Europe Unlocked Research

Gatwick Flights: Bargains and When to Book in 2026

Best time to book flights from London Gatwick? Typical fares, the bargains we found and what booking early or late did, one airline at a time, in 2026.

Written By Rick Blyth

Happiest at 36,000ft as the sun rises above the clouds

6 min read

•

Published on 12th November 2026

A map of the UK and Ireland with London Gatwick Airport pinned and flight paths leaving it for Europe

In our trip search on 12th November 2026, we found 117 places for a city break from London Gatwick, with 29 of them under £50 return.

Wondering about the best time to book flights from London Gatwick? Here's the good news first, from our trip search, then what booking early or leaving it late did to fares in our 2026 fare tracking, one airline at a time.

This page is the London Gatwick part of our study of the best time to book flights to Europe.

Good News from London Gatwick 🎉

Here's what we found when we searched for city breaks from London Gatwick: return trips, flights only.

117places for a city break from London Gatwick, in 33 countries

29of them under £50 return, and 92 under £100

City break in EuropeLanzarote2 nights in December, from £28 return

Two cities, one tripMilan and Lanzarote4 nights in December, from £46 return

City break in IrelandDublin6 nights in December, from £30 return

City break in the UKBelfast2 nights in December, from £56 return

Return trips, flights only, per person, from our trip search on 12th November 2026. Fares move, and you book each flight directly with the airline.

See every city break from London Gatwick →

Booking 6 to 8 Weeks Ahead from London Gatwick 💡

Here's how much lower fares were 6 to 8 weeks before departure than in the final days or six months ahead, airline by airline.

From London GatwickeasyJet

£25 lesstypically, 6 to 8 weeks out than in the final 3 days

£11 less than 6 months ahead

From London GatwickRyanair to Dublin

£103 lesstypically, 6 to 8 weeks out than in the final days

From London GatwickWizz Air

£30 lesstypically, 6 to 8 weeks out than in the final 3 days

Among the 11,892 easyJet flights we tracked from London Gatwick (departures 1 March to 7 November), fares 6 to 8 weeks out were typically about £25 lower than the same flight's fare in the final 3 days.
Among the 1,247 Ryanair flights to Dublin we tracked from London Gatwick (departures 1 March to 7 November), fares 6 to 8 weeks out were typically about £103 lower than the same flight's fare in the final days.
Among the 600 Wizz Air flights we tracked from London Gatwick (departures 1 March to 7 November), fares 6 to 8 weeks out were typically about £30 lower than the same flight's fare in the final 3 days.
Among the 6,918 easyJet flights we tracked from London Gatwick (departures 5 July to 7 November), fares 6 to 8 weeks out were typically about £11 lower than 24 to 26 weeks out.

📬 Free · Every Sunday

The Best Trips from London Gatwick AirportEvery Sunday, Fresh in Your Inbox

Each email has the best-value trips from London Gatwick for the following two weeks, found and priced for you.

What lands in your inbox on Sunday

InboxExample

Rick from Europe UnlockedSundayYour best trips from London Gatwick for the following two weeksCheapest trips from London Gatwick for the following two weeks.

To: you

What Flights from London Gatwick Cost 💷

The full figures, for journalists and anyone who likes the detail, start here. This is the typical one-way fare on the flights we tracked from London Gatwick, booked 6 to 8 weeks before departure, one airline at a time. Typical means the middle one: half cost less, half cost more.

From London GatwickRyanair to Dublin

£28typical fare one way, booked 6 to 8 weeks ahead

53% under £30
81% under £50

From London GatwickJet2

£74typical fare one way, booked 6 to 8 weeks ahead

30% under £50

From London GatwickWizz Air

£42typical fare one way, booked 6 to 8 weeks ahead

30% under £30
57% under £50

From London GatwickeasyJet

£75typical fare one way, booked 6 to 8 weeks ahead

27% under £50

Among the 620 Jet2 flights we tracked from London Gatwick (departures 26 March to 7 November), the typical fare 6 to 8 weeks before departure was £74 one way, and 30% were under £50.
Among the 1,544 Ryanair flights to Dublin we tracked from London Gatwick (departures 1 March to 7 November), the typical fare 6 to 8 weeks before departure was £28 one way: 53% were under £30 and 81% under £50.
Among the 800 Wizz Air flights we tracked from London Gatwick (departures 1 March to 7 November), the typical fare 6 to 8 weeks before departure was £42 one way: 30% were under £30 and 57% under £50.
Among the 13,961 easyJet flights we tracked from London Gatwick (departures 1 March to 7 November), the typical fare 6 to 8 weeks before departure was £75 one way, and 27% were under £50.

When Fares Rose and Fell from London Gatwick 📈

Each flight is compared with its own fare 6 to 8 weeks before it left.

From London GatwickRyanair to Dublin

312% higherin the final days, about £103 more a flight

Final days +312%

1,247 flights tracked, departures 1 March to 7 November.

From London GatwickeasyJet

38% higherin the final 3 days, about £25 more a flight

Final 3 days +38%

11,892 flights tracked, departures 1 March to 7 November.

From London GatwickWizz Air

76% higherin the final 3 days, about £30 more a flight

Final 3 days +76%

600 flights tracked, departures 1 March to 7 November.

How fares moved before departure: flights from London GatwickThe typical change against each flight's own fare 6 to 8 weeks out, from 6 months before departure to the day it leaves.

Ryanair to Dublin+312% final days
easyJet+38% final 3 days
Wizz Air+76% final 3 days

Each point covers 100 or more flights. One-way base fares for one person, without bags, on the flights we tracked from London Gatwick.

Leaving It Late from London Gatwick ⏳

What happened to fares in the last days before departure, airline by airline:

Among the 11,892 easyJet flights we tracked from London Gatwick (departures 1 March to 7 November), fares in the final 3 days were typically 38% higher than the same flight's fare 6 to 8 weeks out, about £25 more. 74% were dearer and 22% cheaper.
Among the 600 Wizz Air flights we tracked from London Gatwick (departures 1 March to 7 November), fares in the final 3 days were typically 76% higher than the same flight's fare 6 to 8 weeks out, about £30 more. 88% were dearer and 9% cheaper.
Among the 472 Jet2 flights we tracked from London Gatwick (departures 2 April to 7 November), fares in the final 3 days were typically 13% lower than the same flight's fare 6 to 8 weeks out, about £8 less. 29% were dearer and 63% cheaper.

Booking Six Months Ahead from London Gatwick 🗓️

What booking about six months ahead did, against booking 6 to 8 weeks out:

Among the 6,918 easyJet flights we tracked from London Gatwick (departures 5 July to 7 November), fares 24 to 26 weeks out were typically 15% higher than 6 to 8 weeks out, about £11 more.

Ryanair to Dublin, Like for Like ☘️

In our fare tracking, Ryanair to Dublin is the one route we can fairly compare between airports, because it's the same airline on the same route. From London Gatwick:

Among the 1,247 Ryanair flights to Dublin we tracked from London Gatwick (departures 1 March to 7 November), fares in the final days were typically 312% higher than the same flight's fare 6 to 8 weeks out, about £103 more. 96% were dearer and 2% cheaper.

Here it is from the 12 UK airports where we tracked enough Ryanair flights to Dublin, in alphabetical order. These are increases, not fare levels.

Ryanair to Dublin: how much fares rose in the final daysAgainst each flight's own fare 6 to 8 weeks out, alphabetical. Increases, not fare levels. Paler bars are not clearly different from London Gatwick.

London Gatwick’s rise was clearly different from Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle. It wasn’t clearly different from London Luton or London Stansted, so we don’t compare it with those.

About This Research 🔍

What we tracked: one-way base fares per person, without bags, on the flights we tracked from London Gatwick to Europe. Not every flight from the airport.
Typical fare: the middle fare of those flights 6 to 8 weeks before departure.
How we compared: each flight against its own fare 6 to 8 weeks before it left, so a cheap route and a dear one can be compared fairly.
One airline at a time: the fare tracking figures don't rank airports or say one is cheaper than another. Ryanair to Dublin is their only comparison between airports, because the route is the same.
When: flights leaving from March to November 2026, with each figure's own dates beside it. One year of data, so these are 2026's patterns.
Six months ahead is 24 to 26 weeks before departure, on flights leaving from July.
Ryanair's final days are mostly 2 to 3 days before departure.
Ryanair is given for its flights to Dublin and, where we had enough, its other routes on their own.
The good news at the top comes from our trip search, with the day we found the prices: return trips, flights only, per person.
How London Gatwick compares: where the good news says an airport has more places or the cheapest trip, that's against the other UK airports our trip search covers, all searched the same day. We only say so when the airport is well ahead, and for the cheapest trip, at least five pounds lower. We never name the airports it beat.

Questions People Ask 💬

What Is the Best Time to Book Flights from London Gatwick?

It depends on the airline, so we looked at each one on its own. In our 2026 fare tracking: Among the 11,892 easyJet flights we tracked from London Gatwick (departures 1 March to 7 November), fares 6 to 8 weeks out were typically about £25 lower than the same flight's fare in the final 3 days. Among the 1,247 Ryanair flights to Dublin we tracked from London Gatwick (departures 1 March to 7 November), fares 6 to 8 weeks out were typically about £103 lower than the same flight's fare in the final days. Among the 600 Wizz Air flights we tracked from London Gatwick (departures 1 March to 7 November), fares 6 to 8 weeks out were typically about £30 lower than the same flight's fare in the final 3 days. Among the 6,918 easyJet flights we tracked from London Gatwick (departures 5 July to 7 November), fares 6 to 8 weeks out were typically about £11 lower than 24 to 26 weeks out.

How Much Are Flights from London Gatwick?

Booked 6 to 8 weeks before departure, in our 2026 fare tracking: Among the 620 Jet2 flights we tracked from London Gatwick (departures 26 March to 7 November), the typical fare 6 to 8 weeks before departure was £74 one way, and 30% were under £50. Among the 1,544 Ryanair flights to Dublin we tracked from London Gatwick (departures 1 March to 7 November), the typical fare 6 to 8 weeks before departure was £28 one way: 53% were under £30 and 81% under £50. Among the 800 Wizz Air flights we tracked from London Gatwick (departures 1 March to 7 November), the typical fare 6 to 8 weeks before departure was £42 one way: 30% were under £30 and 57% under £50. Among the 13,961 easyJet flights we tracked from London Gatwick (departures 1 March to 7 November), the typical fare 6 to 8 weeks before departure was £75 one way, and 27% were under £50.

Do Ryanair Flights from London Gatwick to Dublin Get Dearer Closer to the Date?

In our 2026 fare tracking, yes. Among the 1,247 Ryanair flights to Dublin we tracked from London Gatwick (departures 1 March to 7 November), fares in the final days were typically 312% higher than the same flight's fare 6 to 8 weeks out, about £103 more. 96% were dearer and 2% cheaper.

Can I Use These Figures?

Yes. Media outlets, websites and other publications are welcome to use them, but must credit Europe Unlocked with a link to this page. Journalists can also get the press pack from our full study.

We've done the searching, so you don't have to. Find city breaks from London Gatwick, or read the best time to book flights to Europe, our full 2026 study.