The Balearics is very much going to be the place to be this summer but, as the industry has been warning, holidays are running out and now the airlines are cashing in.
The latest package holiday sales stats for the end of January again demonstrate the huge swing towards Spanish destinations in the UK, and today a senior member of the UK travel industry admitted that the airlines are cashing in on this huge spike in demand. “They all know the demand is going to be high so they (the airlines) are just filling their boots,” the source told the Bulletin.
According to a search on the Skyscanner website, not one airline operating between Palma and any of the London airports was today offering return flights for two adults with only one set of hand luggage for under 700 euros. In fact, one no-frills airline, by the time hold luggage had been added on, was charging just over 1,000 euros for what would have been a four-day round trip to the capital.
Having been tracking the prices for the past two weeks, instead of getting cheaper, they are getting more expensive. So, with local Balearic tourism industry sources having confirmed that the current rate of demand means that the quota of accommodation which has been contractually booked by British tour operators for this summer is nearly all booked out, the airlines are going to cash in on people opting for independent holidays.
Granted, the leading UK tour operators are locked in talks with leading hotel chains to try and secure more occupancy to meet demand, but so are operators from other key countries as well. The auction is on and price is proving to be king.
Those families opting for a self-catering holiday, renting accommodation and making their own way here to the Balearics, in particular Palma, or indeed visiting friends and family, here or in the UK, are going to be in for a shock when they start looking for flights.