Cheap Flights from Glasgow — Compare GLA & Prestwick (PIK) Airports

Where to fly from

Airports in the Glasgow area

Two commercial airports serve Glasgow — main international GLA close to the city, and Prestwick in South Ayrshire 32 miles south. Ryanair runs Prestwick as its Scottish base, which means it's often the cheapest departure point for Spain and Portugal.

Split your search: If your route is on Ryanair's Prestwick list (Alicante, Malaga, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Palma, Faro, Dublin, Kraków) always check PIK alongside GLA. The £20–£40 saving usually beats the 45-minute train fare.

GLA

Glasgow International

Scotland's second-busiest airport, 8 miles west of the city at Paisley. Main base for easyJet Glasgow, Jet2, TUI and Loganair. Only international airport in west-central Scotland with full long-haul capability (Emirates, Virgin Atlantic seasonal).

9M pax/yrExpress bus to city

PIK

Glasgow Prestwick

South Ayrshire, 32 miles south of Glasgow. Ryanair's only Scottish base — around 15–20 routes focused on Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Eastern Europe. Free airport railway station with 45-minute service to Glasgow Central.

1.5M pax/yrRyanair only

Where people fly to

Top destinations from Glasgow

The 12 busiest routes from either Glasgow airport, with the cheapest typical one-way fare across all carriers and both airports.

New York · 7h 30m (seasonal)

Orlando · 9h 10m (TUI)

from

£399

Who flies from Glasgow

Popular airlines flying from Glasgow

easyJet, Jet2 and TUI dominate the leisure schedule at GLA, with Ryanair's entire Glasgow operation at Prestwick. Emirates provides daily A380 service to Dubai.

Airline	Main Glasgow base	Type	Routes from Glasgow
easyJet	Glasgow International (base)	Low-cost	25+ European
Jet2.com	Glasgow International	Leisure	25+ beach/city
TUI Airways	Glasgow International	Leisure charter	20+ holiday incl. Orlando
Ryanair	Glasgow Prestwick (Scottish base)	Ultra low-cost	15–20 seasonal
British Airways	Glasgow International	Full-service	Heathrow & LCY shuttle
KLM	Glasgow International	Full-service	Amsterdam (feeder)
Emirates	Glasgow International	Full-service long-haul	Dubai (daily A380)
Loganair	Glasgow International (HQ)	Regional	Scottish isles & regionals

When to fly

Cheapest months to fly from Glasgow

Average cheapest one-way to Europe across both Glasgow airports. Scottish school holidays and TUI charter pricing push peak to 3× normal in July/August.

Jan

£42

Feb

£49

Mar

£65

Apr

£82

May

£72

Jun

£99

Jul

£125

Aug

£135

Sep

£79

Oct

£69

Nov

£52

Dec

£85

Widen the net

Nearby cities worth comparing

Within an hour or two of Glasgow, these alternative airports sometimes beat GLA + Prestwick combined.

Flights from Edinburgh

EDI is 50 minutes east and has a bigger easyJet base plus the only direct US services from Scotland (United Newark).

Compare Edinburgh →

Flights from Newcastle

NCL is 2h 30m south and regularly beats Glasgow on Emirates Dubai and some Jet2 routes.

Compare Newcastle →

Flights from Belfast

BFS / BHD offer easyJet and Ryanair to Europe and are a quick hop away if you're already heading to Northern Ireland.

Compare Belfast →

Common questions

Glasgow flights FAQs

Which Glasgow airport should I fly from, GLA or Prestwick?

Glasgow International (GLA) has ten times the traffic, the full range of airlines (easyJet, Jet2, BA, KLM, Emirates, TUI) and better transport links. Prestwick (PIK) is essentially a Ryanair-only airport — worth checking if Ryanair flies your route (Dublin, Alicante, Malaga, Tenerife, Gran Canaria) because it can be £20–£40 cheaper, but the 45-minute train from Glasgow Central can offset the saving.

Is Glasgow Prestwick Airport actually in Glasgow?

No — Prestwick is in South Ayrshire, about 32 miles southwest of Glasgow city centre. The free train station inside the terminal connects to Glasgow Central in 45 minutes. Ryanair markets it as a Glasgow airport because most passengers are from the Greater Glasgow catchment.

Can you fly direct from Glasgow to the US?

Direct US services from GLA have been limited in recent years. TUI operates seasonal flights to Orlando (Sanford). JetBlue has added seasonal GLA–New York JFK for summer 2025. Otherwise connect via Heathrow, Amsterdam (KLM) or Dublin (Aer Lingus with US pre-clearance).

How do I get from Glasgow city centre to GLA?

Glasgow Airport Express bus 500 runs every 10 minutes from Queen Street and Buchanan Bus Station, takes 15–25 minutes, £10 single. Taxis are £22–£30. Uber is typically £18–£25 depending on time of day. There's no train link (unlike Edinburgh).

Is Glasgow cheaper to fly from than Edinburgh?

For package/beach routes yes — TUI and Jet2 operate heavily from GLA, and Prestwick's Ryanair pricing is usually the cheapest in Scotland. For city breaks with easyJet, Edinburgh is slightly cheaper thanks to a bigger base. Always compare both with a single search.

Which airlines fly from Glasgow Prestwick?

Prestwick is essentially a Ryanair monopoly — around 15–20 routes covering Spain (Alicante, Malaga, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Palma), Portugal (Faro), Ireland (Dublin) and select city breaks (Kraków, Bratislava, Warsaw, Carcassonne, Brussels Charleroi). Schedule varies seasonally.

Pre-flight stay

Hotels near Glasgow Airport

Early flight or late return? Book a room within minutes of GLA so you're not racing the clock from home.

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Booking.com

Compare hotels near Glasgow Airport

Premier Inn, Holiday Inn, Hilton Garden Inn and more — typical pre-flight stays from £49/night with free shuttle to GLA.

Compare stays →

Related pages

Other from-city pages and Scottish airports.