We all know the old joke about a tourist in Ireland asking a local for directions to Dublin. “If I were you, I wouldn’t start here,” the native replies. Who knew the same would be true for long-haul air travel from Britain in 2024? If you’re ready to start your long-haul journey outside the UK, you can save a small fortune, especially on business class tickets.
Telegraph Travel selected the cheapest fares from major carriers to popular long-haul destinations, starting from London, and then compared them with the cheapest fares from the same airlines, starting from the Continental and Dublin. We chose economy and business class flights for travel between June 10-17 and November 4-11. All analyzes were done last month.
The best savings on the most popular routes will come from Gulf carriers (Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates), which offer connecting and connecting services from their bases in Doha, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Qatar Airways attracts many UK-based travelers as it is part of the OneWorld airline alliance; This means you can earn British Airways tier points and earn or spend Avios (BA’s air miles) when you fly. Since all long-haul Qatar flights have two legs via Doha, you can earn more tier points than going directly to BA.
Economy class – save up to £268 in summer
If you’re flying from Continental Europe or Dublin with Qatar, Etihad and Emirates instead of London, here are the 20 best deals. Of course, you’ll also need to factor in the cost of getting from the UK to these European cities (for example, the cheapest return flight from London to Budapest for 10-17 June is £93, bringing the total savings to £161). Passengers should also note that of the Etihad services listed, only the Dublin to Bangkok, Vienna to Bangkok and Vienna to Melbourne routes use the airline’s own aircraft on each leg. It operates with partner airlines for flights to and from Abu Dhabi hub from other listed European cities.
Business class – save up to £3,392 in summer
Savings increase significantly when you upgrade to business class. Here are the 20 routes where you can save the most money. As before, you’ll need to factor in the cost of getting to each European city, but the savings are still huge, with low-cost return fares starting from around £100.
Economy class – save up to £331 in autumn
In November, savings in economy class are greater than in business class than in June; So, if you are looking for the best economy class deals, book in advance.
Business class – save up to £2,810 in autumn
Again, even greater savings can be found for those in business class. Here are the top 20:
The best European airlines to save on stopovers
It’s not just Gulf carriers offering big savings. Dublin-based carrier Aer Lingus and Helsinki-based Finnair (part of the OneWorld alliance like Qatar Airways) offer better value than flying from London, but they fly to far fewer destinations than carriers in the Gulf. Here’s what you’ll save by starting your journey with Aer Lingus in Dublin and Finnair from Helsinki, compared to going direct with British Airways from London. The biggest savings are on business class tickets purchased two to three months before departure.
10-17 June, Economy
Finnair, Helsinki-Tokyo, -£686
10-17 June, Business
Aer Lingus, Dublin-New York JFK, -£3,433
Finnair, Helsinki-Singapore, -£1,173
4-11 November, Economy
Finnair, Helsinki-Tokyo, -£103
Aer Lingus, Dublin-New York JFK, -£67
4-11 November, Business
Finnair, Helsinki-Singapore, -£950
Finnair, Helsinki-Hong Kong, -£533
Aer Lingus, Dublin-New York JFK, -£496
Finnair, Helsinki-Tokyo, -£195
Explaining the gap in fares, Etihad’s UK and Ireland Managing Director, Jeremy Pollock, said: “The price of any route involves many factors, including government taxes and fees, dynamic pricing across various outlets, consumer demand and the airline’s strategic schedules on key routes.” focusing.” Translation? Taxes and other fees are higher in Britain than on the Continent and Ireland, with demand for luxury business class seats lower in smaller cities on the continent than in London, so airlines offer cheaper prices to attract customers.
Emirates also noted the high cost of doing business in Britain. “There is high demand year-round to and from London, where supply is limited due to airport quota restrictions and UK government operating costs such as travel taxes are higher. All of this contributes to higher wages from the city,” a spokesperson said.
Thierry Antinori, Qatar Airways’ chief commercial officer, said the airline uses “one of the youngest fleets in the industry” and “extensive global network” to “optimize costs” and offer “competitive fares” from many destinations on the Continent and Ireland.
A spokesman for British Airways said that unlike most long-haul services from London with Finnair and Aer Lingus, “all BA flights from London are direct.” Customers do not need to take a positioning flight to start their journey from another destination or connect through a hub. Fares also include taxes and duties set by the Government and airports, and are generally higher for journeys originating in the UK than in other parts of Europe.”
Whatever the reasons for low prices outside the UK, discerning travelers can save thousands of pounds on long-haul flights and perhaps enjoy a weekend city break in Europe at the beginning or end of their trip.