Flying from Manchester to Lisbon will cost Manchester City fans half as much per mile as travelling to London by train.
Turkey has been placed on the UK’s travel red list, meaning that Manchester City and Chelsea fans are unable to attend the Champions League final currently scheduled to take place in the country’s capital city, Istanbul.
UEFA are currently in talks to find an alternative venue, with many fans of the two clubs hoping for a switch to Wembley stadium.
However, talks between UEFA and the UK government have reportedly stalled and Portugal now looks likely to be named a compromise host country, which is good news for fans wanting a foreign holiday, bad news for those hoping for a cheaper final.
Lisbon and Porto have both been mooted as potential hosts, with direct flights to Lisbon due to set City fans back £195 according to Skyscanner at the time of writing.
That’s assuming fans fly out Friday and return on Sunday and twice as much as a return train ticket to London.
An off-peak return ticket between Manchester and London costs £94.50 according to Avanti West Coast which runs the line.
However, the trip from Manchester to Lisbon is far longer than it is to the English capital.
The return trip to Lisbon works out at 9p per mile, compared to 18p per mile for the trip to London.
Flights to Istanbul, as you might imagine, are more expensive. The cheapest direct flight on Skyscanner from Manchester to Istanbul is currently advertised at £327.
Chelsea fans flying from London have cheaper deals available - £278.
Flights between London and Lisbon are also available for less than the equivalents from Manchester, the cheapest on Skyscanner being £139.
Flight and train costs, correct at the time of writing
Off-peak return Manchester to London: £94.50
Return flight Manchester to Lisbon: £195
Return flight London to Lisbon: £139
