Travel question: My booked trip to Spain has no return flight, what should I do?

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Getting back from Costa Blanca at the end-of-season can be a tricky ordeal

Q In January I booked flights from Doncaster to Alicante to take the family to Calpe on Spain’s Costa Blanca, travelling out on Saturday 26 October with a planned return on 2 November. I wrongly assumed that there would be a return flight, but it now appears there will not be. I am at a loss to know what to do now. I could book with another airline to get back home, I suppose, or cancel the whole holiday – which I don't really want to do. What should I do?

Stuart B

A Regrettably you have been caught in the end-of-season disarray when, all of a sudden in late October, airlines change to winter schedules – which means far fewer flights to the Mediterranean, especially from smaller airports such as Doncaster-Sheffield.

I imagine you have got a good fare for the outbound flight. At present it is priced at just £50, reflecting the difficulty of returning. Coming back on 2 November, I think there is zero chance of any airline flying from Alicante to Doncaster. It is a question of finding what you can from Spain to a reasonable alternative airport.

Ryanair from Alicante to Edinburgh on the evening of 2 November is the best deal to anywhere in the UK at £63 one way, but that leaves you more than 200 miles away from South Yorkshire.

The best deal I can see to a better-placed area is £139 per person on Ryanair from Alicante to Manchester at 11am on the Saturday morning. Or you can save £21 each, taking the fare down to £118, flying at 10pm on Friday evening. None of these options is ideal, but such is the nature of end-of-season travel. Last October I ended up paying over £200 for a two-hour hop from Palma to Gatwick.

The lesson which I, and you, have learned the hard way is: at the end of the season, sort out your homeward flight before you arrange the outbound departure.

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