September & Christmas Flights: Best Times to Book from the UK

Athens from £67 return on easyJet from Gatwick in September is one of the most dramatic price drops you'll see all year. That exact same route in August costs £189 return. Same airline, same airport, same destination, nearly three times the price.

Rome from £54 return on Ryanair from Stansted is almost embarrassing in September. You're getting Mediterranean sunshine for the price of a train to Manchester. Temperatures across southern Europe sit at 24-27 degrees through most of the month.

Split, Croatia from £79 return on Ryanair from Stansted is another one that catches people off guard. The Adriatic is still warm enough to swim in, the summer crowds have thinned out, and you're not paying peak-season rates for restaurants or accommodation either.

If you don't have school-age kids, September is the single best month to travel in the whole year. The school holiday surcharge evaporates overnight on 1 September, and most people don't realise it until they're already back at their desks wondering why they went in August.

Istanbul from £89 return on Pegasus from Heathrow is genuinely hard to beat in September. Turkish Airlines sometimes matches that fare, also from Heathrow, and the city is far easier to get around once the summer peak dies down.

Worth checking Wizz Air and Pegasus both for Istanbul, as prices shift between the two week to week. Set an alert for both and see which one drops first. Bag fees apply on both, so factor in around £20-25 each way if you're taking more than a personal item.

September also works well for the Canaries if you want guaranteed heat without the August premium. Gran Canaria from £81 return on Jet2 from Manchester is a solid shout, and you'll get 27-28 degrees without the resort chaos of July. The Canaries are one of the few places where September barely feels different to August weather-wise, just cheaper and quieter.

Flying out on 24 December instead of 23 December is often £40-60 cheaper on most routes. Most people want to travel on the 23rd to squeeze more time out of the break, which drives that date up. If you can sort your Christmas Eve differently, the saving is real.

Tenerife from £107 return on Jet2 over Christmas week is one of the cheapest ways to get winter sun without burning your annual leave on a long-haul trip. Lanzarote from £97 return on easyJet from Gatwick is the other one worth checking, especially if you're flexible on exact dates around the 23rd to 27th window.

Both islands sit around 21-22 degrees in late December. It won't feel like summer, but it's a world away from a grey North London street at 4pm. Pack a light jacket for the evenings and you're sorted.

Prague, Lisbon, and Amsterdam all come in at £89-139 return for New Year's Eve from various UK airports, depending on how early you book and which carrier you use. Prague is typically the cheapest of the three. easyJet fly Lisbon from Gatwick and Amsterdam from several UK airports. Wizz Air cover Prague from Luton for competitive fares.

New Year's Eve in a European city costs a fraction of what you'd spend on a London hotel and dinner out. That's not a sales pitch, it's just maths. The flights are the easy bit; accommodation on 31 December books up fast so lock that in as soon as the flights are sorted.

The most important tip for Christmas flights is this: January is when the deals appear for December. Airlines drop their Christmas inventory early in the new year, before summer demand inflates everything. Right now in March 2026, Christmas fares are creeping up but there are still decent prices available if you move this week rather than waiting until October when everyone else panics.

Set a price alert on Google Flights for your preferred Christmas route today. Check it once a week. When you see a fare that matches the kind of numbers above, book it. Waiting for a better deal in November is how people end up spending £280 return to Tenerife.