The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Cheaper flights to woo travellers
The cost of flying to Europe will fall dramatically this summer as airlines use cut-price fares to woo back travellers, exclusive research for Telegraph
Travel has shown.
Analysis of the price of return flights from London airports to seven key holiday hotspots, including Tenerife, Ibiza and Mallorca, has revealed that peak season bargains are set to remain into September. All fares checked, on carriers including Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air, show double-digit percentage decreases against the two-year average, with the majority slashed by two thirds.
A spot-check of flights to Tenerife in July found economy seats from £65 return, down from an average cost of £246, a fall of 74 per cent. Services to Malaga, Spain, were down 62 per cent; Faro, Portugal, 68 per cent; and Palma, Mallorca, 67 per cent.
The summer plans of thousands of British holidaymakers remain on hold as the Government pushes ahead with its plans to quarantine all international arrivals from next week. It has said it wants “air bridge” agreements with some European countries in place by the end of June.
A number of nations, including Greece and Portugal, have said they are keen for such arrangements. But even if air travel is not resumed until August, Skyscanner’s research for Telegraph Travel shows bargains will remain.
Jon Thorne, from Skyscanner, said travellers should double-check their booking is flexible as long as the situation is uncertain. “We are seeing some attractive pricing from airlines who are keen to encourage travel once it is safe to do so. Our main advice is to look for flights which are covered by a flexible fare policy,” he said.
“It is worth noting that airlines have different policies. Clicking the ‘flexible ticket’ icon [on Skyscanner] takes you to the airline policy where you can make sure that should your flight be cancelled, you won’t be out of pocket.”
September discounts are smaller than those in July but still significant.