Carmen
Travel editor at Reisedrop · 2026-09-30
If you have even a little flexibility, it can pay off to travel outside week 7 and week 42. These are two periods when many Danish families travel at the same time, and that quickly affects airfares, departure times and availability. Especially from CPH, but also from BLL, AAL and AAR, the most attractive flights get squeezed first. Shifting your trip by just one week can therefore make a visible difference, both in overall pricing and in how easy it is to build a smooth itinerary.
Why week 7 and week 42 get expensive
Week 7 usually aligns with winter school holidays, while week 42 often matches the autumn break. When many schools are off at the same time, demand rises sharply over a short window. Airlines do not apply one single holiday fare, but adjust prices continuously as specific departures fill up. That is why nonstop routes, convenient departure times and shorter travel days often increase first. In other words, you are not only paying for the season, but for the fact that many people want to travel at exactly the same moment.
One week can change more than you expect
The difference between travelling during the holiday week itself and going the week before or after can be significant. As soon as demand softens even a little, better options often return to the market. That applies not only to price, but also to seat choice, baggage conditions and connections with shorter layovers. On many routes from Denmark, shifting by around a week can lead to savings of 30 percent or more compared with the most pressured travel days. It is not a guarantee, but it is a pattern seen again and again.
Which airports benefit most from flexibility
From CPH, supply is the broadest, so you can often find alternatives on nearby dates or at different times on the same day. From BLL, there are many strong leisure routes, but they become popular quickly during holiday weeks. AAL and AAR have fewer departures, so price swings can be even more visible when many people book at once. If you live in Jutland, it can be worth comparing several departure airports. Extra ground travel to another airport can sometimes be offset by better availability and a lower total cost.
How to plan smarter around school holidays
Start by checking the official school and holiday calendars for your municipality or region, so you know when demand is most likely to peak. Then search broadly: midweek departures, early or late flights, and returns outside the busiest changeover days. If you are not tied to exactly seven nights, your options often improve. With Reisedrop, you can track fares using a price alert and wait for a drop, so you do not have to book at the most expensive moment.
When it still makes sense to travel in the holiday week
Sometimes week 7 or week 42 is the only realistic option, and then the goal is to reduce the pressure. Book as early as possible, stay open to alternative airports such as CPH, BLL, AAL or AAR, and compare both nonstop flights and connections. Also look at less obvious departure days, because the classic weekend departures often become expensive first. You may not always save big, but you improve your chances of finding an option that feels more reasonable and fits your trip better.
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