Are Flights More Expensive in School Holidays? UK to Europe

How Much More Each School Holiday Cost 🎒

Here's every school holiday we tracked, airline by airline, each against the same routes on the same day of the week in the 2 weeks either side:

Easter had the biggest jump over the weeks around it: about 65% more with Ryanair and 60% with easyJet and Jet2, and dearer on 95% of routes. A typical Ryanair fare out of England, booked 6 to 8 weeks ahead, was £27 in the weeks around Easter and £42 in the holidays. With easyJet it was £51 and £87.

May half term came next, at about 35% more with Ryanair and easyJet. The summer holidays cost about 10% to 15% more than the 2 weeks either side, though the weeks just before them, in early July, were already dearer than usual. Going out in October half term cost about the same, or a little more with Ryanair.

Each holiday is measured against its own weeks either side, so this isn't a ranking of which holiday costs the most overall. It's how much more you paid for flying in the holiday rather than just before or after it.

One Real Route Across Easter 🔎

Here's what that looks like on one real route: the same daily Ryanair flight from London Stansted to Kraków, priced 6 to 8 weeks before each day it flew.

It was typically £52 in the weeks either side and £75 in the holidays, with the first weekend and Good Friday the dearest days. We picked it by rule, not for drama: a daily flight priced on almost every day, with its own Easter jump close to Ryanair's typical one.

The First Weekend Costs the Most 📅

The holiday as a whole only tells half the story. Here's May half term day by day, with the week either side:

✈️ Flying out: fares were already 70% higher on the Friday before half term began, and nearly three times the usual on the first Saturday. Then they fell day by day through the week. By the Wednesday, flying out cost only about 10% more than usual, and on the last Friday it cost 35% less.

✈️ Flying home: the other way round. Coming home on the first weekend was cheaper than usual, and on the last Saturday it cost more than three and a half times as much.

Here's the same pattern on one real easyJet route, London Luton to Paris:

It was £45 the Saturday before half term and £137 on its first Saturday, then £141 on the bank holiday Monday. By the last day of half term it was down to £29.

Easter and the summer holidays went the same way. The first week of the Easter holidays cost more than double the weeks either side to fly out, the second week about 35% more, and the last weekend about the same. In the summer, the first fortnight cost 40% to 50% more:

Coming Home Is the Other Way Round 🏠

Flying home to England cost more in every holiday, and in October half term far more than flying out:

October half term looked cheap going out, but flying home cost about 85% more with Ryanair and easyJet together, and 140% more with Jet2. Here it is day by day:

Flying out on the first Saturday cost about double the usual. By the end of the week, flying out was 40% cheaper than usual, while flying home on the last Saturday cost more than three and a half times as much. At the end of the summer holidays, flying home on the bank holiday Monday cost more than two and a half times the usual.

Going a Week Earlier or Later 🗓️

If you're not tied to the school dates, a week either way made a big difference:

Flying out on the first weekend of May half term cost 175% more than the weekend before. A typical Ryanair fare was £136 on that first weekend, against £45 a week earlier. And flying home on the last weekend of the summer holidays cost 145% more than a week later.

There's more on which days are cheapest outside the holidays in the cheapest day to fly to Europe: Tuesday out and Wednesday home. And for the whole year, month by month, see the cheapest month to fly to Europe.

Ryanair, easyJet, Jet2 and Wizz Air 🛫

The pattern was the same with all four airlines, but the sizes differed:

✈️ Ryanair and easyJet were close: about 65% and 60% more at Easter, about 35% in May half term.

✈️ Jet2 was the same at Easter, about 60% more, but had smaller jumps going out after that: 25% in May half term and about the same in October half term. Coming home, it had the biggest jump of all, 140% more in October half term.

✈️ Wizz Air had the biggest Easter jump, almost double, though on a smaller group of 17 routes. We don't have enough Wizz Air prices for the weeks after May half term to measure it.

There's more on each airline in the best time to book flights to Europe.

February Half Term ❄️

February half term isn't in our data. Our tracking began on 17th January, too late to price February half term flights 6 to 8 weeks ahead. If that's when you can go, our February half term city breaks are every trip that fits inside it.

About This Research 🔍

• What we tracked: one-way base fares per person, without bags, on the Ryanair, easyJet, Jet2 and Wizz Air flights we tracked between airports in England and Europe. Not every flight.
• How we compared: each flight priced 6 to 8 weeks before it left. Each holiday against the same routes in the 2 weeks either side, on the same day of the week (a Saturday in the holiday against the Saturdays either side), because the day you fly makes a difference too.
• Holiday dates: England's 2026 term dates. Easter: 28th March to 12th April. May half term: 23rd to 31st May. Summer: 18th July to 1st September. October half term: 24th October to 1st November. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own dates, so these figures are for airports in England.
• Flying home: flights from Europe into airports in England, compared the same way.
• How many: 39,921 Ryanair and easyJet flights out of England and 39,464 home, across the four holidays and their weeks either side. At Easter, 232 Ryanair and easyJet routes, 60 Jet2 and 17 Wizz Air.
• Rounded on purpose: to the nearest 5%. The sizes shift a little depending on how you measure them, so treat them as observed differences, not exact prices.
• One year of data, so these are 2026's patterns.

📌 Key points

• Flying out at Easter cost about 60% more than the 2 weeks either side, and May half term about 35% more.
• The summer holidays cost about 15% more, and October half term about the same going out.
• The first Saturday was the dearest day to fly out: nearly three times the usual in May half term.
• Flying home was dearest on the last weekend, and October half term cost about 85% more coming home.
• Flying out a week before the first weekend cost far less, especially at Easter and May half term.

Questions People Ask 💬

Are Flights More Expensive in School Holidays?

Yes. In our 2026 fare tracking, flying out of England at Easter cost about 60% more than the same routes in the 2 weeks either side, May half term about 35% more and the summer holidays about 15% more. October half term cost about the same going out, but about 85% more coming home.

How Much More Expensive Are Flights in Half Term?

In May half term, flying out cost about 35% more than the 2 weeks either side, and flying home about 60% more. The first Saturday cost the most to fly out, nearly three times the usual. In October half term, flying out cost about the same, but flying home cost about 85% more.

What Is the Cheapest Day to Fly in Half Term?

In May half term, the cheapest day to fly out was the last Friday, 35% less than usual, and the cheapest to fly home was the first weekend. The dearest were the first Saturday to fly out and the last Saturday to fly home.

Are Flights Cheaper at the End of the Summer Holidays?

Flying out, yes. In the last fortnight of the summer holidays, fares out were about 10% to 15% below the weeks either side. Flying home, no: the last few days cost the most, more than double the weeks either side.

Is It Cheaper to Fly the Week Before Half Term?

Yes, much cheaper. Flying out on the weekend before May half term cost about a third as much as its first weekend. A typical Ryanair fare was £45, against £136 on the first weekend.

How Much More Do Flights Cost at Easter?

In our 2026 tracking, flying out in the Easter holidays cost about 60% more than the same routes in the 2 weeks either side, and it was dearer on 95% of routes. The first week cost the most.

Can I Use These Figures?

Yes. Media outlets, websites and other publications are welcome to use them, but must credit Europe Unlocked with a link to this page.

We've done the searching, so you don't have to. Find city breaks from your airport, with lots under £100, or see every half term city break that fits the school dates.