Planning on taking your children skiing over February half-term? Scheduled daytime Gatwick flights are already so expensive that it's actually cheaper to travel oligarch-style on a private plane from tiny Farnborough Airport in Hampshire.

The cost? £730 pp with Farnham-based family tour operator Butler & Lloyd (01252 411749: butlerandlloyd.com) on 11 February 2017, returning a week later.  While this may sound expensive, take a look at what BA and easyJet are charging: £899 pp and £758 pp respectively for Saturday morning flights – and these are expected to rise as the date gets nearer.

You can either buy flights-only on their mid-morning flight on a 50-seat private plane to Geneva from Farnborough. Or you can book the full holiday, staying at the five-star Grand Hotel in Courmayeur on the Italian side of the Mont Blanc Tunnel. The package includes those mid-morning flights, seven nights' half-board, children's ski school and daycare, as well as a full concierge service. Cost: from £2,635 pp. 

In contrast to the crush at Gatwick on the most hectic day of the winter, the futuristic terminal building – designed for just 80 private business travelers – is a welcoming haven of tranquility, with carpets and velvet-covered seating. 

Husband and wife team, Bella and Will Butler, who have organised the charter, provide children's entertainment and refreshments. There's no queue for either security or passport control – and the gate is a couple of minutes' walk away. Free refreshments are also available during the flight. Butler & Lloyd also run similar holidays to Val Thorens in France on 25 March and 1 April.

Bella Butler commented: “We have three small children ourselves and anyone who has taken their young family skiing knows that the journey can be hell - overcrowding, inevitable delays, and a long and difficult walk to the gate. You're all exhausted before even leaving the UK – it's no way to start a holiday. And at the end of your break you have to endure it all over again.  Farnborough's only half an hour from Waterloo and parking for the week is free!”

Specialising in luxury, tailor-made family holidays, Butler & Lloyd has launched a brand-new Happy Families programme and arranged a private charter from TAG Farnborough Airport to Geneva/Grenoble/Chambéry/Turin – at February half-term and during the Easter school holidays in 2017 – with opulent accommodation in a choice of two resorts: Courmayeur, Italy and Val Thorens, France. The journey is followed by a private luxury coach transfer and many more family-friendly treats.

For more information or to make a booking, call Butler & Lloyd on 01252 411749, or visit www.butlerandlloyd.com.

--Ends --

17 October 2016

Notes to editors

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Lynsey Devon                                                       Rosie Barcroft
Heaven Publicity Ltd                                              Heaven Publicity Ltd     
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About Butler & Lloyd
Butler & Lloyd offers handpicked luxury holiday accommodation from a perfect family getaway in Jamaica to a family ski holiday in the Alps. Butler & Lloyd builds bespoke packages specifically tailored to clients' preferences and budget. On offer could be a week in a bustling French ski resort, or a peaceful retreat soaking up sun in a private Jamaican villa. The portfolio of chalets, hotels, and villas has the variety that allows Butler & Lloyd to find something suited to everyone. In Jamaica there are a choice of 17 villas and two hotels, whilst in the Alps choose between many chalets and hotels.