Along side the usual warning that its wise to secure flights and accommodation early, particularly for peak weeks, for the upcoming winter 26-27, we are being given additional warnings that prices are likely to rise as the increased costs resulting from the war in the Middle East feed through. The advice from those selling holidays and flights is that its smarter than ever to book early and book in preferred holidays and set prices.
Now the companies that organise independent resort transfers from airports like Geneva to ski resorts are warning of the same issues, with one, Alps2Alps, noting that even before the war they were seeing a growing trend of skiers booking transfers ever earlier. That finding, from analysis of their business last season, was more nuanced however. They found that those wanting to travel peak weeks were booking ever earlier, but there was also a boom in last-minute booking, typically following heavy snowfall events in low season.
Alps2Alps, which says it saw its business up 40% overall last winter, with French resorts its most popular choice and 70% of its business coming from people flying into Geneva Airport. The company now moves more than 350,000 passengers per year with a fully remote team of 100+ people across 27 countries.
The company say that their average advance booking increased to 41 days ahead, a slight increase from 39 days the prior season. it found early booking was most common ahead of high season, particularly in February and March.
“Overall, demand shifted toward earlier planning. Autumn booking volumes doubled compared to the previous season, while January-to-March bookings grew by 1.3 times. We are expected to strengthen this trend as the energy crisis drives up prices. Travellers become more cautious in trip planning, “ commented Artjoms Fokejevs, CEO at Alps2Alps.
Other findings from Alps2Alps own data analysis, were that the traditional week-long ski holiday continued to dominate, accounting for around 60% of all UK trips. They also noted that midweek travel (Tuesday through Thursday) is markedly less crowded, and travellers who can shift their schedule by a day or two will often find lower transfer prices and more resort-level availability.
The busiest travel days of the season all fell on Saturdays or Sundays. All of the February weekends were the busiest days of the season. The post-Christmas Saturday also ranks high, followed by the Easter holidays.
“Looking ahead, rising travel costs are likely to encourage early bookings as travellers secure prices to manage their budgets. Shared transfers are set to gain further ground as travellers weigh both savings and lower emissions. The 2026/27 season may also appear shorter, with Easter falling in late March 2027, as the booking season effectively ends at Easter,” an Alps2Alps statement concludes.