Massive Ryanair January sale: A million seats starting from €8.99

February is low season for northern hemisphere airlines, and as the low-cost versions need 'bums on seats' in both directions to cover their costs, the coming month is always a cheap time of the year to fly as carriers seek to fill up empty places.

The Ryanair offer, however, is valid for travel between February and June, meaning deals are also out there for Easter, typically an expensive week to travel.

Spain's Ryanair director Alejandra Ruiz says: “Now 2020 is here, there's no better way to celebrate the New Year than by booking a few days' break to escape the coldest days of winter.

“We've launched a massive offer of flights with up to 20% discounts on a million seats throughout our European network.”

Prices from Alicante airport start from as little as €8.99 one way and include Bourgogne, Haugesund (Norway), Kerry (Ireland), London Southend, Marseille (France), Oporto (Portugal), Toulouse, and Växjö-Småland (Sweden), all for under €10.

Luton, Bristol, Birmingham, Newcastle, London Stansted, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool, East Midlands, Glasgow, Leeds-Bradford, Newquay-Cornwall, Belfast, Cork, Shannon, Bournemouth, Dublin and Knock come in at between €12.99 and €34.05, with the majority being at the lower end of this range.

Destinations in Germany, Italy, Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Austria, Hungary, Ireland, Sweden, Slovakia, Morocco, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Portugal, Lithuania, Greece, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Malta and Luxembourg – as well as the UK and other parts of Spain – run from the Spanish airports of Tenerife North, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Santander, Santiago de Compostela (Galicia), Sevilla, Reus (Tarragona), Girona, Ibiza, Menorca, Mallorca, Málaga, Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz), Valencia, Alicante, Barcelona, Madrid, and even Castellón (the latter only to London Stansted).

Offers are online only until this coming Sunday, January 26 inclusive.

Passengers should remember that they are only able to take a bag measuring 40x20x20 centimetres on board free of charge – to add a cabin bag of 50x40x20 centimetres, they either need to pay to check it in, or pay a priority boarding fee, either of which costs between €8 and €15 each way.

Checked luggage, in addition, is permitted up to 20 kilos and costs in region of €15 to €30 each way.

Boarding passes must be printed off to avoid fees of €50 at the airport, and checking in must be carried out online – either free of charge within 48 hours of take-off, or for a small fee if effected in advance.