, without a licence, with a £5 stake limit per player per game and a maximum prize of £100. Players must also not be charged for playing.

Diageo GB is to launch Ireland’s number one ale in the UK for the first time. Smithwick’s Irish Red Ale is to be served exclusively in O’Neill’s bars for a six-month period - with many installations taking place pre-St Patrick’s Day, March 17, before an expected wider roll-out.

Dating back to 1710, the 3.8% abv ale has been Ireland’s biggest-selling ale since the 1920s and is the country’s sixth most popular draught product. Diageo said the ale is a "sensational Irish Malt" roasted to give a rich red colour and a hint of flavour that is described as "chocolate and caramel-like".

The brand owner added that the unique Smithwick ale yeast is retained from the original recipes - now nearly 300-years-old. A spokesperson for O’Neill’s owner Mitchells & Butlers said: "Smithwick’s is a traditional ale that suits the O’Neill’s offer and will provide customers with even greater choice."

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