United Kingdom
London with five airports and a spread-out group
London is probably the European destination with the most flight options, which makes it one of the easiest places to reach from different cities. The trade-off is the cost of accommodation and food, which usually ends up being what really decides the trip.
The five airports aren't interchangeable: Heathrow (LHR) and City (LCY) are the most convenient for reaching the centre, Gatwick (LGW) has a fast direct train, and Stansted (STN) and Luton (LTN) are the low-cost airports and sit noticeably further out. Joivia searches all of them together under the city of London.
Each part of London has its own character: Shoreditch and the East End for nightlife, the South Bank for riverside walks and free museums, Camden for the market and a more alternative vibe. A group can split accommodation by area without losing the ability to meet up easily.
London's public transport is paid for with a contactless card or an Oyster card with a daily spending cap, which makes life much simpler for a large group: nobody needs to buy separate tickets or work out passes ahead of time.
Why London works for a spread-out group
With this many airports and flight frequencies, there's almost always a combination where the whole group lands in the same window. What's worth checking is the real journey time into the centre from each airport, because an extra hour on the train from Stansted can eat up whatever the ticket saved.
Joivia compares every traveller's flights at once and scores each combination on two things: the group's total price and how grouped the arrivals are, so nobody burns hours waiting alone at the terminal.
Search flights to London with your groupHow to plan the trip when the group flies from several cities →
How much it costs to fly to London from each city
Per-person, one-way prices for the cheapest flight we've seen on each route; data updated on 21/08/2026. These are indicative and change constantly: always confirm the final price on the provider's website.
Is there a direct flight to London?
Of the 14556 flights to London we've seen in the last 10 days, around 35% are direct.
Which airlines fly to London
- KLM
- Lufthansa
- Ryanair
- easyJet
- Aer Lingus
- Air France
Which cities have a direct flight, and how long it takes
- Dublin (DUB) 37.6 direct/day · takes 1 h 30 min
- Amsterdam (AMS) 15.7 direct/day · takes 1 h 15 min
- Istanbul (IST) 12.7 direct/day · takes 4 h 5 min
- Istanbul Sabiha (SAW) 9.6 direct/day · takes 4 h
- Berlin (BER) 8.4 direct/day · takes 2 h
- Athens (ATH) 8.3 direct/day · takes 4 h
- Budapest (BUD) 8.1 direct/day · takes 2 h 45 min
- Prague (PRG) 6.3 direct/day · takes 2 h 5 min
- Krakow (KRK) 5.1 direct/day · takes 2 h 30 min
- Lisbon (LIS) 4.6 direct/day · takes 2 h 45 min
- Copenhagen (CPH) 4.5 direct/day · takes 2 h
- Split (SPU) 3.6 direct/day · takes 2 h 40 min
When there's a layover, where is it usually?
The most common layover we've seen is Zurich.
What time flights land in London
Based on the direct flights we've seen on each route, here's roughly how arrival times spread out depending on where each person flies from:
- Dublin (DUB) 12.3 direct/day · arrive between 09:05 and 19:25
- Berlin (BER) 3.2 direct/day · arrive between 07:50 and 20:50
- Vienna (VIE) 2.0 direct/day · arrive between 08:30 and 23:00
Window between the earliest and latest of every ten flights, based on direct flights seen recently: not a fixed schedule, just what usually happens.
Where to meet after landing at the London airport
With five airports in play, it's worth setting the meeting point by each person's airport rather than a single shared one: Heathrow and Gatwick have good direct links to the centre (Piccadilly/Elizabeth line and Gatwick Express), while from Stansted and Luton the journey is longer and should be factored in when working out each person's real arrival time at the accommodation.
Which London airport suits each traveller
London has several airports and Joivia searches them as a single city, so there's no need to pick one in advance:
- LHR — London Heathrow
- LGW — London Gatwick
- STN — London Stansted
- LTN — London Luton
- LCY — London City
Which countries have a direct flight to London
London, along with Rome and Amsterdam, is one of the best-connected destinations in Europe: practically any mid-sized European city has a direct flight, many with several daily departures. Spain, France, Germany, Italy and Poland are especially well covered by low-cost carriers, making it easy to find an affordable combination from almost any origin.
Before you go to London
- Factor the transfer into the centre into the cost: from Stansted or Luton it's not trivial in either time or money.
- A contactless bank card works directly on the Tube and buses; there's no need to buy a pass.
- Many of the major museums are free, which helps a lot when balancing a group's budget.
- Book accommodation early: in London, for groups, this is where the price rises fastest as the date gets closer.
Frequently asked questions about going to London as a group
Which London airport is best avoided on a late arrival?
Stansted and Luton, because of the longer journey into the centre; if the flight lands in the early hours, Heathrow or Gatwick leave much less distance to cover to the accommodation.
Are London's museums really free?
The major national museums (the British Museum, the National Gallery, Tate Modern and others) don't charge general admission, though some temporary exhibitions do.
Do you need to book accommodation far in advance?
Yes, it's worth it: London is one of the cities where group accommodation prices rise fastest as the travel date approaches.
How long is the flight from Dublin to London?
The direct flights we've seen average about 1 h 30 min.
Which airlines fly to London?
Among the flights we've seen, KLM, Lufthansa, Ryanair, easyJet and Aer Lingus operate the most.
Is there a direct flight to London?
Not many: around 35% of the flights we see are direct.