Cheap flights from London to Sal

Prices on this route answer to the British calendar more than to the island's: school half-terms, the Christmas and New Year stretch and the long summer break push demand up, while Sal itself has no real off-season to plan around.

March is the cheapest month in the fare calendar, which runs from October through August, and dates just outside the school holidays tend to come in lighter. Midweek departures usually beat weekend ones, and it pays to book the festive weeks early rather than late.

Low-cost names dominate the list: Easyjet, Wizz Air Malta and Vueling sell the leanest fares, TUI Airways folds the route into package-style flying, and the rest — TAP Portugal, Royal Air Maroc, Swiss, Edelweiss Air and Helvetic Airways — sit in the full-service column, mostly selling itineraries with a change of plane.

What the ticket includes is where they differ most: the low-cost fares cover a small cabin bag and add charges for hold luggage, seat choice and food, while the full-service fares and TUI's holiday fares typically include checked baggage, so the gap in headline prices often narrows once the extras are counted.

There is no rail link to worry about: Amilcar Cabral International stands inland near Espargos, the island's main settlement, and almost everyone continues by taxi or a pre-arranged hotel transfer to the beaches at the southern end, where the resorts sit.

The terminal is compact and can queue at passport control when several international arrivals land together, so build in a little slack. Taxis gather outside the exit, agree the fare with the driver before you set off, and confirm any hotel pickup before you fly.

Currency

CVE

Power sockets

Type C, F · 220 V

Language

Cape Verdean Creole, Portuguese

Emergency number

130, 131, 132

Driving side

right

Calling code

+238

Internet domain

.cv

Population of Sal

35 k (2018)

Time zone

UTC-01 (Atlantic/Cape_Verde)

Country facts: Wikidata

• Check what the fare includes first, because the low-cost tickets on this route often cover a cabin bag and charge separately for hold luggage.
• Pick your London airport deliberately, since Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and London City host different airlines and sit in different corners of the city.
• Look up the entry rules for Cape Verde, including any online pre-registration your nationality needs before departure.
• When the booking involves a change of plane on separate tickets, leave a generous gap between the two flights.
• Use March as your benchmark for a good price, and expect dates around school holidays and the festive weeks to sell first.