Nowadays, we’re all used to the ease and ubiquity of low-cost air travel. A flight from London to Paris can cost less than a taxi to the airport, and even trans-Atlantic travel isn’t as costly as it used to be. But why do some routes always seem to cost more than others? We’ve analysed more than 150 of our most popular routes to get to the bottom of this and what we’ve found may help you find your next dream holiday without breaking the bank.
Travel within the UK: Short but Steep
When it comes to the UK, there’s good news and bad news. The bad news is that most internal flights cost a bit more per mile than flights headed to Europe or even further afield. The good news is that even the most expensive flights within the UK are usually pretty affordable when compared to international destinations.
If you’re looking for the best bargains, flights between Glasgow to London tend to be the cheapest per mile in the UK. Belfast to Glasgow, on the other hand, at 70p per mile costs more than 4 times as much on average.
Popular routes in the UK: top 10 most cost-effective per mile
| Departure airports | Arrival airports | Distance in miles within the UK | Cost per mile in pence | |
| 1 | Glasgow | London | 325.12 | 16.7 |
| 2 | London | Inverness | 446.51 | 18.5 |
| 3 | London | Belfast | 320.02 | 19.0 |
| 4 | Bristol | Inverness | 419.82 | 19.1 |
| 5 | Edinburgh | London | 304.19 | 19.2 |
| 6 | London | Glasgow | 325.12 | 20.1 |
| 7 | London | Edinburgh | 304.19 | 23.1 |
| 8 | Bristol | Glasgow | 284.88 | 24.6 |
| 9 | Aberdeen | London | 422.14 | 25.0 |
| 10 | Liverpool | Derry | 190.36 | 26.0 |
The European picture: Planes to Spain
Not looking for a trip to Scotland? Well, you could also do a Gareth Bale and head off to Spain. Luckily, you won’t need his salary to be able to afford it, as our research has shown that 5 of the 10 best value fares from the UK to Europe are to destinations in España.
Gran Canaria is the no. 1 most cost-effective destination in Europe for British flyers, at a mere 9.7p per mile and Fuerteventura, Lanzarote Island, and Tenerife may also be cheap enough to tempt you. On the flip side, the short trip to Dublin will have you pining for a pot of gold (or a pint of Guinness) at the end of it, as its average cost of 43p per mile makes it among the least affordable routes per mile.
Popular routes from the UK to Europe: top 10 most cost-effective per mile.
| European destinations | Distance in miles from the UK | Cost per mile in pence | |
| 1 | Gran Canaria, Spain | 2028.45 | 9.7 |
| 2 | Luqa, Malta | 1625.36 | 10.0 |
| 3 | Fuerteventura, Spain | 1939.77 | 10.5 |
| 4 | Warsaw, Poland | 1020.36 | 10.7 |
| 5 | Sofia, Bulgaria | 1503.67 | 10.8 |
| 6 | Lanzarote Island, Spain | 1866.13 | 11.3 |
| 7 | Tenerife, Spain | 1978.91 | 11.3 |
| 8 | Larnaca, Cyprus | 2288.34 | 11.8 |
| 9 | Athens, Greece | 1780.65 | 12.0 |
| 10 | Madrid, Spain | 1036.47 | 12.6 |
European Travel from the UK: Go East
Looking further abroad and for value, especially, Australia and the Pacific region are your best bet, with the cheapest airline routes to Melbourne and Bali. At 8.4p per mile, Melbourne offers great value, while in stark contrast, a flight to Lagos, Nigeria could cost twice as much for each mile travelled.
Popular international routes from the UK to all destinations excluding Europe: top 10 most cost-effective per mile
| Global destinations | Distance in miles from the UK | Cost per mile in pence | |
| 1 | Melbourne, Australia | 10503.74 | 8.4 |
| 2 | Denpasar (Bali), Indonesia | 7788.6 | 8.5 |
| 3 | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | 6422.6 | 9.0 |
| 4 | Brisbane, Australia | 10169.48 | 9.0 |
| 5 | Sydney, Australia | 10484.55 | 9.1 |
| 6 | Perth, Australia | 9085 | 9.1 |
| 7 | Manila, Philippines | 6680.31 | 9.3 |
| 8 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 6641.06 | 9.3 |
| 9 | Phuket, Thailand | 6283.08 | 9.4 |
| 10 | Auckland, New Zealand | 11121.24 | 9.4 |
Now, you might be thinking about that trip to Dublin or Lagos and wondering what to do with all of this newfound knowledge… Why not try creating a Price Alert for your destination of choice? That way, when prices drop, you’ll be sure to be ahead of the curve and take advantage. While you’re at it, don’t forget to follow us on Facebook – who knows what new Travel Hack or offer we may post next…(well, we do of course and they’re bound to be great.)
The data is based on flight searches and clicks made on KAYAK between 01.01.2015 and 29.11.2016 for travel between 01.01.2016 and 31.12.2016. Findings based on the 38 most popular internal UK routes, the 48 most popular routes from the UK to Europe, the 50 most popular routes from the UK to international (non-European) destinations, and the 15 most popular global routes (outside of Europe). Figures based on cost-per-mile – the average flight price for the route divided by the number of miles of the journey. Average flight prices are indicated in GBP for a round trip in economy class for one person. All prices are subject to change, may vary or may not be available anymore. Flight distance mileage was calculated by utilising worldatlas.com at: http://www.worldatlas.com/travelaids/flight_distance.htm
