Travel Question: Is it too early to say ‘I do’ to expensive wedding flights?

Got a question? Ask our expert

Croatia’s Galesnjak Island looks like an ideal wedding venue... but don’t book just yet

Q My niece is getting married in Croatia in September 2020. Jet2 has just released its flights for next summer. I have been quoted a hideous £426 return from Leeds to Split in September 2020. Will they get cheaper or should I book now?

Ian McG

A I don’t blame Jet2 for posting absurdly high prices on this route, just in case anyone out is daft enough to pay them, but I urge you to defer your purchase for at least a year. With the exception of inbound flights on the first few days of September, which are filled with returning families, the month is always a buyer’s market for tickets between the UK and southern Europe.

The airline is certainly going to have to cut the fares dramatically if it has any hope of filling the link between Leeds Bradford and Split 18 months from now. Fares between West Yorkshire and the Croatian city for mid-September this year are currently around £100-£150 return. I would expect the same price levels to prevail for next year.

If, in March 2020, there are similar fares, then you could commit at that point. But equally it might be worth waiting until, say, July in the hope of picking up a bargain. The worst that can happen is that the flight might go up a bit, but then you could always see if cheaper departures are available from other nearby airports.

I happen to have just booked a round-trip to northern Spain and southern France for September this year, but only because the fares were so absurdly low (a total of £50 out to Girona and back from Toulouse) that it is difficult to see them falling any further.

One more good reason for waiting at least a year: wedding plans can change, and if either the date or the location happens to shift, it would be good not to be left holding a useless booking.

Every day, our travel correspondent, Simon Calder, tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder