Belfast to Manchester flights

Flights from Belfast to Manchester

You can catch flights from Belfast to Manchester every day, with several flights available between the early morning and late evening. You’ll have a choice of airlines that you can book through Omio, and the journey will take about 1h if you fly directly, as the cities are only about 290 miles (466 km) away from each other. There are also indirect flights, but these take a lot longer.

Belfast to Manchester flight time: Daily Departures

Flights leave Belfast for Manchester at a rate of about nine a day. These are quite densely concentrated in the early morning and early to late evening. Consequently you won’t be able to catch any flights during the day in-between these periods, so if you want to fly the route, make allowances for this. The first flights depart from roughly 06:45 until just past about 09:30, while the evening flights leave from around 19:30 till about 21:45.

How long is the journey by flight from Belfast to Manchester?

Most of the Belfast to Manchester flights are direct, which only take about 1h, but there are others that stop over once or twice at other UK airports to disembark or pick up passengers on the way and change airplanes. These flights can take between about 5h 30min and about 12h 15min, so if you’re commuting between the cities rather avoid them, as they’re more suitable for leisure travellers with time to spare.

What are the departure and arrival airports for flights from Belfast to Manchester?

Departure airport: Flights depart either from Belfast International Airport (BFS) or George Best Belfast City Airport (BHD) depending on which airline you choose. The latter is only about 2.5 miles (4 km) from the city centre, a trip of about 10min by subway or bus. Belfast International Airport is in Aldergrove, about a 18.5 mile (30km) bus trip away on Translink UK, which will take just under an hour. Both airports offer accessibility assistance, family facilities, shops and eateries.

Arrival airport: All of these flights to Manchester land at Manchester Airport (MAN), which is about 10 miles (16 km) from the city centre on the Northern Rail train. This is the best option, as it’s the most direct trip and will only take about 15min. Manchester Airport is a modern international travel hub, with restaurants, fast-food outlets and convenience stores for travellers. You can arrange limited mobility assistance in advance.

Manchester Flight. Source: Shutterstock

Which airlines travel from Belfast to Manchester?

You’ll have a choice of two airlines when flying between Belfast and Manchester, which also determines your departure airport. The first and most convenient overall is easyJet. It operates only direct flights to Manchester which are also the cheapest and the shortest. Your other option is to fly on British Airways, but to be candid, this does come with a couple of drawbacks of which you need to be aware. The biggest is that all flights require at least one change at intermediate airports, which adds a lot of travel time to the trip – these flights take about 5h longer, at the very least.

easyJet flights from Belfast to Manchester

easyJet flies all the direct routes between Belfast and Manchester. It offers a couple of flights in the late morning and is the only airline that flies the route in the evenings. These flights are all pretty short, with most taking about 55min. Another advantage of choosing this airline is that it also offers the cheapest flights, so you’ll save money on any that you select. All of the flights operated by easyJet depart from Belfast International Airport, so make allowances for the extra travel time from the centre of the city if you book with this carrier.

British Airways flights from Belfast to Manchester

British Airways, partially operated by BA Cityflyer, leaves from George Best Belfast City Airport, stopping at least once en route, where you’ll also change planes. The shortest takes about 5h 30min, leaving from Belfast and making one stop at London Heathrow Airport (LHR). The early morning flights take about 8h 30min, with one making a single stop at LHR and the other flying first to London City Airport (LCY) before making a second stop at Heathrow. In the later morning you’ll find another couple of flights, which take about 9h 30 min. One makes a single stop at Heathrow, while the other flies first to Glasgow International Airport (GLA) and then to Heathrow, requiring two plane changes.

Flight Belfast to Manchester: Services on Board

Most British Airways flights offer a single Standard class, allowing you to check in one piece of hold luggage and take one smaller bag on board with you. You can select your seat on a first come first serve basis. If you need to take additional luggage you can pay a surcharge at the airport. Some BA flights also offer a Lite class, which only allows you to take one personal bag on board with you. You won’t be able to select your seat in this class. Also note that BA tickets are not refundable. easyJet offers three classes. The first is Light, which is the same as that of BA. Standard class allows you to carry a personal item and a cabin bag, and select your seat. Flex class offers all these perks, as well as a checked-in bag and boarding priority.

Tickets for all of these classes are also semi-refundable. You can check bicycles in as your single piece of hold luggage on flights that allow it. British Airways offers full disability assistance on board, including wheelchair transport, help in moving around the plane and identification of food and tray layouts. easyJet doesn’t offer this kind of personal assistance, but does provide an onboard wheelchair, comfort aids and accessible toilets.

Manchester Airport. Source: Shutterstock

How to find cheap flight tickets from Belfast to Manchester

The best way to find cheap tickets on these flights is to simply choose easyJet rather than British Airways, as you can save a substantial amount. The evening flights are also a lot cheaper than any of the others – these only cost between about a third and almost a tenth of the price of the morning flights, particularly the BA ones. Another way of saving is to take advantage of the light classes mentioned above, which you can do if you only need to take a small piece of hand luggage with you. Also be flexible with your travel dates, so that you can get the benefit of last-minute price promotions. You’ll often find in general that you can save money by taking flights that make stopovers on the way, but this isn’t the case on this route – the direct flights are the cheapest, so opt for those.

To Manchester by plane—travel tips

A good way to quickly get acquainted with Manchester and its history is to visit Castlefield. It’s an Urban Heritage Park with canals lined with restored Victorian houses, including Bridgewater Canal, built to transport coal in 1761. You’ll find the fully reconstructed Roman Fort here too, as well as Castlefield Art Gallery, dedicated to contemporary art. You can also visit the world’s oldest railway station, which is now the Science and Industry Museum, a fascinating journey through the technological and commercial history of the city. The Imperial War Museum North is another worthwhile landmark to see.

The architectural pride of the city is Manchester Cathedral, dating from around the late 1400s. Another is St. Mary’s Catholic Church, known to Mancunians as “The Hidden Gem”. Sports fans can visit the National Football Museum, and Man U fans can also go on a tour of Old Trafford. For outdoor attractions visit Heaton Park, one of the largest urban parks in Europe, where you’ll find tennis courts, mini and full-size golf, boating, an animal farm and an adventure playground.

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