Spain, Turkey, Portugal and Greece warning to UK travellers
People planning to travel to countries such as Spain and Greece have been hit with a warning.
Data obtained by the Mirror shows UK travellers are having to pay huge sums more for winter getaway flights now than before the pandemic. Analysis of plane ticket prices carried out by comparison site Hopper highlights the routes where holidaymakers are not getting value for their money, and those where prices are actually inflation-busting.
Flights from more than 200 airlines were compared between now and in January 2020, and the results show some routes have skyrocketed, while others are actually cheaper now.
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The prices shown below are not based on all available flights but give the average “good deal price” – which a typical leisure traveller should expect to pay – available at the end of January 2020, compared with the end of January 2024.
It will be possible to find cheaper flights than the prices shown on some budget carriers, but the trend across the four years remains.
The biggest hike seen was for return flights from the UK to Menorca in Spain. Average flight prices have shot up from £178 in 2020 to £291 now – a 63% increase.
Had the price of journeys to the Balearic Island followed inflation, it would cost £232 now. Trips to Barcelona also rose 30% from £143 to £187, while flights to Malaga rose from £192 to £246, an increase of 28%.
Most of the routes looked at which were more expensive now had risen by smaller amounts than the UK’s 30% inflation since 2020. But this doesn’t mean the average holidaymaker will not feel those price rises keenly, especially if their wage increases have not kept pace, as many people’s haven’t.
Biggest price increases include Spain, Greece, Portugal and Turkey
(Location, price in January 2020, price in January 2024, percentage difference, price in 2024 if inflation followed)
- Minorca Island, Spain: £178, £291, 63%, £232
- Barcelona, Spain: £143, £187, 30%, £186
- Malaga, Spain: £192, £246, 28%, £250
- Athens, Greece: £182, £223, 23%, £237
- Mykonos, Greece: £278, £340, 22%, £362
- Faro, Portugal: £196, £234,19%, £250
- Porto, Portugal:£155, £182, 17%, £202
- Ibiza Town, Spain: £182, £213, 17%, £237
- Izmir, Turkey: £216, £244, 13%, £282
- Bodrum, Turkey: £276, £311, 12%, £360
There are also plenty of destinations which are cheaper now than they were in 2020, both in real terms and once inflation is taken into account.
The cheapest winter holiday destinations
(Location, price in January 2020, price in January 2024, percentage difference, price in 2024 if inflation followed)
- Funchal, Portugal: £259, £207, -20%, £338
- Lesbos, Greece: £379, £321,-15%, £494
- Souda, Greece: £364, £318, -13%, £475
- Tenerife, Spain: £339, £296, -13%, £449
- Antalya, Turkey: £248, £235, -5%, £323
- Lisbon, Portugal: £170, £165, -3%, £222
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