Half-term flights this year are 42% more expensive than they were before the coronavirus pandemic, according to a study by Which?
Which? analysed the price of one-way tickets from six UK airports to destinations including Alicante, Antalya, Dubai, Dublin, Malaga and Tenerife, booked six months, three months and six weeks in advance.
The average one-way fare was found to be £212, compared to £150 in 2019. The increase has been blamed on rising fuel costs, pent-up demand for travel and airport passenger caps.
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Passengers booking six weeks before departure paid an average of £262 more each way than in 2019, adding £2,096 to the cost of a holiday for a family of four, according to Which?.
Winter sun hot spot Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, saw the largest price hikes, according to Which? Although that was based on flights from Heathrow, fares from Newcastle to Tenerife are also high even with traditionally lower cost carriers like Ryanair and Jet2.
Customers booking flights from Newcastle to Tenerife, flying on Saturday October 22 and returning on Saturday October 29, were quoted £747 from this morning from Jet2 and £427.50 from Ryanair for return trips over half-term.
Guy Hobbs, editor of Which? Travel, said: “Travellers have had a torrid time this year and our analysis shows they’re paying through the nose for their trouble.
“With fares so high, it’s even more important that airports and airlines are held to account for the unacceptable disruption travellers have faced. The Government should give the Civil Aviation Authority stronger powers so it can hit operators with heavy fines when they flout the rules.”
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