School holiday flights: Stagger summer and half-term holidays to cut soaring prices, urges aviation expert

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Jonathan Hinkles, former chief executive of Loganair, said: “Most airlines make profits during the summer and lose money in the winter – if they cannot make a profit in summer, they will go out of business.” He warned: “Any conceivable model to regulate airline and/or holiday pricing in peak season will cause market failures if airlines are no longer able to make summer profits to sustain themselves through winter.” In addition, accommodation providers overseas who were asked to cut their rates because of a ‘cap’ on UK package holiday prices would simply sell the rooms to families from other countries. The aviation expert said: “School terms in England and Wales follow a near-identical pattern with 13 weeks of holiday per year – confining peak travel demand into 25 per cent of the year. “There are a handful of examples where this is already achieved in the UK – for example, Waltham Forest takes its October half-term one week earlier than other London boroughs.” “Demand for flights and holidays would be diffused, aligning supply with demand and avoiding ultra-peak prices.” In addition, he said, the UK domestic tourism industry – accommodation and attractions – would see a substantial boost from being able to service a longer period of demand instead of a short peak period in which it operates at full capacity. “This artificial supply-side constraint drives up the selling prices of remaining air seats and holidays for the October half-term and Easter holidays.” Summarising his recommendations, Mr Hinkles said: “No new legislation would be required, and the initiative would be achieved through liaison by the Department for Transport with the aviation industry and by the Department for Education with local education authorities.” Large holiday companies are represented by Abta.