AUTUMN IS NO LONGER THE LOW SEASON: SPANIARDS ARE BOOKING 88 PER CENT MORE FLIGHTS, WITH VERY MODERATE PRICES

Flying this autumn costs Spanish travellers virtually the same as it did a year ago, according to data from Kiwi.com. The average ticket price per passenger stands at 137.66 euros, just 1.1 per cent higher than in autumn 2025, whilst the median price has actually fallen by 1.5 per cent to 106 euros. Against this backdrop, bookings made on Kiwi.com, a leading travel technology company, by Spanish customers for departures between 1 September and 30 November have risen by 93.6 per cent, whilst the number of passengers has increased by 87.8 per cent*.

A breakdown by distance confirms the stability in fares. Short-haul fares rose by 1.6 per cent to an average of 98.68 euros per passenger, whilst medium-haul fares fell by 1.4 per cent to 150.50 euros. The only notable increase is in long-haul flights, which are 13.9 per cent more expensive, with an average of 547.95 euros, although this is also the segment with the lowest share of the Spanish autumn market.

The strongest growth is evident within Spain’s own borders. Spain tops the destination rankings with a 126.9 per cent increase in passenger numbers, ahead of Italy (+81.1 per cent), the United Kingdom (+64.8 per cent), Germany (+99.9 per cent), Portugal (+61.6 per cent) and France (+91.0 per cent). None of the top twenty destinations has seen a decline.

Autumn also confirms its status as the island season. Ibiza saw growth of 224.5 per cent, Lanzarote 196.0 per cent, Menorca 183.8 per cent, Palma de Mallorca 163.0 per cent and Las Palmas 127.6 per cent – a trend suggesting that travellers are avoiding August and making the most of the late summer weather. Inland, Seville recorded growth of 162.9 per cent, Bilbao 155.6 per cent, Alicante 145.3 per cent, Málaga 143.7 per cent and Valencia 137.0 per cent. Madrid (+120.0 per cent) and Barcelona (+106.1 per cent) remain the two most popular cities for bookings.

Beyond the big names, a group of destinations is growing on a different scale. Slovakia has seen its passenger numbers multiply by 725.0 per cent, followed by China (+705.8 per cent), Montenegro (+513.2 per cent), Serbia (+323.2 per cent) and Albania (+281.0 per cent). The Nordic countries are also performing well: Finland is up by 219.5 per cent and Iceland by 192.6 per cent. By city, Bratislava leads the way with a 790.7 per cent increase, followed by Belgrade (+325.9 per cent), Tirana (+281.0 per cent), Heraklion (+262.1 per cent) and Rovaniemi (+260.0 per cent), the latter in the midst of the Northern Lights season.

There has been little change, however, in travel behaviour. Spaniards are booking slightly earlier than last year, with a median booking window of 55 days compared to 52 in 2025, and are sticking to short breaks: four days on average, the same figure as last autumn. The average group size has fallen by 3.0 per cent.

“Price isn’t proving to be a deterrent this autumn, and that’s evident in how travellers are behaving,” explains Daniela Chovancová, PR Manager at Kiwi.com. “Spanish travellers are booking a few days earlier than last year and are still taking breaks of around four days, so what we’re seeing isn’t longer trips, but more trips. Autumn has ceased to function as the low season.”

By departure airport, Madrid-Barajas accounts for 18.0 per cent of Spanish passengers this autumn and Barcelona-El Prat for 12.1 per cent, meaning that between them they make up nearly a third of the total. The fastest growth, however, is coming from outside the two major airports: Bilbao is up 151.2 per cent, Asturias 118.7 per cent, Palma de Mallorca 107.8 per cent, Alicante-Elche 104.0 per cent and Seville 101.8 per cent.

*Data analysed: completed bookings made on Kiwi.com by Spanish customers with departure dates between 1 September and 30 November 2026, compared with the same period in 2025. To ensure equivalent booking maturity, only bookings confirmed by 9 September are counted for each year. Prices refer to the airfare per passenger and do not include extras. The rankings of the fastest-growing destinations apply a minimum passenger threshold to exclude small statistical samples. Trip duration is calculated solely on the basis of return bookings.