Term-time holidays soar after High Court ruling in favour of school time vacations
Travel agencies have reported in a surge in term-time holiday bookings following last week's High Court victory for a father who refused to pay a fine for taking his daughter on holiday during school time.
Online travel booking website sunshine.co.uk said it saw an 88% increase in the number of family holiday bookings during the school term in the weekend after the ruling, compared to the previous weekend.
There was also a 32% decline in bookings during July and August.
The most popular period for parents to take their children on holiday was the first week of July and the last week of September, the travel agency found.
Airfare comparison site Cheapflights.co.uk also revealed that searches for term-time trips to popular family destinations such as Lanzarote, Malaga and Gran Canaria jumped by as much as 50% since the ruling.
Searches for term-time breaks to Florida - where Jon Platt took his six-year-old daughter on the controversial holiday - have risen by 47%.
Chris Clarkson, managing director of sunshine.co.uk, told ITV News: "I'd say the surge in term-time bookings and holiday searches we've experienced is definitely linked to Mr Platt's High Court victory.
"Many parents are willing to pay unauthorised absence fines because the savings available on holidays during school terms can be significant enough to mean they still save money even when they do pay the fines."
Statistics from travel comparison site Skyscanner also revealed a similar trend. Since the High Court verdict, the site has seen a 16% increase in searches for family holidays during term time.
Mr Platt won a legal challenge after refusing to pay a £120 fine imposed by Isle of Wight Council because he took his daughter to Disney World Florida last year during term time. He said the landmark ruling is "a victory for common sense".