ForwardKeys, a travel analytics company, analysed airfares to the Mediterranean this summer and according to the company “there are two trends taking shape” when looking at the Flight Search data provided by Skyscanner (a metasearch engine and travel agency) for July and August.

The first is that it appears that out of the UK, France, Germany, and the Netherlands – key source markets for Southern Europe; the UK has the most heavily discounted airfares, down by approximately 30 percent. The Netherlands is next in line with discounted airfares to Spain, Italy, Greece, and Portugal” writes ForwardKeys on its website.

Meanwhile, out of the four main markets, only 3 airfares (Germany to Italy, Germany to Spain and France to Italy) have increased. “Simply put, when there are fewer seats and flights available, fares go up,” mentioned the Senior Researcher at ForwardKeys, Luis Millan.

The second trend has a lot to do with the governments take on safety regarding the pandemic and travel agreements between countries, which impacts demand and therefore causes a fluctuation in airfares and bookings.

“We have started to see a clear correlation between official announcements of restrictive travel policies or flight corridors and demand. For example, the UK government imposed a 14-day quarantine on travellers from Spain on 25 July, and by 26 July, there already was a drop of -39 percent in searches from the UK to Spain,” highlights Millan on the website.