In the two months since my last flight with easyJet, it seems the budget airline has added a new fee that will catch out unsuspecting customers. Copied straight from Ryanair (who got a lot of press attention and criticism for the same policy), it is a fee that you don't hear about until you are at the departure gate.

The charge in question is for 'extra hand luggage', as introduced by Ryanair nearly a year ago: Ryanair to Fine Passengers with Too Much Hand Luggage.

If you arrive at the departure gate with two bags, including any duty-free shopping you may have purchased at the airport, you will be forced to pay a fine.

The fee, which has escaped media attention this time around, is shrouded in mystery. I find no reference to it on the easyJet website. There is no warning before you check in. Even the airline's staff are in the dark about it. I asked an on-board steward how much the fine was and he said it was the same as for extra checked luggage - 11€ online, 22€ on the day. But there is no facility to pay for the extra hand luggage when booking.

easyJet's main rival, Ryanair, comes in for a lot of criticism for its "hidden charges", not least from me (see my article on Why Hate Ryanair?). Their defense is that there is a list of Ryanair Fees on their site: Ryanair Table of Fees. Indeed, this was one of the few plus points I found about Ryanair when they came 12th out of 12 in my look at Best Budget Airlines.

easyJet has no such table. A spokesman for the airline told me some that time ago that such a page was 'in consideration'. But easyJet's website has been redesigned since the comment and no such table has appeared, so it is clear that easyJet considered that a convenient place for their customers to see all the ways they might be charged was not actually in anyone's best interests. Pity.

It just goes to show that, though Ryanair gets intense scrutiny for their wily ways (and rightly so), other airlines try just as hard to push down their advertised fares by catching out unsuspecting customers.

I have contacted both airlines about this. I will print their responses if I get them.

Update: Paul H, easyJet's man on Twitter (@easyJetCare), has informed me that this policy should only be enforced to prevent people taking two bags of their own, and that a memo will be sent out to clarify this point with airline ground staff. According to Paul, a bag of duty-free is still allowed, as long as it has been sealed by the shop. Which means, bizarrely, that it doesn't matter how much baggage you take on the plane, it's the bag's contents that matters.

Read more about Budget Airlines' Hidden Charges.

Getting the cheapest flight to Spain is not always easy, especially from the UK, which has more airlines flying to the country than anywhere else. Price comparison sites are all well and good, but they don't list every airline. So sometimes the best flight might slip through the net.

So what you really need is a list of all the routes from UK airports to Spain. Then you'd be able to find out exactly who flies to Spain from your nearest airport (or airports). By doing the old-fashioned thing of checking each individual airline's website (along with the help of a price comparison site, just to be sure) you'd be able to get the very best deal on your flight to Spain.

Now, where would you find such a list? Why, right here of course! On each page below you'll find a list of airlines that fly to Spain from each of the airports listed. Click on the airport name for a list of the exact routes to Spain from that departure point.

• Cheap Flights to Spain from England
• Cheap Flights to Spain from Scotland
• Cheap Flights to Spain from Wales
• Cheap Flights to Spain from Northern Ireland

These lists were updated in December 2009.

Of course, thanks to the unscrupulous behavior of budget airlines (particularly Ryanair), what seems like the cheapest flight may not be when all the extra charges have been added on. Not even when you've paid for your ticket can you be sure the airline won't sting you for an extra fee when you get to the airport, so beware! These pages will help you avoid paying more than you bargain for:

• Ryanair Fees
• Airline Hidden Charges

Read more about Cheap Flights to Spain

Two monumental things happened in Madrid this week. One is that Puerta del Sol, Madrid's most famous square, is finally free of construction work (for the first time since some time in the middle ages). At last, Madrileños and tourists can walk through the square without following endless detours and bottlenecks.

The other big event this week in the history of Madrid is that I finally finished writing my 100 Things to Do in Madrid. It's been a long time coming (I've been working on it since I was in the city in September).

Many visitors complain that there's not enough to do in Madrid. As you can see from this list, this couldn't be further from the truth. Though it lacks the in-your-face attractions that Barcelona has (such as Las Ramblas or La Sagrada Familia), Madrid has far superior art museums, better restaurants and more diverse districts waiting to be explored.

Check out my list and you'll be sure to never get bored in Madrid: 100 Things to Do in Madrid

An important part of Christmas in Spain is the public nativity scenes that can be found in most cities and villages in the country. As one would imagine, the biggest and best tend to be in Madrid.

This year, the best nativity scenes in Madrid can be found in the following places (free entry unless otherwise stated):

• The main nativity scene in Madrid is at the Centro de Turismo de Colón. Open from December 1 until January 6. Open 10am until 6am (early closing on December 24 and 31).
• Another important nativity scene is at Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días in Moratalaz. Statues of 83 centimeters. Open December 12 to January 6, 10am until 10pm.
• The Basílica Pontificia de San Miguel has a nativity scene open to the public from December 8 until January 10 (10am - 2pm and 5.30pm - 9pm)
• See 19th century figures at the Madrid Cathedral from December 25 until January 17 (9am to 8pm).
• Nearby at the Basílica de San Francisco El Grande there will be another nativity scene from December 21 until January 6.
• The Telefonica store on Gran Via has a high-tech nativity scene from December 1 until January 5 from 10am to 9pm (12noon to 8pm on Sunday)
• The Centro Cultural Casa del Reloj has an exposition from the Asociación de Belenistas de Madrid from December 10 to January 9 (10am to 9pm, early closing on December 24 and December 31 and closed on December 25, January 1 and January 6)
• The Royal Palace has an 18th century nativity scene (December 11 to January 24 (9.30pm to 5pm, 9am to 2pm on Sundays, closed December 24, 25 and 31 and January 1 and 6.
• The Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas has a Napoleonic nativity scen from the 18th century (9.30am a 3pm Tuesday to Saturday and 10am to 3pm on Sundays, closed December 24, 25 and 31, January 1 and every Monday).
• There are other nativity scenes in the Real Iglesia de San Ginés (next to the famous chocolateria), the Convento Corpus Christi de las Monjas Jernónimas, Iglesia-Basílica de Nuestro Padre Jesús de Medinaceli , Parroquia del Santísimo Cristo de la Victoria, Parroquia de los Doce Apóstoles (with audio visuals), Convento de las Hermanas de la Compañía de la Cruz, Real Iglesia de San Antón (18th century figurines), Real Iglesia Parroquial de San Andrés Apóstol (18th century ivory figurines), Parroquia Virgen de la Providencia y San Cayetano, El Real Monasterio de la Encarnación, Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales, Real Monasterio de Santa Isabel,

Source: Europress