How can I avoid sky-high airfares on half-term Switzerland ski trip?

Have a question? Ask our expert Simon Calder

Holidaymakers can end up paying 10 times more than the off-season rate (cdbrphotography)

Q This year’s skiing flights at February half-term were expensive so I thought I’d try to book earlier for next year. But for Saturday flights over half-term (15-22 February 2020), Swiss International Air Lines is already charging £1,161 for a Heathrow-Zurich return. If you go during a non-half-term period (for example two weeks earlier) the fare is £125 return. If you look at seat availability, the planes are still nearly empty, so this is not a case of the cheap seats having already gone. British Airways appears to be doing the same.

Has there ever been any successful challenge to any airline applying such obvious profiteering – deliberately planning to charge 10 times more – over school holidays?

Alan K