Is it Worth the Drive to Manchester? LBA vs. MAN Price & Hassle Comparison

By Dean | Yorkshire Travel Guide

Ey up! Let's talk about the classic Yorkshire holiday dilemma that we all face from time to time.

You're online hunting for that desperately needed summer sun, and you spot a cracking flight deal to Tenerife from Leeds Bradford (LBA) for say £150 return. Sounds good you say but lets have a look at Manchester (MAN) and you see the exact same dates for just £90, got to be a no brainer you say.

That's a £60 saving per person, for a family of four, you're looking at £240. In Yorkshire that's known as a lot of brass, more than enough to cover your tapas and San Miguels for a good chunk of the week. It seems like you're booking the Manchester flight, right.

But hold on a minute. Before you click "book" and start dreaming of that soft golden sand, we need to do the proper maths here. Because airlines love to hook you with a cheap base fare, they're hoping you'll ignore the hidden costs of getting to the terminal.

Here is my no nonsense guide to making sure that "the cheap" Manchester flight doesn't end up costing you more than flying local.

Beware the "False Economy" Flight

We all love a bargain, me included and nobody wants to part with an extra £50 or so, if they don't have to, but that cheap flight from Manchester is only a bargain if you actually get to keep the savings. Let's look at the true, door to terminal cost of crossing the Pennines:

• The Petrol Penalty: A return trip to Manchester Airport along the M62 from my house in East Yorkshire is roughly a 240 mile round trip. Based on the crazy price of fuel as of the date of writing this you would be looking at a good £35 to £40 in fuel before you've even packed your bags.
• The Parking Trap: Manchester Airport parking is really steep. If you're going away for a week or two during the school holidays, the cost of MAN's long-stay car parks can be anything from £100 to £200, easily wiping out whatever you saved on the flights.
• The Drop-Off Extortion: Think you'll just get a mate to drop you off? Manchester Airport currently charges £5 just to stop your car for five minutes outside the terminal.

If you're a couple saving £40 each on flights, but spending £40 on petrol and say £150 on parking, you haven't actually saved a penny, in fact it's cost you big time and you've just done a heck of a lot of driving thrown in to boot.

The M62 Factor: A Risk to Your Holiday?

We also have to factor in the grief and hassle of the M62, on a good day its plain sailing but come a weekend or kids holidays or that broken down lorry it can be sheer hell especially as you get near to the airport. Heck there's even been days when the traffic have been backing up for hours, not good for those holiday anxiety levels and you haven't even arrived at the airport yet, yikes!

The dreaded M62 gridlock can turn a cheap flight into a stressful nightmare.

Sitting in gridlock while the clock ticks closer to your baggage drop off deadline is enough to ruin the start of any holiday and if you miss your flight because of that traffic jam, those "cheap" tickets become the most expensive mistake of the year.

If you fly from Leeds LBA for instance, you are dealing with local roads. Yes, the A65 can be a bit slow at times, and getting a local taxi still costs you a bit of money, but you generally know what you're dealing with, and you're far less likely to miss your flight and will be arriving at the airport, nerves still intact.

What About the Train?

"But Dean," you might say, "I'll just get the TransPennine Express straight to the airport!"

Well It's a fair point, but again, do the math here please. Unless you book train tickets well in advance, they certainly aren't cheap, believe me, I have been stung too many times and had to swallow the cost to keep the peace with the wife.

Whatsmore, most budget flights with Ryanair and Jet2 depart at the crack of dawn. If the first train from Leeds or Sheffield doesn't get you to Manchester in time for a 6:00 AM flight, you'll have to book an airport hotel the night before which will instantly blow a hole in your entire budget.

The Yorkshire "Door-to-Terminal" Rule

So, how do you decide without getting ripped off? Don't just compare the flight prices; always compare the Door to Terminal prices, don't get sucked in.

1. For European Sun & City Breaks: Usually its Leeds LBA

If you are flying to Alicante, Faro, Majorca, or Dublin or the like, LBA is usually the winner once you crunch the numbers. By the time you factor in the fuel cost, the expensive Manchester parking, and the M62 hassle and agro, paying just a bit more for the ticket price at LBA is often definitely cheaper overall. Pay for a local taxi, get a bacon butty and relax in the terminal lounge and keep your hard earned cash for the holiday itself, just where it belongs.

2. For Big Savings or Long-Haul: Then Head to MAN

If Manchester is showing a flight that is genuinely £100+ cheaper per person than LBA, then absolutely get in the car and make that journey, it's worth it. For a family of four, saving £400 covers the petrol, the parking, and leaves you with hundreds of pounds for the holiday. Similarly, if you're flying long-haul to America or into Asia, Manchester offers direct routes that Leeds simply can't match.

The Final Verdict

Don't let a shiny £29 flight price blind you. Always calculate the true cost of leaving your front door and arriving at the security gate and maybe keep more of your money in your pocket.