Summer Holiday Flights 2026: Book Now or Pay More Later

Summer flight prices follow a consistent pattern: they hold relatively flat through January and February, then start climbing from late March as the school holiday dates become clear and family bookings accelerate. Late March is the last window where July and August fares are still near their early-bird lows.

Data from 2024 and 2025 shows that waiting until May to book July school-holiday travel costs on average 25–40% more than booking in March. By June, the premium over March prices is typically 50–70% on popular sun routes. This isn't speculation — it's the consistent pricing pattern across Ryanair, easyJet, Jet2 and TUI.

The routes where this matters most are the Spanish and Greek islands, Canary Islands, and Portuguese Algarve — all heavily driven by UK family demand in July/August. The routes where it matters less are city breaks to Central Europe and Eastern Europe, where demand is less concentrated on school-holiday dates.

Faro (FAO), Algarve — from Gatwick, Manchester, Bristol: easyJet and Ryanair both compete here. Booking now for July, you're looking at around £60–90 one-way from Gatwick on easyJet, or £55–80 from Stansted on Ryanair. By May, expect these to reach £110–140 one-way.

Heraklion (HER), Crete — from Gatwick or Manchester: easyJet from Gatwick is showing around £75–105 one-way for late July. Jet2 from Manchester is competitive at similar pricing with checked bags included — factor that in when comparing. Crete is long enough (3h 30m) that it stays less popular than Malaga or Alicante, keeping prices slightly softer.

Palermo (PMO), Sicily — from Stansted: Ryanair's Stansted–Palermo route is one of the least-repriced Mediterranean options right now. July fares showing around £55–80 one-way. Sicily in July is hot (34–38°C) but less crowded than the Spanish costas.

Dubrovnik (DBV), Croatia — from Gatwick or Manchester: easyJet from Gatwick showing £80–110 one-way for late July. Croatia's Adriatic coast is increasingly popular but still noticeably cheaper than equivalent Greek or Spanish islands once you're there.

Tenerife (TFS), year-round destination: Jet2 from Manchester or Gatwick, booking now for August, showing £95–130 one-way. The Canaries are always good value for guaranteed sun, especially useful if you're risk-averse about European summer weather.

Book the outbound and return separately when carriers differ. Sometimes Ryanair has the cheapest outbound and easyJet the cheapest return, or vice versa. Booking as two one-ways rather than a return through one carrier is worth checking on every route.

Saturday departures cost more than Tuesday–Thursday. For summer family travel, Saturday 1 August is peak pricing. If you can shift to Thursday July 30 or Sunday August 2, you'll save £20–45 per person on the outbound.

Stansted vs Gatwick vs Luton on the same route. Ryanair (Stansted/Luton) and easyJet (Gatwick/Luton) often serve the same summer destinations at different prices. The transport cost to the airport is a real factor — a £20 saving on the fare that requires an extra 40-minute journey may not be worth it, but a £50+ saving usually is.

Jet2's inclusive pricing. On routes they serve (mainly from Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Glasgow), Jet2 includes 22kg checked baggage and often beats the total cost of Ryanair or easyJet once bags are added. Always compare total prices, not headline fares.

Some routes have already repriced beyond reasonable value for the summer period. Ibiza (IBZ) from Gatwick or Manchester is the clearest example — July one-way fares from Gatwick are already £130–180 on easyJet, with August even higher. Ibiza commands a premium and it's already been applied.

Mykonos (JMK) from Heathrow or Gatwick is similarly gone: British Airways and Aegean are showing £200+ one-way for August. This isn't a budget-airline route. Santorini (JTR) is comparable — not served by UK budget carriers, full-service fares already at premium levels.

The right response to these pricing levels is to look at adjacent destinations. For Ibiza, consider Menorca (MAH) — quieter, cheaper, easyJet from Gatwick showing £75–95 one-way for July. For Mykonos and Santorini, consider Rhodes (RHO) or Heraklion (HER) — better value and better suited to most UK travellers anyway.