Flying from regional UK airports to certain destinations is cheaper than flying from London, according to research by Cheapflights.
Its analysis of 20 million searches on more than 200 different routes revealed fares to some popular long-haul routes are actually cheaper, on average, from regional airports than from airports in the capital.
According to Cheapflights’ data, flights to Las Vegas are, on average, £209 cheaper (£675 return), from Belfast and £151 lower, (£733 return), from Manchester than from London.
Hong Kong is cheapest to reach from Birmingham, where average return fares (£534 return), are £74 lower than London’s average fare.
Meanwhile, flights to Kuala Lumpur are an average £100 lower from Edinburgh (£525 return) than from London.
Managing director Andrew Shelton said even on many short haul routes, when you factor in the cost of getting to and from the airport or paying for an overnight hotel, it can still often work out cheaper to fly from a local regional airport.
"It’s logical to assume that holidaymakers will get the best bang for their buck flying from London, where capacity and choice are greatest," he said.
"However, our fare crunching shows that flying from a local airport will often only cost a few pounds extra, which will be more than offset when you factor in the cost of travel to reach London and potentially even a pre-flight hotel stay."
