Half-term flights without paying the half-term premium

Anyone with school-age children knows the feeling: the same flight costs twice as much the week the schools break up. Airlines know families have less choice, and price accordingly.

The premium isn't even

Prices climb most on the first Saturday of a holiday and the last Sunday before school starts. Flying out on the Friday evening, or back on a midweek day, often costs noticeably less.

Things worth trying

• Check whether a nearby airport is cheaper once you add rail or parking costs.
• Look at routes rather than destinations: a city two hours from where you want to be can be a fraction of the fare.
• Remember that term dates differ by council. Scotland's half-terms fall at different times from England's, which can shift demand.
• Set a wish for the dates you need, so you hear when the price falls instead of checking every day.

Seatdrops measures half-term fares against what they usually cost in half-term, not against quiet weeks, so a half-term drop is a real saving for those dates.