Cheapest Flights from Gatwick This Weekend

Gatwick is the UK's second busiest airport and easyJet's biggest base. That combination means a huge number of seats departing every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday — and on the routes with less demand, airlines price those seats aggressively to avoid flying them empty.

Last-minute weekend flights from Gatwick follow a consistent pattern. Routes to beach destinations (Malaga, Alicante, Tenerife, Lanzarote) rarely get cheap last-minute because demand fills them reliably. But city-break routes — Palermo, Catania, Bari, Nantes, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Bilbao — often have seats available at lower prices four to seven days before departure because the leisure travellers who were planning those trips mostly booked them weeks ago, and remaining seats need to clear.

The sweet spot for last-minute Gatwick deals is Thursday evening to Tuesday morning. That's the window where airlines are most likely to price empty seats down. Friday and Saturday morning flights are usually at standard prices already. Thursday evening and early Friday flights sometimes have unsold seats that get quietly reduced.

Gatwick to Palermo or Catania, Sicily — easyJet: Sicily is one of the most underrated destinations in Europe and routinely has last-minute availability at reasonable prices. Palermo in particular — chaotic, incredible food (arancini, panelle, sfincione), a street market scene that's unlike anywhere else in Italy. Catania gives you access to Mount Etna and the Val di Noto baroque towns. easyJet flies both. Check prices 5–7 days out for the best last-minute fares.

Gatwick to Bordeaux — easyJet or Vueling: Bordeaux is a 1h45m flight and one of France's most food and wine-focused cities. The Cité du Vin wine museum is genuinely excellent. Saint-Émilion is 40 minutes by train. The city has improved dramatically since it got the TGV connection to Paris in 2017 and more tourists started arriving — but it's still less crowded than Paris or Nice. Weekend fares often run £55–80 one-way when demand is soft.

Gatwick to Bilbao — easyJet: The Guggenheim alone justifies the trip if you haven't been. But beyond the museum, Bilbao has the best pintxos culture in Spain — the Old Town streets around Plaza Nueva have bars stacked with them. 1h50m flight. Often finds itself cheaply priced at the weekend because it's slightly off the mainstream beach holiday radar.

Gatwick to Marrakech — easyJet: 3 hours 20 minutes and a completely different world. The Jemaa el-Fna at dusk, the souks, the Majorelle Garden, a day trip to the Atlas Mountains. Marrakech weekend breaks have become significantly more popular since the direct flights increased, but last-minute availability is still more common here than on Spanish routes.

Let's be honest about what last-minute Gatwick weekend flights involve. You're looking at a Friday evening or Saturday morning departure, returning Sunday evening or Monday morning. For two nights, you're probably packing a carry-on only — which means Ryanair and easyJet's cheapest fares are accessible without bag fees eating the saving.

The carry-on packing rule for a 2-night trip: One change of clothes, one going-out outfit, toiletries in a 100ml bag, phone charger. Everything fits in a 40x20x25cm personal item (Ryanair's free allowance) or a 45x36x20cm cabin bag. You don't need to check a bag for 48 hours anywhere in Europe.

Budget for the trip honestly: a £70 one-way Gatwick to Palermo, two nights in a central B&B at £80/night, and £60/day for food, drinks, and a museum visit = roughly £370 for a full weekend. That's less than a decent London hotel for the same two nights. The comparison makes itself.

The limitation of Gatwick last-minute: Accommodation in popular destinations also prices up for last-minute weekend bookings. If you're going for a weekend, check Booking.com availability and prices before committing to the flight. Some destinations (Barcelona, Lisbon, Amsterdam in summer) have hotel markets where last-minute central rooms are genuinely expensive. Sicily, Bilbao, Bordeaux, and Marrakech tend to have better last-minute accommodation availability.

Check your passport expiry first. UK passports need to be valid for the duration of your trip (for EU/Schengen countries) — not the old 6-months rule, which changed post-Brexit. Renewing a passport takes 3–4 weeks standard. If yours expires within three months, check whether you're cutting it fine for the destination.

Travel insurance for a weekend trip. Annual multi-trip policies cover you for every trip you take in a year — if you travel more than twice a year, annual cover is cheaper per trip than single-trip policies. A weekend in Sicily on an annual policy costs you nothing extra. A medical emergency in Sicily without cover could cost thousands. The maths is easy.

Currency and cards. Revolut, Wise, or a Starling card eliminates foreign transaction fees. Cash is useful in Morocco (Marrakech) but most European cities are now card-everywhere. Get a small amount of local currency for the first taxi or bus from the airport.

Search Gatwick departures now. The current weekend's flights are bookable. So are next weekend's. The prices shown are live — they change daily and the good ones go first.