Sky-high cost of flights as Brits jet off for Easter sun: £939 to Mallorca, ... trends now
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
