Easter bank holiday pricing is driven by a single constraint: the fixed four-day window. Good Friday April 3 to Easter Monday April 6 is when everyone wants to travel, so airlines price accordingly. From Tuesday April 7, that constraint disappears entirely.
The week of April 7–13 is a normal working week for most UK adults. Schools in England and Wales are still on Easter break (most run April 3–17), but adult leisure demand drops sharply the moment the bank holiday ends. Airlines reprice to reflect that.
On routes like Stansted–Malaga or Gatwick–Lisbon, the difference between an Easter Monday return (April 6) and a Tuesday April 7 departure is typically £40–80 per person on the same airline. The destination hasn't changed. The weather hasn't changed. The price has.
Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Luton
Flights Drop Sharply the Day After Easter 2026
Easter Monday is April 6 — prices reset almost overnight from April 7
About these prices: All price ranges shown are indicative, based on typical fares seen on Aviasales for each route. Actual prices change daily depending on date, availability and how far ahead you book. Always search for live prices using the tool below — it pulls real-time data directly from Aviasales.
Why the day after Easter bank holiday is a pricing cliff
What fares look like from April 7 vs Easter weekend
Stansted–Malaga (AGP) on Ryanair: Easter Saturday April 4 departure is showing £115–145 one-way right now. Tuesday April 7 departure on the same route: £52–70 one-way. That's a £60–75 saving for a one-week delay.
Gatwick–Lisbon (LIS) on easyJet: Easter Friday April 3 is £105–130 one-way. Wednesday April 8 is £55–75 one-way. Lisbon in mid-April is 18–20°C, dry, and quieter than Easter weekend — objectively a better time to visit.
Stansted–Porto (OPO) on Ryanair: Good Friday April 3 showing £85–105 one-way. Tuesday April 7: £40–58 one-way. Porto weather in mid-April is identical to Easter — the only thing that changes is the price.
Manchester–Alicante (ALC) on Jet2: Easter Saturday is £125–160 one-way with bags. April 8 departure: £65–90 one-way with bags included. A family of four saves £240–280 just by shifting departure by four days.
Stansted–Dublin (DUB) on Ryanair: Easter bank holiday is around £65–85 one-way. April 7 onwards drops back to £22–38 one-way — close to its everyday pricing.
Gatwick–Lisbon (LIS) on easyJet: Easter Friday April 3 is £105–130 one-way. Wednesday April 8 is £55–75 one-way. Lisbon in mid-April is 18–20°C, dry, and quieter than Easter weekend — objectively a better time to visit.
Stansted–Porto (OPO) on Ryanair: Good Friday April 3 showing £85–105 one-way. Tuesday April 7: £40–58 one-way. Porto weather in mid-April is identical to Easter — the only thing that changes is the price.
Manchester–Alicante (ALC) on Jet2: Easter Saturday is £125–160 one-way with bags. April 8 departure: £65–90 one-way with bags included. A family of four saves £240–280 just by shifting departure by four days.
Stansted–Dublin (DUB) on Ryanair: Easter bank holiday is around £65–85 one-way. April 7 onwards drops back to £22–38 one-way — close to its everyday pricing.
Best trips to book for the week after Easter
The week of April 7–13 is genuinely one of the most underrated travel windows in the UK calendar. Weather across southern Europe is excellent — Malaga averages 20°C, Lisbon 19°C, Seville 22°C — and the Easter tourist crowds have thinned significantly.
Seville (SVQ) from Stansted, April 7–11: Ryanair fares around £45–60 one-way. Seville's Semana Santa ends with Easter Sunday, so arriving April 7 means you catch the tail end of the city returning to normal — restaurants less packed, accommodation cheaper, temperatures ideal.
Lisbon (LIS) from Gatwick, April 8–12: easyJet fares around £55–70 one-way. Mid-April in Lisbon is the sweet spot: 18–20°C, very little rain, the Easter rush gone. Return April 12 (Sunday) is around £50–65 one-way — much softer than Easter Sunday pricing.
Kraków (KRK) from Stansted, April 7–11: Ryanair fares back down to £28–42 one-way after Easter repricing. Kraków in mid-April is pleasant (14–16°C) and extremely cheap once you're there — meals for two with wine under £25.
Amsterdam (AMS) from Stansted, April 7–9: Two or three nights, Ryanair fares from around £38–52 one-way. Keukenhof tulip fields are still open through early May — mid-April is peak bloom with smaller crowds than Easter weekend.
Seville (SVQ) from Stansted, April 7–11: Ryanair fares around £45–60 one-way. Seville's Semana Santa ends with Easter Sunday, so arriving April 7 means you catch the tail end of the city returning to normal — restaurants less packed, accommodation cheaper, temperatures ideal.
Lisbon (LIS) from Gatwick, April 8–12: easyJet fares around £55–70 one-way. Mid-April in Lisbon is the sweet spot: 18–20°C, very little rain, the Easter rush gone. Return April 12 (Sunday) is around £50–65 one-way — much softer than Easter Sunday pricing.
Kraków (KRK) from Stansted, April 7–11: Ryanair fares back down to £28–42 one-way after Easter repricing. Kraków in mid-April is pleasant (14–16°C) and extremely cheap once you're there — meals for two with wine under £25.
Amsterdam (AMS) from Stansted, April 7–9: Two or three nights, Ryanair fares from around £38–52 one-way. Keukenhof tulip fields are still open through early May — mid-April is peak bloom with smaller crowds than Easter weekend.
How to book the post-Easter price drop
Search April 7–14 departures specifically. The post-Easter discount is concentrated in the April 7–14 window. By April 15, half-term demand starts building and prices edge up again. The sweet spot is the working week immediately after Easter Monday.
Tuesday and Wednesday departures are cheapest. April 7 (Tuesday) and April 8 (Wednesday) are the two lowest-priced days of the post-Easter window. If you can work remotely for a day or take annual leave on a Tuesday, the saving versus a Friday departure is £20–40 per person.
Return on a Sunday, not a Saturday. Sunday April 12 returns are noticeably cheaper than Saturday April 11 on most routes — the Saturday demand spike is still present even outside school holidays. A Sunday return from Malaga or Lisbon saves £25–45 on the return leg versus Saturday.
Book by Sunday March 29. Post-Easter fares are already visible and still at their lowest. As April 7 gets closer, airlines will begin filling these seats at the current price — when load factors hit 70–75%, prices jump. The best window to lock in these fares is the next 48–72 hours.
Tuesday and Wednesday departures are cheapest. April 7 (Tuesday) and April 8 (Wednesday) are the two lowest-priced days of the post-Easter window. If you can work remotely for a day or take annual leave on a Tuesday, the saving versus a Friday departure is £20–40 per person.
Return on a Sunday, not a Saturday. Sunday April 12 returns are noticeably cheaper than Saturday April 11 on most routes — the Saturday demand spike is still present even outside school holidays. A Sunday return from Malaga or Lisbon saves £25–45 on the return leg versus Saturday.
Book by Sunday March 29. Post-Easter fares are already visible and still at their lowest. As April 7 gets closer, airlines will begin filling these seats at the current price — when load factors hit 70–75%, prices jump. The best window to lock in these fares is the next 48–72 hours.
Search live prices now
The prices above are typical ranges — actual fares change every day. Search below for real-time prices and book securely through Aviasales, one of Europe's largest flight search engines.
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