British Airways has dramatically increased the price of flights from Manchester to London over the Easter school holidays.
On a range of routes, the price-per-mile is even higher than the top fare on Concorde, according to the Independent. The lowest price the ECHO could find for a short haul return flight to London this week was an eye-watering £664.
The journey, each way, takes little over an hour to complete. For comparison, a train from Piccadilly to London Euston can be booked for as little as £30, the Manchester Evening News reports.
READ MORE: EasyJet cancels 10 flights from Liverpool airport
Flights are being listed at these extortionate prices until the end of the Easter holidays, with return flights from Manchester to London later this month available for hundreds of pounds less. This weekend is expected to see passenger levels at its highest since the pandemic begun, as vaccination rates and more relaxed rules mean people can travel more freely across Europe again.
This comes amid continuing chaos at Manchester Airport with airliner Easyjet cancelling several flights over the weekend. Bosses last month warned passengers could face queues for ‘several weeks’ after admitting they are struggling with staff shortages.
Manchester Airports Group (MAG) said they have also struggled with the easing of restrictions as well as a large number of bags being rejected at security.
The Independent reports that British Airways is "effectively blocking sales on short-haul flights" for airports across the UK, while prices for competition remain at a fraction of the price. This includes BA charging £419 for a one way ticket from London Heathrow to Dublin, while a Ryanair ticket from London Stansted to Dublin can be bought for as little as £15.
With high rates of staff sickness in a number of departments affecting a number of airports in the UK, it is not believed BA can operate its planned schedule. Therefore, these off-putting fares could be a way of reducing the number of people that could be affected by cancellations if flights were fully booked.
British Airways was approached for comment but had not responded at the time of publication.
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