With British MPs still debating the controversial issue of school holiday pricing, leading travel search site Skyscanner, reassures its customers that there are ways to make a much-needed family holiday affordable – regardless of the debate’s outcome. Here’s how…

Spend time wisely…With precious little spare time, frazzled parents will find comparison sites like Skyscanner one-stop shops, helping its users compare the widest range of airlines and online travel agents. Making the most of Skyscanner’s price alerts also ensures the site is doing the hard work for its customers, monitoring the latest price changes on a chosen route and emailing when the price goes up or down. Prices can also be monitored with the Skyscanner app through the widgets for Android, Live Tiles for Windows Phone and the “watch” functionality on iOS.

Be flexible…It pays to be open-minded when it comes to booking flights as well as picking the destination. With Skyscanner’s ‘Everywhere’ search tool, families are able to find destinations and alternative airports that offer the best value flights at any time.

Book your departure flight with one airline and return with another…Fares don’t have to be booked as returns and a family can save money by flying out with one airline and back with another. For example, flying from Gatwick to Faro in August will cost a family of four £100 less if they book the outbound with easyJet and the inbound with Monarch, compared to booking a return with easyJet for the same dates*.

Be a savvy booker…Parents may be forced to travel during the school holidays but they can at least choose the days they depart and return, which can have a huge effect on the cost of a flight. Try using Skyscanner’s month view to find the cheapest days to travel. Generally, midweek is cheapest, so try to avoid travelling at weekends if possible.

Book ahead…Having analysed millions of flights, Skyscanner is able to offer insider tips with its Best Time To Book tool. Giving families advice on how much they should be spending on a flight to a particular destination (e.g. £153pp on flights to Spain in August) and how far in advance it’s best to book (e.g. book five weeks before Spain departures).

Happy holidays!

*Flights to Gatwick from Faro from 4-11 August, as per Skyscanner.net on 21 February 2014

© Skyscanner