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Flight prices down 10% in 2016, claims Kayak

The cost of flying to more than three quarters of the top 20 most popular destinations from the UK dropped by an average of 10% in the first quarter of the year.

Flights to Dubai were down by 17% year-on-year to £336; New York by 15% to £371 and Bangkok by 12% to £497, according to analysis by travel search engine Kayak.co.uk.

New York was the most-searched-for destination, with flights from London to JFK a dropping by 20% from £432 to £347.

The cost of flying from Manchester to Los Angeles fell by 21% to £429 in the first quarter of 2016 compared to the same period last year.

Significant price drops emerged on routes to European destinations, with Berlin seeing the greatest fall of 23% to £83.

Berlin represented one of the largest drops in average flight prices for flights departing from the UK at 23% (£107 vs. £83).

Flights from Gatwick to Dublin also dropped an average 23% to £51, while Edinburgh to Amsterdam was down by 21% to £80. Manchester to Amsterdam rates fell by an average of 21% to £83.

The Dutch city was the most popular European destination followed by Paris, Malaga and Dublin.

Kayak UK, Ireland and Nordics regional director, Loella Pehrsson, said: “For the past year, we’ve noticed that flight prices to many of the UK’s most searched for destinations have, on average, been dropping rather than increasing, which is also serving as an indicator that this trend might be here to stay.

“There are various factors explaining why the prices may have reduced on average over the year, from competition between airlines to lower fuel costs for planes.

“With the pound having weakened against the euro over the past year, these falling flight prices are certainly helping to make up for it for British travellers.”

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