Simon Calder, also known as The Man Who Pays His Way, has been writing about travel for The Independent since 1994. In his weekly opinion column, he explores a key travel issue – and what it means for you.
On the scale of issues facing the world in this bleak midwinter, the question I have just had from a reader looks fairly well down the list.
The dilemma faced by “Old Banker”, as the reader self-describes, is this: to book or not to book a flight to the Canary Islands?
Yet as we look to the future (as Slade memorably first sang half a century ago in “Merry Christmas Everybody”), many prospective travellers face the issue of the ideal time to commit to a particular departure.
“I have just tried to book a trip with British Airways to Lanzarote in November next year,” Old Banker explains.
“They tell me their winter 2024-25 schedule has no flights at all to the Canaries except Tenerife, and that is only two per week.
“Surely they can’t have abandoned one of Europe’s most popular winter destinations?”
Around now, British Airways has started selling many flights worldwide for any date next November. Tickets normally go on sale 255 days in advance, which means you can buy a flight from London to Lagos or Los Angeles, for example, right through the 11th month of next year.
Yet you cannot book BA to Lanzarote. As the reader says, BA has a twice-weekly service (Fridays and Saturdays) from London Heathrow to Tenerife South. But you will look in vain for flights in British Airways colours to any of the other Canary Islands. For now, at least.
At this point, you might be thinking: “Why not just book on another airline.” Flying out on 1 November, back two weeks later, easyJet has a choice of three flights outbound from London Gatwick and two inbound. Fares are as low as £101 return – an excellent price for a flight of 1,700 miles each way.
Yet I do not advise that anyone books yet, even at what looks to be an enticing fare.
First, the choice of flights will only increase. British Airways appears largely to have set its Heathrow and London City schedules for next November. But its Gatwick operation is run by a separate subsidiary, BA EuroFlyer.
By all accounts the schedule for next winter is still being finalised. I cannot find, for example, any links on British Airways from Gatwick even to the key Spanish destinations of Alicante and Malaga.
I contacted BA on the reader’s behalf and was told by a spokesperson: “Our full schedule for winter 2024 is not on sale yet but should be in due course. We keep our global network under constant review.”
This winter British Airways has a daily link from Gatwick to Lanzarote and I am confident there will be a similar operation in November 2024.
Next, while it is unlikely BA will offer a fare as low as £101 return, travellers should always compare like with like. All British Airways fares allow a large carry-on bag along with a second, smaller piece of cabin baggage. If you wish to take a roll-along case aboard those easyJet flights, the fare leaps to £157 return.
Most crucially: a lot can change in 11 months, from family events to professional commitments.
Unlike Christmas 2024 flights – which you might wisely book as soon as they go on sale early in January – I cannot see any point committing to an itinerary for what is a very low-season time of year. For a flight to the Canary Islands in November next year, I would not even look until the start of October 2024. Who knows what will happen by then?
