To be furious about these prices

[Atissue123]

Seriously...

Flight to Corfu (3.5 hours away) during May half £905 PER PERSON (Jet2)
....The week after £307 (also JET2)

There are some marginally cheaper ones if you go Fri-Fri or whatever (still £750 per person) This is flight only, no seats, bags or meals, no accommodation included.

I am outraged. Why is having school age children penalised in this way by airlines? Who can afford to spend almost £4000 just on flights?

I realise I am lucky to even be able to afford a holiday, but it won't be this!

Support and demand, market forces etc. Airlines and hotels etc are just like any other company looking to maximise profits.

I agree it’s annoying OP - all flights now seem vastly more expensive than five years ago.

‘It’s capitalism’, ‘it’s demand’ - they could just run an extra flight couldn’t they, if the demand is so high.

Last year I booked flights to a different place because my original choice was too expensive - but the day before travel, the flight suddenly crashed in price. So the airlines ‘bet’ people would pay was wrong.

The entire flying experience is being ruined by this kind of stuff - you inevitably end up feeling screwed on base price / luggage price / timings / seat reservation cost etc.

I am particularly annoyed by paying a ‘premium’ price and then having to shell out more to… sit with my child, or take a bag on board.

It is so, so much worse than even two years ago.

If you don't choose who gets popular times by who is prepared to pay the most how would you do it? Based on when people book so only those who can plan years in advance get seats? Based on random ballot? At least with the price those who really need to go can get tickets at shorter notice.

We should all be cutting back on flying
for the sake of our children!
maybe take a train though Europe
it’s great and your kids get to see all different countries

Haven’t seen this for yonks on mn so I’ll go there:

WILL NOBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN?

Having school age children isn’t being penalized here, flying when demand is low is being incentivized - and this keeps prices down for everyone, even those people who want to fly with school age children.

If prices were the same across the board regardless of time of year then overall the prices would be higher AND there just wouldn’t be as many flights, so plenty of people who want them just wouldn’t be going anywhere. Those lower price flights are keeping down the prices of the higher priced flights as they are helping meet the airline’s costs for its contractual obligations. If they were higher priced even fewer people would pay for them and then prices would have to go up across the board so that the more popular flights could cover the cost of empty planes at the less popular times.

Part of the issue is that kids here are not allowed to miss the school during term time, even for a one week holiday a year. It's not the same for my friends from the US and Canada. My Canadian SIL worked during x-mas and took her kids for an off-peak holiday after that. The value was great.

Of course airlines are using this to get more out of the situation. Who would not?..

DH and I go on cruises ( I cannot fly) usually out of school holidays but we were on one last August .

Honestly , I thought it must be as boring AF for young children ( the teenagers seemed to enjoy themselves more )

How old are your kids ? Take them out a few days before. If you take them out for a few days I don't think you will get fined. Even if you do you will still save money.
I wouldn't worry about taking them out of school for 3 or 4 days unless they are gcse years.
I know holidays aren't essential but they are great family time, and a great experience for everyone.

I've just booked Lanzarote for less than 2k for 3, all inclusive, for February half term. We fly on the Friday am so dc will miss one day of school but saves a grand versus flying on the Saturday. Yes, it's more expensive in school holidays, always has been, but there are bargains to be had if you can be more flexible with dates, or be prepared to go more last minute.

I wonder how they work it if you compare the week before /after as the Welsh/English half terms are often different,

Agree with a PP about low season being artificially reduced. I work in the industry (for a tour operator) and it's a very low margin industry. Lowering prices during peak times would just raise them the rest of the year - permanent low season pricing would kill off the industry.
And of course it isn't as easy as just putting on more flights - there are limited airport slots available and the skies are very busy already. Flight routes can't just be added whenever an airline fancies doing it.
I get it's a pain, I have a 13 year old so am more than aware of how much holidays cost - but I'll have many more years of being able to travel on low season pricing than I will high season.

Ahh our kids love it! I think it largely depends on what the ship has for kids - some are better for families than others (water slides, go karts, kids club, arcade room).

It’s supply and demand on a non essential item.

hardly price gouging

Worth having a look at other airports OP, from our local one looks like £2400 for 4 adults to Corfu that week so definitely worth looking around

Agree with PP who said it seems to have gotten more expensive in last few years. I worked in schools pre kids and still managed to find deals however the May half-term in particular has gotten really costly.
There are deals to be had but I think you have to be creative about wjen/where you go. Last year we went to the Canaries after Xmas. It was expensive but less than May half-term and we saved on childcare and activities over the holidays. Winter sun is a treat too, don't really need the sun in the summer it's often nice in UK.

Then you get Aeroflot. Cheap, but falls out of the sky.

Holidays / flights / mini breaks will only be for the very rich soon
A bit like it was in the 60s

There is a time in your life, when you have school age kids, that holidays are expensive. The answer is to teach your children in those years that cheap holidays can be fun. Then when they are cash-strapped young parents they know what to do. You go camping somewhere the weather should be decent. Beyond those years, you have oodles of time for indulgent holidays.

An overseas holiday is not a need, it’s an extra. And it’s a demand-led pricing strategy - there are a finite number of plane seats. It stands to reason that at times of high demand, they will be more expensive.

If you can’t afford to go to Corfu or wherever, no one will die. Go camping or do interesting things at home: see a show, do an art course.

We actually had far less holidays abroad that involved flights when son was 5 to 15 - we tended to do more 'train/drive to' ones - I'm afraid it's the cost of kids and factoring in school holidays-

They would have been lower if you’d booked earlier.
it might be cheaper now to book a package.

It's a recent blip, cheap holidays. I'm early 50s and we went to bloody France on a bloody ferry and stayed in a bloody campsite. Every year. I still can't happy camp.

Then the UK enjoyed cheap foreign holidays for what, 20 years. Now it's back to normal. Rich people go fancy places. Camping in France for the proles.

Wow. Our flights to Mauritius in April cost less than that.