
Joan on The Last Work with Matt Cooper Thursday Sept. 5
The battle for forward bookings has begun with Aer Lingus Dream Fares and Ryanair 900,000 seat sale
The good summer has been hard on business with more people staying at home and fewer people rushing to make bookings for autumn and winter breaks. I also think the fares went far too high this summer and put people off.
So just to encourage you, there is still sun in Europe and you can fly to Spain, Portugal, France and Italy with Aer Lingus from €100-€140 and with Ryanair from €90 – 120. Best value I have seen is Biarritz, gateway to the Basque country, for €59. Most of these flights are only until the end of October. Malaga and Barcelona will operate all year.
After October, its Canaries time and we are lucky to have flights with both Aer Lingus and Ryanair to Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Tenerife and not just from Dublin but from regional airports too. Aer Lingus flights are around €185 and Ryanair €150.
Best value through the autumn and winter will be city breaks, where flights will be in the range of €80 - €120 with both airlines. UK regional airports are even cheaper with most flights under €80.
There’s no reason why you can’t have a weekend in Europe for under €250 and with the Christmas markets beginning at the end November, a lovely time to go. My top tips for the winter are Budapest for the Christmas markets and Venice for romance without the hordes.
Skiing options will include Geneva, Munich and Milan for access to the Alps and Dolomites.
Transatlantic fares drop nicely for good value trips over the winter with fares from €219 each way and there are plenty in the system. October is about €80 return dearer.
Find hotels in Europe with accorhotels.com who own the brands Ibis, Mercure, Novotel, Pullman among the names we might know, with rates from €44 per night. There is a big promotion on at present. In the UK Travelodge.com are having a sale and prices are from £25 per night.
Aer Lingus sale fares are until March and Ryanair for October and November with some spilling over into December