Stansted is the cheapest of the London airports to fly from — Ryanair's UK hub, plus easyJet, Wizz, and Jet2 short-haul. Saving £50 on a flight versus the Gatwick equivalent is normal.
The catch: from Southampton, Stansted is the longest of the major London airport runs. ~140 miles via the M11 and M25 — ~£220 chauffeur fare on our fixed-fare schedule, vs. £130 to Gatwick.
This article walks through when Stansted still wins and when it doesn't.
The basic math
Flight savings between Stansted vs. Gatwick (Ryanair vs. easyJet typical 2026 fares):
- Short-haul Europe one-way: £15-40 saving on the Stansted version
- Short-haul Europe return: £30-80 saving
- Family of 4 short-haul return: £100-200 saving (the multiplier matters)
Chauffeur cost difference:
- Gatwick fixed-fare: £130 (standard saloon, one-way)
- Stansted fixed-fare: £220 (standard saloon, one-way)
- Difference per leg: £90
So a solo traveller saves £30-40 on the flight to take a £90 longer chauffeur. Net loss of £50-60. Solo, Stansted usually loses.
A family of 4 saves £100-200 on the flight to take a £90 longer chauffeur. Net saving of £10-110. Family of 4, Stansted often wins.
When the math is more obvious
A few cases where the Stansted run is clearly the right call regardless of solo-vs-family:
You're flying Ryanair-specific routes that aren't at Gatwick. Ryanair flies many routes from Stansted that don't exist (or don't exist daily) at Gatwick — some Eastern European, Sicily, Marseille connections.
You're going for a longer trip. Trip length doesn't change the chauffeur cost but does change how you value the £30-40 saving. For a week-long holiday, £40 doesn't move the needle on the total budget; for a weekend break it can.
You're early-morning departure. Stansted's 06:00-08:00 outbound slot is heavily Ryanair — Gatwick has fewer options in that window. If you want to land at your destination by lunch, Stansted's the operator pick.
When Gatwick is the better play
- Solo traveller short-haul: flight saving doesn't cover chauffeur uplift.
- Time-sensitive. Gatwick's run is ~30-40 min shorter, which matters on a tight schedule.
- You're flexible on departure airport. If your destination is served from both, the convenience of Gatwick (less driving for the driver, slightly faster customs in many cases) is worth the extra flight cost.
Per-passenger break-even
A quick rule of thumb:
- 1 passenger: Gatwick almost always wins
- 2 passengers: Roughly break-even — depends on flight delta
- 3 passengers: Stansted starts winning on most fares
- 4+ passengers: Stansted wins for family-of-4 with luggage, executes per-mile on the chauffeur
This assumes you're booking ONE chauffeur for the group. Stansted's longer drive becomes more economic-per-passenger as the group size grows.
Practical tips for Stansted
- Book early. The M11/M25 corridor sees heavy commuter and freight traffic on weekday mornings. Allow 3 hours from Southampton to Stansted for a flight departing 09:00 or earlier.
- Outbound minibus. For groups of 4+ with checked bags, minibus is the right call — see /fleet.
- Return on a different airport. If your outbound is Stansted but your return slot is better from Gatwick, we book both legs in one trip — and the 5% return discount applies (see volume and return discounts).
The £220 covers what
For clarity on what the Stansted fixed fare includes (and doesn't):
Included:
- Standard saloon driver and vehicle from Southampton to Stansted
- 60 minutes free waiting on inbound (from actual landing)
- Meet & greet on inbound; kerbside drop-off on outbound
Not included:
- Stansted's £10 drop-off surcharge (raised 19 March 2026 — separate line on quote)
- Dartford Crossing toll if your driver chooses that routing (rare for this corridor)
Booking
Direct: /airports/stansted. Or book.
For mixed Stansted-outbound / different-airport-return queries, email us and we'll quote both legs.