The golden age of cheap flights is over, Sebastian Ebel, CEO of travel group Tui, declared this week.
Yes, fares to Europe are a third more expensive this year than last year because of the rising cost of jet fuel, according to tourism search engine Kayak.
But savvy vacationers can still get great deals. Here are our top tricks for saving money on a beach.
Price increases: Fares to Europe are a third more expensive this year than last year due to the rising cost of jet fuel
Choose popular
Where multiple airlines fly, fares are kept lower due to competition. So head to Geneva, Barcelona, Amsterdam or Paris and fares are likely to be lower than at less popular airports served by separate airlines. For example, returns to Geneva in June are from £48 with easyJet.
Tuesday cheaper
The travel comparison site travelsupermarket.com has calculated that flights are cheapest on Tuesdays. The rates are about 25 pc. lower than on Friday.
While business travelers prefer to fly on Monday and return home on Friday, the cheapest short city breaks are often from Tuesday to Thursday.
A four-day return trip from Manchester to Paris in June departing on Tuesday and returning on Saturday with Ryanair was on sale for just £38 when we checked.
Sales alerts
Flights are cheapest when they are first put on sale – for most airlines this is a year before departure, although with Ryanair that is only five to six months.
Air France, KLM, Etihad and Virgin Atlantic all put their flights on sale 11 months in advance. Sign up for airline email newsletters to receive sales alerts.
End of an era: Tui boss Sebastian Ebel says the golden age of cheap flights is over
Price charts
Google Flights and Skyscanner have excellent tools for getting a good overview of flight prices.
For example, if you look at the “price chart” section of Google Flights, you can see that prices for round-trip flights from London to Rome could range between £195 and £56 over the next month.
Returns to Faro in the Algarve fluctuate between £278 and £44, so there are still good deals if you pick the right dates.
Airport Swap
You might like Heathrow if you’re flying from London, but flights from Luton and Stansted are often around 25 per cent cheaper, so it might be worth checking.
Meanwhile, some regional airports such as Bristol, Manchester and Exeter can have great deals, especially if you are flexible on departure dates.
The same rule applies when choosing your destination. For example, if you are planning a holiday in Provence, check flight prices to both Nimes and Marseille, as one may offer cheaper flights at your desired time than the other.
It takes about an hour to drive between the two airports.
Try New York
A new group of budget airlines flying to New York City are keeping fares as low as £440 return on some dates.
So consider a trip to the Big Apple with Norse (flynorse.com) or Play (flyplay.com).
Bargain flights: A new group of budget airlines flying to New York City are keeping fares as low as £440 return on some dates
Currency control
The pound has had a rocky period against the euro and the dollar, although it has recently stabilized.
Use a currency conversion site like xe.com to check the value of British pounds in various destinations and find out where your money can go further.
Year on year, the pound is strong against the Turkish lira (up 33 percent), the South African rand (up 17 percent) and the Argentine peso (up 100 percent).
Also check out the Post Office’s handy online “Holiday Money Report,” which highlights the best-value destinations based on cost of living abroad: Bali, Japan, and Vietnam are some of the more exotically tempting options.
Eurostar offers
Eurostar seats are released 180 days before departure.
So to grab the cheapest seats, you’ll need to act fast using the ‘lowest fare finder’ section of eurostar.com. Return journeys this summer are currently from around £78.
Last minute
Most major tour operators such as jet2.com and Tui have last minute deals sections on their websites.
There may not be as many late deals as in previous years, but there are still discounts of around 40 percent if you’re flexible about where and when you go.
Healthy competition: go to Geneva, Barcelona, Amsterdam or Paris and fares are likely to be lower than at less popular airports served by separate airlines
For example, seven nights all-inclusive at Holiday Village Atlantica Mikri Poli in Kos in Greece was from £671pp on May 16 from Luton with Tui when we checked this week – down from £1,142pp (41 per cent off).
Websites travelzoo.com, secretescapes.com, holidaypirates.com, icelolly.com and voyage-prive.co.uk — which collect leftover holiday supplies — are also a source of great deals.
Book directly
Search through hotel booking websites to find suitable accommodation.
But once you’ve found a place you like, see if you can get a better deal by booking directly through the hotel’s own website. You can save 10 pc. or more and sometimes breakfast is thrown in.
Go out of season
November and January are the best for travel bargains – expect to pay about 25 percent less for your vacation during these months, while December can be the most expensive.
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