Stansted saves €20 on the flight — but €16 more in fixed costs narrows the net saving to €4.
The money truth is calculable. Whether the trade is worth it is personal.
Stansted saves €20 on the flight, but €16 more in fixed costs. The result: only €4 net saving — and 20 extra minutes on the train.
Stansted is ahead by €4. Whether that is worth the extra journey is personal.
Totals rounded. UK transport at 1 GBP ≈ 1.17 EUR. Walk-up contactless/Oyster, off-peak.
Stansted’s flight is €20cheaper, but its fixed costs (baggage + transfer) are €16higher than Gatwick’s. The break-even is at a flight saving of €16 — below that, Gatwick wins on total cost. Above that, Stansted wins.
At €10 saving, Stansted's cheaper flight does not overcome its €16 in higher fixed costs. Gatwick is cheaper door-to-door.
At €16, Stansted crosses the break-even — but by less than €1. The margin is razor-thin.
At €20, Stansted's flight saving exceeds its higher fixed costs by a clear margin.
Gatwick: 1 direct train to Victoria (40 min). Stansted: train + Tube change (60 min).
Stansted’s saving depends on accepting 20 extra minutes and a train change. Gatwick delivers you to Victoria on one direct train — but its flights are typically €10–20 more. Both serve European routes. easyJet serves both airports; Ryanair is Stansted-only.
Usually no — Stansted flights are typically €10–20 cheaper. But Stansted’s higher fixed costs (baggage + transfer) can narrow the real saving to a few euros, and for some destinations Gatwick wins on total cost.
Stansted needs to save at least €16 on the flight to reliably beat Gatwick on total door-to-door cost — because its fixed costs are about €16 higher.
Gatwick: 40 minutes direct to Victoria on one train. Stansted: 60 minutes with a train change. Gatwick wins on time and simplicity for most central London destinations.
Gatwick — the Southern Railway serves Victoria directly in 40 minutes. Stansted requires the Express to Liverpool Street plus a connecting Tube, adding 20 minutes and a change.
easyJet, Jet2, and TUI serve both Gatwick and Stansted — so you can sometimes choose between airports on the same airline. Ryanair serves Stansted only.