The festive flights rip-off: How airlines are hiking their fares by up to 700 PER CENT
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The weather outside may be frightful. But anyone looking to jet off to warmer climes for Christmas or New Year may be in for a shock – with flights over the festive period costing up to 700 per cent more. Research by the Daily Mail found skyrocketing fares for popular winter sun destinations and big cities.
![[Flights from London to Berlin have skyrocketed by more than 700 per cent over the festive period]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/22/21/89581445-14219571-Flights_from_London_to_Berlin_have_skyrocketed_by_more_than_700_-a-35_1734903146470.jpg)
While families now expect to pay more for travelling during school holidays, the scale of the hike may be too much for many. Flights to New York with British Airways from London leaving today are more than double the price of what they cost in April. And anyone wanting to go to Barbados for Christmas will also find themselves paying 85 per cent more than at other times of the year.
Earlier this year, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary warned of soaring Christmas prices for flights to Dublin – blaming a government flight cap. He warned that tickets could cost passengers up to £421. Ryanair claims that the airline, alongside other carriers that serve Dublin, applied for 270,000 extra slots for flights this Christmas, but was refused by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA).
Currently, the cheapest tickets from London Gatwick to Dublin today, returning a week later, are £189 – compared to just £54 in February. But flying from Heathrow to Dublin with British Airways on the same dates is a staggering £291 – a ticket that will cost just £74 two months later. It is a similar picture for anyone wanting to get away for the New Year, with flights to Edinburgh from Bristol going up by 179 per cent and from London to Lisbon by 387 per cent.
