Fear for family holidays as price of flights trebles

Fear for family holidays as price of flights trebles amid cancellation of thousands of trips

• Nearly a fifth of BA flights scheduled until the autumn will not take off 
• BA tickets to Faro and Crete, usually only a few hundred pounds, are over £600
• Prices on some holiday routes have more than trebled, the Daily Mail found

Families could be priced out of summer holidays as fares soar after airlines axed thousands of flights.

On Wednesday British Airways cut 10,300 flights to Europe until the end of October – on top of the 16,000 it axed in March.

It means that nearly a fifth of BA flights scheduled until the autumn will not take off. Last month, easyJet cut more than 10,000 of its flights.

The combination of fewer seats and soaring post-Covid demand means that prices on some holiday routes have more than trebled, analysis by the Daily Mail found.

Airlines lost billions during the pandemic and will be looking to increase their margins on the seats they have. Even flights with Ryanair, typically the cheapest carrier, have soared. Fares from London to Gran Canaria were £156.60 on July 16, but £368.69 a week later. Flights to Madeira and Rhodes jumped from £72.80 to £349.20 and from £89.99 to £351.20.

BA has pushed up the price of tickets to Faro in the Algarve and to Crete, which are usually only a few hundred pounds, to more than £600 and £500 respectively.

British Airways cut 10,300 flights to Europe until the end of October on top of the 16,000 it axed in March

EasyJet fares from Gatwick to Rome on July 16 were selling yesterday for £226.99, but on July 23, the first weekend of the school holidays, the price had almost doubled to £441.99. For flights to Crete and Majorca on the same dates prices jumped from £178.99 to £383.99 and from £61.99 to £138.99 respectively.

Even flights with Ryanair have soared. Fares from London to Gran Canaria were £156.60 on July 16, but £368.69 a week later. Flights to Madeira and Rhodes jumped from £72.80 to £349.20 and from £89.99 to £351.20.

Although passengers whose flights are cancelled are entitled to a seat on another flight – or a refund – there is no guarantee there will be enough seats and they could be priced out of alternative flights.

Easyjet flights to Crete and Majorca prices jumped from £178.99 to £383.99 and from £61.99 to £138.99 respectively

The boss of holiday airline Jet2 blamed the chaos at airports, and the subsequent flight cancellations, on the companies that run them.

Referring to the staff crisis after thousands were laid off in the pandemic, Philip Meeson said airports were ‘woefully ill-prepared and poorly resourced’.

It was ‘inexcusable, bearing in mind our flights have been on sale for many months’, he added.

The Airport Operators Association said staff recruitment campaigns for security staff were progressing well. A spokesman added that airports were also working closely with companies managing check-in and baggage on behalf of airlines to alleviate any delays.

‘Poorly resourced’

Unions yesterday suspended a strike by 700 BA check-in staff and baggage handlers at Heathrow on the last two weekends of the month after an improved pay offer.

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