EasyJet have defended the cost of their Madrid flights for the Champions League final on June 1.
There has been outrage from Liverpool and Tottenham football supporters hoping to see the game at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium when the prices went up over £700 to £1,000 from around £250.
EasyJet's chief executive, Johan Lundgren defended the price hikes, telling the BBC : "That is actually how the system works. The whole pricing picture is very dynamic."
He added that EasyJet could fill a plane in six seconds at peak booking times, adding: "That's how quickly this goes and this is how the system reacts."
He said: "I can understand if people think that the prices are high on this occasion, because it is higher than the average.
"But there's no doubt that this was an occasion where the prices went very high because the demand was enormous."
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Non-stop scheduled flights from the UK to Madrid have been hiked to more than £1,300 return.
Most seats on flights from the North West to the Spanish capital are sold out, although easyJet is offering an outbound flight on the day before the June 1 final for £750.
Many fans have been forced to book indirect flights to reduce costs.
Ex-Liverpool player Jim Beglin wrote: "You call it business. The punters call it nothing but pure greed. Profits before people and it's not just you, your kind are all at it. It's a disgusting practice."
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Charter firms are offering non-stop flights for around £650 per person, setting off from Liverpool, Manchester and London Stansted on the morning of the game and returning in the early hours of the following day.
Although this option is likely to result in extreme tiredness due to lack of sleep, it avoids the need to book accommodation.
The indirect Champions League final flight routes you can take from Liverpool Airport
Barely any Madrid hotel rooms are available for less than £1,000 on June 1.
The cheapest room at the Hilton Madrid Airport hotel is £2,301. One week later a room is available at the same hotel for just £124.
Home-sharing website AirBnB - which is often used by tourists to reduce accommodation costs - does not appear to have any bargains for football fans.
One listing, created just for the dates around the final, is offering a room for £645 per night, but most are demanding four-figure sums.
Liverpool Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram also expressed his anger at easyJet's flight prices in a Twitter post.
He said: "Hiking up prices by 683% for return flights to Madrid is quite simply profiteering from the passion of football fans. This is nothing new but entirely shameful."
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EasyJet responded: "We use a live pricing system and when it's busy many people are booking flights at the same time. This can result in the price of your flight going up while you're making a booking. You can then choose to accept the price difference before payment."
Some supporters who cannot afford to fly may consider driving to Madrid.
Vehicles can be transported across the Channel via ferries or Eurotunnel trains.
The drive from Calais in northern France to Madrid takes an estimated 15 hours to cover nearly 1,000 miles (1,609km).
