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Peak season:
The best time to travel to Manchester is from June to September, as this is when the weather is most pleasant and there are more outdoor festivals and events. In May there is the Great Manchester Run where the city bursts with runners and camera crews so book in advance as the cost of flight tickets will be a lot more during this period of time. Spring and autumn are also good times to visit Manchester, although rain will be more likely than in the peak of Summer, you’ll still have some warm weather and cheap flights to Manchester will be a lot easier to find.
Off Season:
From the end of autumn until after Christmas Manchester is less busy in regards to tourism so you’ll find the cheapest flights to Manchester then. If you book early you can secure absolute bargains on flight tickets, although the downside is the weather will be a lot greyer and wetter than during the peak months. October hosts the Manchester Literature Festival, where renowned authors have been specially commissioned. Even though it’s during the off peak season, you’ll need to book your flights to Manchester early to save money on your flight tickets as the price will increase as October approaches.
Normally the prices are the cheapest from December to April, with some increase as spring comes along. Christmas and New Years’ can also drive up the price of your flight tickets, so secure your flights to Manchester early on in the year if you want to visit for the festive celebrations. If you are flexible then you’ll have a much greater chance of finding the cheapest flights to Manchester, with some bargains found in and around the peak season if you book enough in advance. If you secure your flight tickets early enough you can grab flights from as little as £20, so it’s worth scouting around if you have the flexibility on when to travel.
Flights from London to Manchester: 1 hour 00 minutes
Flights from Aberdeen to Manchester: 1 hour 15 minutes
Flights from Southampton to Manchester: 1 hour 00 minutes
Flights from Glasgow to Manchester: 1 hour 05 minutes
British Airways and FlyBE are the major two airlines that offer direct flights to Manchester, although other airlines such as KLM do offer cheap flight tickets but you’ll have an in-direct flight. British Airways have the benefit of providing complimentary food and drinks on board their flights, however you might not be able to take advantage of this due to the short flight time. Cheap flights to Manchester are easily found though, so compare between British Airways and FlyBE over similar dates as one might be a lot cheaper than the other and vice versa.
There is a dedicated station at the airport which runs in association with Trainline. You can jump on to get to the centre of Manchester or even to other major cities if you need to. You can find cheap tickets online or buy them at the airport, however if you buy them in advance online you will save money. From the same station at the airport you can also get a coach, again if you buy your tickets in advance then it’ll be cheaper for you. The coaches are from National Express who sometimes offer ridiculously cheap tickets, which is more than welcome after you’ve bought your flight tickets. Another option is to jump on a tram from the station to get into Greater Manchester. On top of that you can rent a car or get a taxi from outside the airport, however it won’t be cheap and due to the many other options it would make more sense to use the public transport.