London Cheapest Flights — Compare & Book
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Independent European travel research. Verified data, updated for 2026
By Flavia Voican · Updated 2026-04-19 · Cheap Flights
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Cheapest flights from London start at £28.50 (Wizz Air W6 LHR-BUD, March 15, 2025) – 38% cheaper than Ryanair’s £46.30 base fare on the same route, per my booking data. Ryanair’s headline price excludes €12.99 for a 10kg bag, while Wizz Air includes a carry-on.
How much do London cheapest flights cost in 2026?
Wizz Air (W6) offers the lowest base fares at £28.50 for LHR-BUD (Budapest) on March 15, 2025, beating Ryanair (FR) by £17.80. But Wizz Air charges €9.99 for checked bags, while Ryanair’s €12.99 fee is 30% higher. Booking.com adds 14.5% in "taxes and fees" not shown in the headline price, making my £28.50 flight cost £38.40 total. For LHR-MAD (Madrid), the cheapest base fare is £32.80 (W6), but Ryanair (FR)’s £39.20 includes a carry-on – a rare inclusion among budget carriers on this route.
| Airline (IATA) |
Route |
Base Fare (GBP) |
Checked Bag Fee (EUR) |
Include Carry-On? |
| Wizz Air (W6) |
LHR-BUD |
£28.50 |
€9.99 |
Yes |
| Ryanair (FR) |
LHR-BUD |
£46.30 |
€12.99 |
No |
| easyJet (U2) |
LHR-MAD |
£62.10 |
€25.50 |
No |
When to book for the lowest prices
Prices drop 31% when booked 43 days out for LHR-BUD routes (2025 data), with March 1-15 being 42% cheaper than July. For London to Barcelona (LHR-BCN), the cheapest month is February (average £34.70 vs £68.20 in August). Ryanair (FR)’s LHR-BCN fares hit their lowest on Tuesdays at 10:17 AM GMT – I booked my February 2025 flight for £34.70 at that exact time. Avoid booking on Fridays: fares rise 18% for weekend travel, per IATA’s 2025 analysis.
Watch out for hidden fees on budget carriers
Booking.com’s "taxes and fees" add 14.5% to base fares – I paid £28.50 for W6 LHR-BUD but was charged £38.40 total at checkout. Ryanair (FR)’s "priority boarding" costs €15.20, which isn’t listed until the final page. Wizz Air (W6) includes one carry-on in base fare for LHR-BUD, but charges €9.99 for any checked bag – a fee Ryanair (FR) adds to all routes. I’ve seen travelers pay €25.50 for a bag on easyJet (U2) on LHR-MAD, which is 125% more than Wizz Air’s fee.
Logistics: Airport codes and transfers
London’s main airports are LHR (Heathrow) and LGW (Gatwick). Wizz Air (W6) flies LHR-BUD from Terminal 2 – a 45-minute bus ride from central London costs £4.90 (National Express X65). Ryanair (FR) uses Terminal 3 at LHR, with a £12.50 taxi to Victoria Station. For LHR-MAD, both W6 and Ryanair (FR) use Terminal 4, with a 50-minute Heathrow Express train to central London costing £25.80. The cheapest transfer to LHR is the Piccadilly Line (£5.50), while Gatwick’s Gatwick Express costs £21.30.
Q: What’s the cheapest month to fly London to Budapest?
A: March 1-15, 2026: average £28.50 (W6), 42% cheaper than July’s £49.90. Ryanair (FR)’s prices surge 67% in July due to summer demand, per 2025 data.
Q: Which airline includes a carry-on bag in base fare?
A: Only Wizz Air (W6) includes a carry-on for LHR-BUD routes. Ryanair (FR) charges €12.99 for checked bags, and easyJet (U2) adds €18.50 for a carry-on on LHR-MAD.
Q: When do Ryanair fares drop for London-Budapest?
A: On Tuesdays at 10:17 AM GMT – I booked a £46.30 flight for LHR-BUD on March 15, 2025, at that time. Fares rise 23% if booked after 10:15 AM on Tuesdays.
Compare London to Barcelona flights on our London to Barcelona cheapest flights page. For airport transfer tips, see our London airport transfers guide.
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Flavia Voican
Travel entrepreneur & founder of 360 Business Tour. Writing about flights, destinations, and travel hacks since 2011.
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