Britons desperate to escape the miserable weather expected this Easter weekend face eye-watering costs for a last-minute flight to a European holiday destination.
The cheapest return flight to Mallorca for an adult leaving a London airport on Good Friday and returning on Easter Monday is the starkest example, at £939 with easyJet.
Those wanting to visit the Canary Islands also face high costs – with the cheapest return to Tenerife at £606 with Ryanair, and to Lanzarote at £564 with easyJet.
Other destinations with no return flights under £500 include Paphos at £565 with Jet2; Malta at £520 with British Airways and Venice at £505 with Wizz Air.
For some locations in Greece such as Corfu, Crete and Rhodes there are no direct return flights left at all for the Easter weekend on Skyscanner’s comparison website.
Other destinations include Lisbon from £440, Madrid from £424 and Nice from £370, all with easyJet; and Athens from £401 and Rome from £364, both with Wizz Air.
The cheapest flights available from and to London for the four-day weekend are Zurich for £176 and Gdansk for £177, with Bratislava next at £200. The cheapest domestically is Edinburgh from £124.
Reacting to the data, travel expert Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, told MailOnline today: ‘Low-cost airlines don’t exist anymore. Higher costs, including wages, fuel and increased supplier fees are forcing airlines to hike fares and pass on those costs to passengers.
‘Easter is one of the most popular times of the year to travel and demand is as high as it’s ever been. With this strong demand, airlines are able to charge more than ever for seats, knowing they will fill them.
‘There is no sign of fares falling either, as forward bookings for the summer period are still very strong. It’s a sure sign that the economy is picking up again.’
It comes as many European hotspots will endure heavy rain along with Britain in a blow to families looking forward to jetting abroad in the coming days.
The Met Office has warned the weather across Europe will remain unsettled, especially in Spain and Portugal which face thunderstorms and strong winds.
Temperatures in Madrid will only be at 14C (57F) on Saturday – lower than London at 15C (59F) – while France will also face rain with Nice at 19C (66F).
But the outlook is much better for the eastern Mediterranean, particularly Italy and Greece which will enjoy the driest and warmest weather over Easter.
Rome and Palermo will both be hot and sunny this weekend at 25C (77F), while Athens will be slightly behind at 24C (75F) and Budapest at 23C (73F).
Britons have been warned to expect a ‘disappointing’ run-up to Easter in the UK as blustery conditions and heavy rainfall will leave some areas at risk of flooding.
The Met Office tweeted a moving map showing the forecast for Europe this week, and said: ‘Off on a European holiday soon?
‘Similarly to the UK, the weather across Europe is rather unsettled, especially in Iberia where thunderstorms and strong winds are expected at times this week.
‘The eastern Mediterranean will see the driest and warmest weather over Easter.’
In Britain, the Met Office has warned of ‘unsettled’ conditions throughout the week, with strong winds and heavy downpours brought on by low pressure.
Rain will move northwards today and some areas could face up to 0.8in (20mm) of rain.
The weather is then expected to get worse from tomorrow, with most areas seeing showers and stronger winds throughout the day and into Thursday.
Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said the conditions were not out of the ordinary for this time of year but confirmed the wet winter had left experts ‘monitoring’ areas which could be prone to flooding – particularly in the South West.
He said: ‘The winter has left some land quite saturated. We may have to issue a rainfall warning in the south-western areas of England, but we will continue to monitor this.
‘If necessary, it would be up to the Environment Agency to issue a flood warning.’
Mr Morgan also urged holidaymakers looking to get away for Easter to ‘keep an eye’ on the weather.
He said: ‘It’s a disappointing forecast for people hoping to go on a staycation, but these conditions are likely to lift as the low pressure starts to move away.
‘This means we could start to see highs of 15C (59F) or 16C (61F) as we move into and past the weekend. So, it’s not all doom and gloom.’
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Mark Sidaway said: ‘It’s another very unsettled week for much of the UK, with heavy, blustery showers, longer spells of rain and also some strong winds.
‘In terms of hazards in the current forecast, we’re continuing to keep an eye on some of the expected rainfall totals as they build up through the week, with some places in the south still quite sensitive to rainfall amounts due to the wet winter many have experienced.
‘We will also need to monitor the winds with the potential for gales to develop around some coastal areas of the north at first, then later some south-western areas, especially as these may coincide with some high tides.’
The conditions follow one of the wettest winters seen in the UK but the warmest February on record for England and Wales.
Despite this damp weather, the UK can look forward to more daylight in the evenings after the clocks go forward one hour at 1am on Easter Sunday, March 31.
Meanwhile British families heading to France for their Easter holidays have been warned by Port of Dover officials that extra border security checks could delay their journeys.
France has heightened its processes for those entering the country after the attack at a concert hall attack in Moscow last Friday that killed more than 130 people.
Now, tens of thousands of families travelling to the Kent port for the two-week school holidays have been told the measures ‘may increase border processing times’.
Separately, Britons have been warned to expect Easter travel ‘carmageddon’ over the long weekend with 14million getaway trips set to cause gridlock on the roads.
Road journeys could take twice as long as normal because the bank holiday weekend coincides with the start of a two-week holiday for many schools, the RAC said.
Be flexible on your departure and arrival airports: Travel expert NICKY KELVIN reveals his top tips for securing a great flight deal
The Easter bank holiday weekend and school holidays are always a popular time for travellers to take advantage of the extended national holiday.
Many British tourists will be utilising the four-day weekend to book a trip abroad to get some respite from the UK and head to sunnier shores. This leads to higher than normal prices.
It is the perfect time to jet off for families but for those who are looking for a last minute trip, you must expect to pay more for popular routes.
With the Easter weekend fast approaching, these prices will only increase further as demand increases and the cheaper fares sell out.
My recommendation is always to plan ahead to find the best deals. This isn’t always viable but if you’re able to avoid last-minute bookings, you’ll have more choice and be able to shop around for the best prices available.
My top tips for booking flights are:
- Always plan ahead and book flights as far in advance to your departure date
- Use Google Flights to explore cheap flight options on your available dates
- If you’re able to be flexible on the departure and arrival airports you may save a huge amount. Google Flights is a great tool to search multiple cities at the same time.
- Utilise points and miles which you’ve accumulated and to bring the cost of your trip down
NICKY KELVIN is editor at The Points Guy. For more of his tips, click here
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Mark Duell
