Holiday flights halve in price as staycations up
PEAK season flights are a bargain – as school holidays kick off this week.
Trips to some hotspots are less than half last year’s rates, as airlines try to tempt virus-wary tourists overseas.
Top flight deals in the first week of August yesterday on Skyscanner, include Gatwick to Mykonos at £119, compared to £275 a year ago, and Luton to
Barcelona £85, down from £133. But the
Mirror found prices as low as £65 to
Mykonos and £34 to Barcelona in mid-August.
In comparison, train fares from
London to Truro,
Cornwall, start at £121.30 and that’s only for a super off-peak day return.
It comes as airlines called on the Government to waive air passenger duty for a year to save the industry as it heads into its toughest ever winter.
The UK government has lifted coronavirus quarantine restrictions for travellers returning from a list of 50 approved destinations, including France,
Greece and Italy. Meanwhile, demand for staycations is booming, with some places reporting a 250% surge in demand. UK B&Bs, campsites and holiday parks have reported that “phones have not stopped ringing” since Boris Johnson announced British holidays would be permitted from July 4. Cottages.com holiday let search engine reported bookings between July 1 and August 31 are already up 156% on last year. And one canal boat operator reports a 146% spike in reservations. Speaking of the foreign holiday prices, Rory Boland, of Which? said: “They are really rock bottom. I suspect there’s a lot of people on the fence about travelling… interested in how the resort hotels are working.” For a UK deal, he says you are more likely to get one if you call hotels and B&B’s direct, rather than book online. Stella Penso of Skyscanner said: “Rates are forecast to remain low. Always check government advice.”
Mykonos fare is as low as £65