by We all know the old story about the tourist in Ireland who asks a local for directions to Dublin. “If I were you,” replies the native, “I wouldn’t start from here.” Who knew that the same applies to air travel from Britain in 2024? If you are willing to start your long journey outside the UK, you can save a small fortune, especially on business tickets.
Telegraph Travel selected the cheapest fares on major carriers to popular long-haul destinations starting in London and then compared them with the cheapest fares on the same airlines starting from the Continent and Dublin. We have selected flights in economy and business class for travel from 10-17 June and 4-11 November. All the analysis was done last month.
The best savings on the most popular routes are to be had on the Gulf carriers – Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates – which offer hub-and-spoke services from their bases in Doha, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Qatar Airways is attractive to many UK-based flights as it is part of the OneWorld airline alliance, which means you can earn British Airways tier points and earn or spend Avios (BA air miles) when you fly. Since all long-haul flights from Qatar are two-leg via Doha, you can earn more tier points than going direct on BA.
Economy class – save up to £268 in summer
Below are the top 20 deals if you fly from Mainland Europe or Dublin on Qatar, Etihad and Emirates, excluding London. You’ll need to factor in the cost of getting to those European cities from the UK, of course (for example, the cheapest return flight from London to Budapest for June 10-17 is £93, reducing the total savings to £161 ). Passengers should also note that for the Etihad services listed, only on the Dublin to Bangkok, Vienna to Bangkok and Vienna to Melbourne routes does the airline use its own aircraft on each leg. For flights from other European cities listed to and from its Abu Dhabi hub, it works with partner airlines.
Business class – save up to £3,392 in summer
Savings increase significantly when you upgrade to business class. Here are the 20 ways you can save the most. As before, you’ll need to factor in the cost of getting to each European city, but with low-cost return fares from around £100, the savings are still huge.
Economy class – save up to £331 in the autumn
In November, the savings in economy class are greater than in business class, compared to June, so if you are looking for the best deals in economy class, book in advance.
Business class – save up to £2,810 in the autumn
Again, much greater savings can be found for those in business class. Here are the top 20:
The best European airlines for stopover savings
Gulf carriers aren’t the only ones offering big savings. Dublin-based carrier Aer Lingus and Helsinki-based Finnair (which, like Qatar Airways, is part of the OneWorld alliance) offer better value than flying from London – but they fly to much more fewer destinations than Gulf carriers. Here’s how much you’ll save starting your journey in Dublin with Aer Lingus and Finnair, starting from Helsinki, compared to going direct on British Airways from London. The biggest savings are on business class tickets purchased two to three months before departure.
June 10-17, Economy
Finnair, Helsinki-Tokyo, -£686
June 10-17, Business
Aer Lingus, Dublin-New York JFK, -£3,433
Finnair, Helsinki-Singapore, -£1,173
November 4-11, Economy
Finnair, Helsinki-Tokyo, -£103
Aer Lingus, Dublin-New York JFK, -£67
November 4-11, Business
Finnair, Helsinki-Singapore, -£950
Finnair, Helsinki-Hong Kong, -£533
Aer Lingus, Dublin-New York JFK, -£496
Finnair, Helsinki-Tokyo, -£195
Explaining the Gulf in fares, Jeremy Pollock, Etihad’s General Manager for the UK and Ireland, said: “The price of a one-way is influenced by multiple factors, including government taxes and fees, dynamic pricing across different points of sale, consumer demand, and airline prices. strategic focus across key channels.” Translation? Taxes and other charges are higher in Britain than on the Continent and Ireland. Demand for luxury business class seats is lower in the continent’s major cities than in London, so airlines offer cheaper fares to attract customers.
Emirates also highlighted the higher cost of doing business in Britain. “There is high demand to and from London throughout the year, where supply is limited by airport slot restrictions, and when operating costs are higher, such as the UK government’s departure taxes borne by travellers. All these contribute to higher fees from the city,” said a spokesperson.
Thierry Antinori, Qatar Airways’ chief commercial officer, said the airline used “one of the youngest fleets in the industry” and a “huge global network” to optimize costs and offer “competitive fares” from many destinations on the Continent and in Ireland.
A spokesman for British Airways pointed out that, unlike most long-haul services on Finnair and Aer Lingus from London, “all BA flights from London are direct. Customers do not need to take a layover flight to start their journey from another destination or connect through a hub. Fares also include Government and airport-mandated taxes and fees and are often higher for journeys originating in the UK than elsewhere in Europe.”
Whatever the reasons for the lower prices outside Britain, canny travelers can save thousands of pounds on long-haul flights – and perhaps enjoy a weekend city break in Europe at the start or end of their trip .
