What am I bid for this seat?

A no-frills carrier is celebrating the launch of three new services by offering passengers the chance to “pick a price” for seats on inaugural flights. The offer is being made by Hapag-Lloyd Express, a carrier owned by TUI, on routes from Germany to the UK and Ireland. To qualify for the special deal, passengers must book on the inaugural flight on each service, and they must pay the same amount on their return flight. The services on which the deal is available are: Dublin to Stuttgart (17 April); Manchester to Stuttgart (21 April); and Newcastle to Hanover (2 May). Passengers must return by 13 May. The “pick-a-price” seats will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis; for more information passengers are being told to log on to www.hlx.com. Wolfgang Kurth, the carrier’s chief executive, said: “We aim to offer the highest quality service and punctuality so we are confident our passengers will reward us with a price that reflects adequately the levels of service we offer.” He added that once customer reaction to the offer has been evaluated, it may be rolled out to other services. Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad