Flights from popular holiday destinations are full into next week as airlines scramble to get tens of thousands of Britons home.
Searches of easyJet and British Airways’ websites revealed the extent of the repatriation effort, with any flights that do have availability priced at more than £400 one way in an attempt to stop new customers booking.
Availability from holiday hotspots such as Palma, Alicante and Sicily is particularly low, with some routes, including to London, Birmingham and Manchester, showing as sold out until Tuesday.
EasyJet has launched repatriation flights from Spain, Portugal and Greece and is putting on larger aircraft where possible to clear the passenger backlog.
British Airways said it would extend its “middle seat policy” of using all three seats in each row of short-haul business class, meaning it can extend its economy cabin by bringing the curtain forward. It said the move had created an extra 8,000 seats since Tuesday.