May is looking to be a great month for booking cheap last-minute holiday deals, agents and operators have confirmed.
Prices for short-haul breaks in May are dropping in the six week run-up to the Queenâs Diamond Jubilee celebrations and booking now should secure the best bargain.
Although you do run the risk of the holiday selling out, itâs been shown that the âgrab-and-goâ method will probably work out as the cheapest option. And flights are available from most major UK airports, such as Heathrow and Luton.
Mark Atwell, managing director at Dealchecker, said: âIn this market, booking at short notice will usually secure the best deal.
âTo be exact â youâll get the cheapest price on a package holiday if you can hold off booking until one month before.â
For example, if you’ve booked a seven-night break to Spain in May around five months ago it would cost on average ÂŁ300, whereas if you book it now, itâs available for ÂŁ200.
This actually comes as a surprise with many not expecting the bigger companies to drop their prices.
Maria Whiteman, chief executive at Directline Holidays, said: âI didnât expect short-haul prices to drop in May because most operators â especially Thomas Cook â dramatically slashed capacity in expectation of a tough year.
âIn fact, there are some amazing prices in May, some made possible by bedbanks working with local carriers offering cheap flights.â
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