Travel firms cash in with bumped up weekend flight prices
It's no secret that holiday firms increase prices during the school holidays but new research has revealed travel companies regularly boost their takings further by bumping up prices for those wishing to fly at a weekend.
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Research by consumer watchdog Which? found that families could save hundreds of pounds simply by switching the day of their departure.
As the school holidays begin, the price of many family holidays rises (in some cases by as much as 70 per cent) but the survey revealed an easy cost-saving switch could make flying cheaper.
Cited as an example was a one-week break in Majorca - a family of four flying in August could expect to pay £2,334 with Thomson if departing on a Saturday morning. However, if the same family left for their holiday on a Thursday evening, the cost would be £1,480, saving £854.
Following their investigation, Which? said: "Based on our search, you could save an average of £339 by departing on a weekday, rather than a weekend during the holidays.
"In fact, seven of the eight most expensive departure days we found were Saturdays. We also found differences of more than £100 between different midweek departure days, so it's worth searching multiple dates."
Which? Travel editor, Lorna Cowan, told the Daily Mail: "It is encouraging to see that you can make significant savings on a family holiday - as long as you are willing to be flexible about departure dates and are prepared to spend some time doing your research."
What do you think? Do holiday firms have families over a barrel with their school holiday prices? Leave a comment below...
