Some carriers do not hesitate to multiply their fares, up to six for the Eurostar. A return to normal is expected next week, or even early October depending on the airlines.
Since the announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the prices of transport tickets have skyrocketed. Train, bus or plane, the prices have been multiplied by two, or even six times for some. The most significant increase goes to Air France, with a price of 389 euros for a flight between Paris and London on Monday, September 19 in the morning, the day of the Queen’s funeral. Usually, the prices are rather below 100 euros, and even go down to 64 euros for some tickets. The company states that it provides “five flights per day between Paris and London, i.e. between 11,000 and 12,000 seats per week“. “These flights were already almost full over the period“Before the death of the queen, justifies Air France.
The train is also impacted by this event, with a minimum fare of 241 euros for this weekend and 190 euros for September 19, fares equivalent to busy holiday periods. “We have seen a slight increase in bookings for the weekend before Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. However, we are not able to attribute this to this specific event.“says Eurostar. For the month of October, prices drop from 86 to 190 euros, then can go down to 57 euros on weekdays in November.
Buses “soon to be full”
For its part, FlixBus has recorded a 17% increase in its reservations to the United Kingdom since September 14. “They remain high until the day of the Queen’s funeral“, completes the carrier. An identical tendency can be observed in the monarchy.where the lines, from the north in particular, show bookings up by up to 20% for the weekend“. To make a Paris-London bus trip, you have to pay a minimum of 60 euros, instead of the usual 35. According to FlixBus, “a return to normal activity is planned from September 20“.
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BlaBlaCar also observes “a marked increase in reservations for its buses to London from France“. In all, five buses leave daily from Paris to London and two from Lille. “Bookings have already increased by 25% compared to last weekend» and the company «anticipates that his buses will soon be full“. There are still a few places available from 50 euros, for about 9 hours of travel. Same price for a carpool from Paris to London on September 19, at 51 euros. Compared to other carriers, the increase is the least significant at BlaBlaCar since tickets are normally 35 euros for the same journey.