Cheap flights from London to Manchester

Fares on this route dip in November, the cheapest month in the calendar, so if your dates are flexible that is the window to aim for. Summer and the run-up to Christmas push prices up, and Friday evenings and Sunday nights are the busiest slots for a London to Manchester hop. Half-term weeks and bank holiday weekends fill quickly, so book a few weeks ahead if you are tied to those dates. Midweek departures and early mornings usually cost less.

Several carriers cover London to Manchester. British Airways, Iberia, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and TAP Portugal are full-service names, where a seat, a cabin bag and usually a drink are part of the fare. Easyjet and Norwegian work on the low-cost model, so the headline price covers less and you add what you need. Aer Lingus, Aurigny Air Services and Hahn Air appear in some itineraries, often as part of a longer or indirect routing, and Accesrail sells rail connections rather than seats on a plane. Check whether your ticket is direct or a connection before you commit.

Manchester International is the only airport serving the city, so there is no second airport to choose between at that end. It sits outside the city, and the usual ways in are the train, the tram and the bus, with taxis and pre-booked transfers as the quicker option. Allow time for baggage reclaim if you checked a bag, and check the last service into town if you land late in the evening. If you are heading onward to another part of the north-west, the station at the airport is often the simplest place to start.

Currency

GBP (£)

Power sockets

Type G · 230 V

Language

English

Emergency number

112, 999

Calling code

+44

Internet domain

.uk

Population of Manchester

548 k (2018)

Time zone

UTC+01 (Europe/London)

Country facts: Wikidata

• Check which London airport you are leaving from, since the city has several and they are far apart.
• Confirm whether your fare on a low-cost carrier includes a cabin bag or charges extra for it.
• If your booking is two separate tickets, leave room for a missed connection.
• Carry valid photo identification for travel within the United Kingdom.
• Book early for November, the month with the lowest fares on this route.