Cheapflights.co.uk, the UK’s website for travel search and comparison examines 15 of the UK’s international hub airports, ranking Manchester International as the most affordable airport among them. Airport affordability has been calculated based on a comparison of flight prices from each airport to five of summer 2011’s most popular destinations.

The destinations searched are Bangkok, Dubai, New York, Malaga, and Faro. Airports include two of London’s biggest international hubs, Heathrow and Gatwick, as well as regional hubs ranging from Manchester, Birmingham and Newcastle, to Edinburgh, Cardiff and Southampton.

Based on the average total price of flights to five summer destinations, Cheapflights.co.uk found the UK’s five most affordable airports to be as follows (starting with the cheapest):

1) Manchester International Airport
2) Birmingham
3) Heathrow
4) Edinburgh
5) London Gatwick

“In doing our research, we were fascinated to find two things. The most highly searched destinations were predominantly long-haul, so people are no doubt going further to save on ground costs this summer, in destinations where they get more value for their Pounds,” says Nadine Hallak, Travel Expert for Cheapflights.co.uk.

“We also found that average prices for long-haul are actually cheaper from London airports, while regional airports offer better fares to short-haul destinations like Spain and Portugal,” adds Hallak.

The website also found that the cheapest prices to the three long-haul destinations were actually offered by London Heathrow, displaying as follows:
Bangkok, £434 return
New York, £337 return
Dubai, £323 return

Comparatively, the regional airport to offer the cheapest average flight price to these three destinations was Manchester International with prices as follows:
Bangkok, £481 return
New York, £405 return
Dubai, £343 return

Conversely, for the short-haul routes, the cheapest average airfare for Malaga was offered by Edinburgh at just £36 return while the cheapest for Faro was offered by Bristol International at £51 return.