Europe Unlocked Research

Stansted Flights: Bargains and When to Book in 2026

Best time to book flights from London Stansted? 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 Stansted Airport pinned and flight paths leaving it for Europe

In our trip search on 12th November 2026, London Stansted had more places for a city break than any other UK airport: 154, with 109 of them under £50 return.

Wondering about the best time to book flights from London Stansted? 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 Stansted part of our study of the best time to book flights to Europe.

Good News from London Stansted 🎉

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

154places for a city break from London Stansted, in 34 countriesMore than any other UK airport

109of them under £50 return, and 149 under £100More than any other UK airport

City break in EuropeMilan2 nights in December, from £30 return

Two cities, one tripTurin and Pescara3 nights in December, from £43 return

City break in IrelandKnock1 night in December, from £30 return

City break in the UKBelfast1 night in December, from £30 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. Compared with the other UK airports our trip search covers, searched the same day: we only say "more" when an airport is well ahead, and "cheapest" when it's at least £5 lower.

See every city break from London Stansted →

Booking 6 to 8 Weeks Ahead from London Stansted 💡

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 StanstedRyanair

£75 lesstypically, 6 to 8 weeks out than in the final days

£14 less than 6 months ahead

From London StanstedRyanair to Dublin

£93 lesstypically, 6 to 8 weeks out than in the final days

From London StanstedJet2

£34 lesstypically, 6 to 8 weeks out than 6 months ahead

Among the 12,218 Ryanair flights we tracked from London Stansted (departures 1 March to 7 November), fares 6 to 8 weeks out were typically about £75 lower than the same flight's fare in the final days.
Among the 1,240 Ryanair flights to Dublin we tracked from London Stansted (departures 1 March to 7 November), fares 6 to 8 weeks out were typically about £93 lower than the same flight's fare in the final days.
Among the 6,804 Ryanair flights we tracked from London Stansted (departures 5 July to 7 November), fares 6 to 8 weeks out were typically about £14 lower than 24 to 26 weeks out.
Among the 852 Jet2 flights we tracked from London Stansted (departures 5 July to 7 November), fares 6 to 8 weeks out were typically about £34 lower than 24 to 26 weeks out.

📬 Free · Every Sunday

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

Each email has the best-value trips from London Stansted 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 Stansted for the following two weeksCheapest trips from London Stansted for the following two weeks.

To: you

What Flights from London Stansted 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 Stansted, 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 StanstedRyanair

£38typical fare one way, booked 6 to 8 weeks ahead

38% under £30
63% under £50

From London StanstedRyanair to Dublin

£25typical fare one way, booked 6 to 8 weeks ahead

58% under £30
85% under £50

Among the 1,649 Jet2 flights we tracked from London Stansted (departures 1 March to 7 November), the typical fare 6 to 8 weeks before departure was £109 one way.
Among the 15,287 Ryanair flights we tracked from London Stansted (departures 1 March to 7 November), the typical fare 6 to 8 weeks before departure was £38 one way: 38% were under £30 and 63% under £50.
Among the 13,742 Ryanair flights (leaving out Dublin) we tracked from London Stansted (departures 1 March to 7 November), the typical fare 6 to 8 weeks before departure was £40 one way: 36% were under £30 and 60% under £50.
Among the 1,545 Ryanair flights to Dublin we tracked from London Stansted (departures 1 March to 7 November), the typical fare 6 to 8 weeks before departure was £25 one way: 58% were under £30 and 85% under £50.

When Fares Rose and Fell from London Stansted 📈

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

From London StanstedRyanair

165% higherin the final days, about £75 more a flight

Final days +165%
6 months out +37%

12,218 flights (final days), 6,804 flights (6 months out) tracked, departures 1 March to 7 November.

From London StanstedJet2

20% lowerin the final 3 days, about £20 less a flight

Final 3 days -20%

1,190 flights tracked, departures 1 March to 7 November.

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

Ryanair+165% final days+37% 6 months out
Jet2-20% 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 Stansted.

Leaving It Late from London Stansted ⏳

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

Among the 12,218 Ryanair flights we tracked from London Stansted (departures 1 March to 7 November), fares in the final days were typically 165% higher than the same flight's fare 6 to 8 weeks out, about £75 more. 91% were dearer and 6% cheaper.
Among the 1,190 Jet2 flights we tracked from London Stansted (departures 1 March to 7 November), fares in the final 3 days were typically 20% lower than the same flight's fare 6 to 8 weeks out, about £20 less. 24% were dearer and 69% cheaper.

Booking Six Months Ahead from London Stansted 🗓️

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

Among the 6,804 Ryanair flights we tracked from London Stansted (departures 5 July to 7 November), fares 24 to 26 weeks out were typically 37% higher than 6 to 8 weeks out, about £14 more.
Among the 852 Jet2 flights we tracked from London Stansted (departures 5 July to 7 November), fares 24 to 26 weeks out were typically 33% higher than 6 to 8 weeks out, about £34 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 Stansted:

Among the 1,240 Ryanair flights to Dublin we tracked from London Stansted (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 £93 more. 94% were dearer and 4% 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 Stansted.

London Stansted’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 Gatwick or London Luton, 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 Stansted 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.
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 Stansted 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 Stansted?

It depends on the airline, so we looked at each one on its own. In our 2026 fare tracking: Among the 12,218 Ryanair flights we tracked from London Stansted (departures 1 March to 7 November), fares 6 to 8 weeks out were typically about £75 lower than the same flight's fare in the final days. Among the 1,240 Ryanair flights to Dublin we tracked from London Stansted (departures 1 March to 7 November), fares 6 to 8 weeks out were typically about £93 lower than the same flight's fare in the final days. Among the 6,804 Ryanair flights we tracked from London Stansted (departures 5 July to 7 November), fares 6 to 8 weeks out were typically about £14 lower than 24 to 26 weeks out. Among the 852 Jet2 flights we tracked from London Stansted (departures 5 July to 7 November), fares 6 to 8 weeks out were typically about £34 lower than 24 to 26 weeks out.

How Much Are Flights from London Stansted?

Booked 6 to 8 weeks before departure, in our 2026 fare tracking: Among the 1,649 Jet2 flights we tracked from London Stansted (departures 1 March to 7 November), the typical fare 6 to 8 weeks before departure was £109 one way. Among the 15,287 Ryanair flights we tracked from London Stansted (departures 1 March to 7 November), the typical fare 6 to 8 weeks before departure was £38 one way: 38% were under £30 and 63% under £50. Among the 13,742 Ryanair flights (leaving out Dublin) we tracked from London Stansted (departures 1 March to 7 November), the typical fare 6 to 8 weeks before departure was £40 one way: 36% were under £30 and 60% under £50. Among the 1,545 Ryanair flights to Dublin we tracked from London Stansted (departures 1 March to 7 November), the typical fare 6 to 8 weeks before departure was £25 one way: 58% were under £30 and 85% under £50.

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

In our 2026 fare tracking, yes. Among the 1,240 Ryanair flights to Dublin we tracked from London Stansted (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 £93 more. 94% were dearer and 4% 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 Stansted, or read the best time to book flights to Europe, our full 2026 study.