Economy flights in the UK: which airline is best?

When you are travelling for business, there are lots of things to consider. How much baggage will I need? What kind of seats will be preferable? And does it fit within my allocated budget? 

There are many airlines to choose from in the UK, all of which have different rewards and benefits depending on the fare type. So which one do you choose?

We’ve taken a look at some of the most popular airlines in the UK and analysed their economy fare benefits and rewards, so business travellers can compare and decide on the right airline for them.

Ryanair

Ryanair is largely an economy-only airline, offering cheaper flights to over 250 destinations, primarily within Europe. They also offer a range of options to upgrade your fare and get additional benefits.

The price of a ticket varies depending on time of day, the day itself and where you are flying to and from, but the average price for a single ticket with Ryanair has been as low as £23 in recent years (27 euros).

Ryanair has five fare types:

• Basic

• Regular

• Plus

• Family Plus

• Flexi Plus

And these fares mean you’ll have different baggage allowances, seat inclusions and boarding priorities. 

With Flexi Plus, there is also the flexibility to change a booked flight to a different date, time or route, without paying a fee. These changes can be done before or on the day of travel online. 

If changing to a later flight, it can be changed up to one hour before the departure time of the original flight. If changing to an earlier flight, it can be changed online (up to 2.5 hours pre-departure of the original flight), through the contact centre (up to one hour pre-departure of the original flight) or at the airport desk (up to 40 minutes pre-departure).

Ryanair fees

There are a number of fees that can be applicable if booking with Ryanair. For example, if you are travelling to a business meeting and need to take with you laptops and other tools for perhaps a presentation, then you’ll likely need more baggage. 

Or maybe the flight was booked under the name of an employee who is now unable to attend, and someone else is taking their place. Then the name needs to be changed – which comes with a fee.

Here are some of Ryanair’s fees, as of summer 2025:

• Flight change - £45 to change online, £60 to change through an agent or at the airport

• Name change - £115 to change online, £160 to change through an agent or at the airport

• Forgot to check in online? - This will cost £55 at the airport 

• Cost of seats (per flight):

  • Standard - £4.50 - £15.50

  • Front - £7 - £21

  • Extra legroom - £11 -£33

Head to Ryanair’s website for a full breakdown of the most up-to-date fees, including the costs for bringing extra equipment such as sports equipment or a bike.

Ryanair cancellation policy 

Ryanair offers a grace period of 24 hours from the time of your original booking to correct any minor errors you may have made (such as dates or times) free of charge. After this, fees will be applied.

Ryanair also doesn’t refund any flights as standard. Their policy states, “If your flight operated and you didn’t travel, you’re not entitled to a refund.” 

If Ryanair cancelled your flight, travellers may then be entitled to a refund following the applicable Passenger Rights Regulations. 

What are the pros and cons?

Pros

• 24-hour grace period for changes

• Low-cost airline

• A large number of destinations to choose from

Cons

• No refunds for self-cancelled flights

• Check-in charge at the airport

• Smaller cabin bag sizes

easyJet

easyJet operates a very similar service to Ryanair, and it flies to over 150 destinations across Europe and North Africa.

As another discount airline, easyJet also offers low-cost flights, with the average price of a one-way flight in July, August and September coming to £69 (as of 2023). 

easyJet has five fare types: standard, standard plus, inclusive, inclusive plus and essentials.

Inclusive plus also includes free date or time changes within +/- 1 day, free route changes within +/- 1 day, a cafe meal deal on board and up to three hours lounge access before your flight at selected airports - perfect if you need to quickly do some work before flying to that all-important meeting. 

easyJet fees

Here are some of easyJet’s applicable fees. For a full breakdown of current fees, visit their website:

• Group booking - this is £20 per passenger, per flight

  • With the Group Booking Scheme, you can block out seats together and add the names of the passengers later - perfect for travelling as a work team

• Cost of seats (per flight):

  • First row - From £12.99

  • Up front/over wing (extra legroom) - From £7.99

  • Other - From £0.99

• Cost of bags (per flight):

  • Large cabin bag - from £5.99

  • Hold luggage (up to 23kg) - from £19.99

• Flight changes (more than 60 days before departure) - £30

• Flight changes (less than 60 days before departure) - £49

easyJet cancellation policy 

easyJet does offer the chance for travellers to cancel their booking (within 24 hours) and get a refund, minus the cancellation fee of £49. After this, you will not be able to get a refund for any fare. 

What are the pros and cons?

Pros

• 24-hour grace period for cancellations

• Low-cost airline

• No check-in charge at the airport

• No administration fees

• Larger cabin bag sizes 

Cons

• Group booking fee (though with seat benefit)

• Only two fare types to choose from

Jet2 flights 

Jet2 flies from 13 UK airports to more than 75 destinations across Europe, and you can buy just flights with them, or pick from many budget package holidays.

They are an economy-only airline, but do offer additional purchases if you want extra legroom, baggage or speedy boarding, for example. 

The price for a one-way flight will vary depending on destination and travel period, but the lowest recent price recorded at the time of writing is £17.

This is what the fare includes as standard:

Jet2 fees

Here are some of Jet2’s applicable fees:

• Change of name on booking - £40 per person, per flight

• Change the date - £40 plus the difference (if any) in price between the original fare and the new fare price

Jet2 cancellation policy 

Jet2 does not have a grace period for cancellations; if you cancel your flight or miss your flight, you will not be refunded. 

What are the pros and cons?

Pros

• No check-in charge at the airport

• No administration fees

• Low-cost airline

Cons

• No grace period for cancellations

• Minimal information about costs in advance 

British Airways

British Airways has flights to over 200 destinations across Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa, and Australia, and it mainly flies out of London Heathrow.

So, if you’ve got a business meeting across the pond, British Airways is a good choice as a reputable long-haul airline.

It is, however, important to remember that it isn’t generally considered a budget airline, and flights will be more expensive. Average prices are hard to find, but a recent flight from Heathrow to Madrid, for example, was £80.

Its economy fare includes Euro Traveller and World Traveller, but its premium economy fare just includes World Traveller Plus.

Here are the fare types broken down for both short-haul and long-haul flights:

British Airways fees

Here are some of British Airways applicable fees:

• Change of time, date or cabin - £35

• Cancellation fee - £35

• Oversized luggage? - £75 charge 

British Airways cancellation policy 

You can cancel your flight within 24 hours of booking and get a full refund, with no additional fees. But this is only if you have booked directly with British Airways - travel managers and employees should be mindful of this.

What are the pros and cons?

Pros

• 24-hour grace period for cancellations

• A choice of economy fares for both Europe and World travellers

• A large number of destinations to choose from 

Cons

• Limited information about additional fees (with this also being very dependent on fare, flight and destination) 

• More costly tickets

Virgin Atlantic 

Virgin Atlantic is another great choice for a long-haul flight, with 32 destinations available across all five continents. Its main airports in the UK are Heathrow, Manchester and Gatwick.

Average flight prices for Virgin Atlantic vary just like all airlines, but research from Skyscanner tells us that a recent flight from the U.S. to Reykjavik costs nearly £250.

There are three options to choose from if you fly economy with Virgin: Light, Classic and Delight. 

Here are those fares broken down:

Virgin Atlantic fees

Here are some of Virgin Atlantic's applicable fees:

• Adding an extra bag - if you want to add an extra bag not included in your fare, this is £65

• Changing details on your booking - fees are applicable depending on fare type and can be found on your booking information

Virgin Atlantic cancellation policy 

You can cancel your flight within 24 hours of booking and get a full refund, with no additional fees. Refunds aim to be given in 14 days. 

What are the pros and cons?

Pros

• 24-hour grace period for cancellations

• A choice of three economy fares 

Cons

• Limited information about additional fees (with this also being dependent on the fare)

• Not a huge amount of destinations to choose from compared to other long-haul airlines 

• More costly tickets 

Overview comparison

As a travel manager who might have to book numerous flights for work travel, you are probably working to a budget and, as such, might prefer a cheaper airline. 

Ryanair or easyJet will certainly offer you a cheaper flight, but be careful of the additional costs that can occur with seats, baggage and if you want priority boarding. 

Of these two airlines, easyJet offers cancellation (with a fee) within 24 hours of your booking, whereas Ryanair does not, and they also have slightly larger hand luggage size allowances. 

Jet2 also doesn’t offer a cancellation grace period, but it has no administration booking fees or any fees at the airport. Business travellers will likely be very busy doing other work in the lead up to a flight, and could forget to check in online or on an app, and if this is with Ryanair, you will be charged £55 per person for checking in at the airport. 

If you have a client meeting and need to fly from the UK to the U.S., British Airways is likely to be a good choice as they offer a wide range of destinations and a choice of economy fares. 

Be prepared for business travel

Ultimately, choosing the airline for employees to travel with will depend on a number of factors. The best thing you can do is research and weigh up the pros and cons. 

We also know that planning travel for work can be stressful, especially when there are many airlines to consider. Opting for a single travel management platform like Perk can help travel bookers feel at ease in case they need to cancel or change plans. 

To learn more about how Perk can help reduce the admin around work travel, book a demo to see the platform in action.