How to Find Flights Under £50 from UK Airports

Yes, and not rarely. From many UK airports, return flights to cities in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands and Ireland can be found under £50 if you are flexible about dates and travel with only a small bag. One-way fares under £20 are common on the cheapest routes.

What you cannot count on is finding one for a specific date, a Friday evening in August or a half-term week. Those days sell at much higher prices. Think of £50 as a target you can hit with flexibility, not a standard fare.

Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air are the main low-cost airlines, and Jet2 sells flight-only seats on many routes from its northern bases. TUI and Vueling also have competitive fares to some destinations. Each has strengths at particular airports.

The cheapest airline changes by route and day, so compare them. Remember that a low fare is only the start, because bags, seats and other extras are charged on top. Our guide to basic and standard fares explains how fare types differ.

As an illustration, midweek return fares in the off-season from London Stansted to cities such as Krakow or Budapest, from Manchester to Dublin, or from Edinburgh to Amsterdam can drop below £50 on the right dates with a small bag. In summer holidays, the same routes can be several times higher.

Prices change all the time, so treat these as examples of the type of route where bargains turn up, not promises. Use a flexible search for your own airport and dates, and check the total before you book.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday flights are usually cheapest, with Friday and Sunday the most expensive. Early morning and late evening flights are often lower than those in the middle of the day.

Outside school holidays, midweek returns are far cheaper than weekends. A flexible-date calendar shows the whole month, and moving your trip by a day can change the fare significantly. Our guide to tracking fare drops explains how to set alerts.

The free bag on most low-cost airlines must fit under the seat in front of you, with typical limits of around 40 by 20 by 25 centimetres on Ryanair and 45 by 36 by 20 on easyJet. Wizz Air has similar limits. Bags are measured at the gate, and an oversized one can cost £50 or more.

Check the airline's own page, since limits change, and measure your bag at home. Our guide to carry-on size rules explains the typical limits. Many people travel for a long weekend with a small rucksack.

On low-cost airlines every flight is priced on its own, so two one-way tickets can be cheaper than a return, and you can mix airlines or airports on the outbound and return. Flying out of Luton and back into Gatwick, for example, may be cheaper than a standard return.

Remember that separate tickets are not protected by each other, so keep your schedule simple. If your outbound flight is cancelled, the other airline owes you nothing. For a short trip with a buffer, the saving is usually worth the small risk.

Low-cost airlines release seats about six to nine months ahead, and the cheapest seats sell first. For popular summer dates, book as early as you can. For off-peak travel, two to three months ahead is usually enough, and fares sometimes drop closer in.

Fares on the same flight can rise as it fills, so set an alert and buy when a price falls within your target. Do not wait for a perfect price, since popular flights can sell out.

For the rest of Europe, your passport must be valid for at least three months after you leave and less than ten years old on arrival. You can stay up to 90 days in any 180, though the new biometric Entry/Exit System checks can lengthen border queues.

ETIAS is planned and could start in late 2026 or later, so check the official EU information before you travel. Allow extra time at borders in the summer, since queues can be long.

The people who regularly find £30 returns are not lucky, they are organised. They set alerts on a handful of routes, check prices a few times a week and book when a fare falls into their target range, usually without much hesitation.

If you have a flexible job or study schedule, you have a great advantage. Choose a rough month, pick three destinations you would be happy with and let the prices decide. It is the best way to turn a low fare into a trip you really want.

If you want a week in the sun, a package from Jet2holidays or TUI, which includes a bag, transfers and ATOL protection, can be better value than a flight-only booking with extras. Flight-only suits short trips or those with their own accommodation.

Compare both. Our vacation packages service can help, and our weekend getaways service covers short breaks.

A cheap flight does not make travel insurance less useful. A medical emergency abroad can cost thousands, and a lost bag or a cancelled hotel can be expensive. Annual multi-trip policies are cheap for people who travel often.

Check the cover for medical costs, cancellations and baggage, and keep your GHIC or the new UK GHIC card with your passport for European trips.

Let us know your home airport, your dates and how much luggage you need, and a specialist can compare airlines, check the true total and find the best price. We can also search a range of dates and destinations.

Start with the live search below and compare a handful of dates before deciding. Spotted a good fare? We can check the small print on bags and changes for you before you commit.