The Cheapest British Airlines Ranked for 2025

Discover the cheapest airlines in the UK for 2025 with AirAdvisor’s overall budget carrier rating. Get to know how 5 different UK airlines stack up on price.

Amy Lancelotte

By:  Amy Lancelotte

Last Updated:  February 13, 2026

A tight budget is one of the most common obstacles to travel. But with the many flight options available from the UK nowadays, it’s still possible to find cheap airlines for an affordable flight to somewhere exciting.

At AirAdvisor, we help thousands of passengers claim airline compensation when their flights are disrupted, and we know that it’s important to save as much money as you can on the flights themselves.

So, we set out to establish the best budget airlines (UK edition) to help you save cash on your next flight. We did this as part of a larger study on the Best UK Airlines for 2025, where cost was one of the categories. To get to the bottom of the most affordable airlines, we examined:

• 5 UK airlines that reported over £55 billion in passenger revenue.
• Over a quadrillion seat miles.
• The average revenue for each airline per seat mile, which varies between £0.0417 and £0.0878.

So the next time you’re planning a flight within the UK or abroad, consult this ranking of UK airlines from cheapest to most expensive.

Top 3 Budget-Friendly Airlines in the UK

1

Cheapest Airline – Wizz Air UK

You may not be all that surprised that the cheapest airline on our list is classed as a budget (or low-cost) airline. Wizz Air UK’s hub is at London Luton Airport and jets budget-conscious passengers across Europe.

 

But the news with Wizz Air isn’t all positive. They had the worst score for customer reputation in our study, so while the fares may be cheap, the experience may not be perfect.

To secure the title of the best budget airline (UK), Wizz has the lowest revenue per seat mile in the group at £0.0417. The one challenge with Wizz Air is its capacity. It can’t compete with UK giants like British Airways or easyJet, and routinely offers fewer than 60,000 annual flights, compared to easyJet’s nearly 400,000. If your trip is disrupted, you may be eligible for Wizz Air compensation for cancelled flight.

2

Virgin Atlantic – The Runner-Up

Virgin Atlantic scores high on our list, even though they are not a low-cost carrier. They have a useful hub at London’s Heathrow Airport and offer flights across the globe to destinations throughout Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia.

Virgin Atlantic also topped our overall best airlines in the UK list (joint winner with British Airways), so even though your flight might come in cheap, you’ll still have the benefits of reliability and comfort when you travel.

Virgin has capacity issues like Wizz Air, so there aren’t a ton of flights to choose from. But when you do find a flight that works, chances are good that it will be affordable. According to our research, Virgin Atlantic’s average revenue per seat mile was £0.0523

3

#3 easyJet

In our number 3 spot, we have one of the typical low-cost airlines. UK passengers flock to easyJet in the range of about 70 million every year. The budget carrier offers deals on last-minute travel, and their passenger revenue per seat mile is £0.0665.

EasyJet is among the UK’s most reliable airlines, so just because you opt for a lower-priced fare doesn’t mean you’ll have to deal with excessive flight interruptions. In fact, easyJet has a low percentage of cancelled flights compared to other UK airlines. If your flight is cancelled, you may be eligible for a compensation for cancelled flight.

Another way to secure cheap flights from easyJet is to keep an eye out for flight release days. While it’s not always the case, you can often book severely discounted tickets if you’re on the ball. 

The Other Airlines

#4 British Airways

Now we start to see the average seat-mile revenues climb. British Airways, the UK’s flag carrier airline, is the second-largest airline in the country after easyJet. For British Airways compensation for cancelled flight, see this page.

But being recognisable doesn’t mean being affordable. BA’s average seat mile revenue in 2024 was £0.0738. The good news is that British Airways isn’t the most expensive airline (you’ll have to read on to find out who is shortly), and if you apply some of the tips we provide in our post on the best days and times to fly cheap, you can increase the odds of getting a lower-priced flight.

Although British Airways’ fares can be high, you can’t discount the comfort, reliability, and expansive route network you get when you book with them. 

#5 Jet2

Somewhat surprisingly, Jet2’s flights aren’t all that cheap, especially with all the extras you’ll want to purchase. Although Jet2 earns the title of the UK’s most expensive airline, this carrier was #4 on our overall UK list, so they are doing something right. Jet2 took the last spot on the list with an average revenue per seat mile of £0.0878.

As the third largest UK airline, Jet2 welcomes its fair share of passengers – over 19 million in 2024 – and is the most reliable airline we reviewed. It’s also rated the best by customers, so if factors other than budget are important to you, Jet2 is certainly worth considering. 

If you have a tight travel budget, it’s even more important to claim compensation for a delayed flightStart your claim today to get up to £520.Check Your Flight

UK Airline Affordability Rating by AirAdvisor - 10 Carriers Ranked

Missing Data for Other UK Airlines

Unfortunately, 5 additional airlines that were part of our top 10 UK airlines list did not have reliable financial data available at the time of writing. As a result, we cannot comment on how affordable the following UK airlines actually are in 2025:

• Aurigny Air Services
• Blue Islands 
• TUI UK
• Loganair
• Eastern Airways

For TUI-related claims, see our TUI UK refund & compensation guide.

Methodology

To find the best budget flight company for UK travellers, we simply calculated the average revenue per seat mile, as published on the airline’s 2024 balance sheet. In short, the lower the figure, the cheaper it should be to fly with the UK airline.

Is Cheaper Always Better? You Be the Judge.

Getting the cheapest flight, unfortunately, isn’t an exact science, but if you know which airlines tend to have the lowest prices, you know where to start your search. For our money, we’ll be checking Wizz Air UK and Virgin Atlantic first and then moving down the list.

And even though price is usually a factor, sometimes it’s better to find a compromise between cost and other services. For that, check out British Airways, easyJet, and Jet2. Happy searching!

Author:

Amy Lancelotte

Job/Position: Senior Writer & Content Strategist

Amy Lancelotte is a Senior Content Writer and editorial contributor at AirAdvisor with over seven years of experience producing research-based articles for international audiences. Her work focuses on travel, aviation, and air passenger rights, with an emphasis on factual accuracy, verified data, and clear, reader-first explanations.

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