This Eastern European city could hold the secret to cheap flights

Long-haul flights are more expensive than ever, especially during the school holidays. So it’s no wonder that some are hoping to find ways of reducing the price of a trip. While there are more straightforward ways of saving money – like choosing the day of departure carefully and booking closer to the date of travel – some online travel influencers think they have found a novel way of clinching cheap flights. 

The hack was first mooted in a TikTok video, shared by “nicoletravelandlife”, but has been repeated by “travel experts” in the days since. Instead of flying directly to a long-haul destination, the theory goes, holidaymakers should break up their journey in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. The idea is that by booking two separate journeys – one to Sofia, then another to your final destination – you’ll make significant savings on trips to the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

The truth, however, is slightly more complicated. It’s certainly the case that, on its own, Sofia is a very affordable city to visit. The average price of a hotel room is around £50; the cost of a meal in an inexpensive restaurant averages £8.50. If on-the-ground prices are so affordable, perhaps it stands to reason that flying from the destination should be cheaper.

Flights from London to Sofia are relatively affordable, too. We looked at three potential travel dates: May 1-8, August 6-10 and November 4-11. Return flights in May are £58, in August are £176 and in November are £73, all with Ryanair (excluding luggage).

So does the social media theory hold water? Travel influencers have been pointing to Dubai as a destination where the Sofia trick works. Direct flights with British Airways on May 1-8 from London Heathrow to Dubai cost around £510 – an expensive journey. London to Sofia is only £58, so there should be scope to make a saving.

Head to the Bulgarian capital, and you will make savings – the bill comes to just £353. The issue, however, is that there are no onward non-stop flights from Sofia to Dubai – any onward journey would have to include an additional layover in Frankfurt (or perhaps Istanbul), making it a two-stop (and two-day) trip. Surely a step too far, even for a £157 saving.

More affordable (by £1) are flights on the same dates, from London to Dubai, with Royal Jordanian. This includes a single stop – in Amman, not Sofia – and comes with an added ease of your booking being on a single ticket.

Later in the year, in August, there are direct flights between Sofia and Dubai – for £335 with FlyDubai. Combined with a flight from London to Sofia, the total cost is £511 – slightly cheaper than the £569 for direct BA flights. But again, if you book with Lufthansa and travel from London via Frankfurt, all on one ticket, the same journey costs just £447.

The lesson? If you don’t mind the added hassle, flying indirect is a good way to save money – a fact we’ve known about for many years – but Sofia’s new-found status as the key to unlocking cheaper airfares seems wholly undeserved.

This pattern is repeated across various locations. It was initially reported that the trick would work for destinations in Africa. So we checked Cairo. In August, a direct flight from London with BA costs £351. Flying from London to Sofia, and then Sofia to Cairo involves a second layover in Vienna, flying with Austrian, and the total cost is £400 – already more expensive. The cheapest option is to book a journey with Aegean from London to Cairo, with a layover in Athens, which is priced at just £321.

For Bangkok, the story was similar. There is never an instance where flying via Sofia is the cheapest option.

We checked trips to European cities too, in case there was an option closer to home. In fact, it was almost always better to fly directly from the UK. In May, for example, flights from London to Helsinki were £70; a journey via Sofia would cost £242. If you insisted on a journey with a layover, you could book a flight that went via Stockholm, but that would be more expensive than direct at £86.

As outlined above, there are savings to be made if you consider flying indirect. Heading to Sofia, however, isn’t required. There are other considerations too. The cheapest one-stop options often involve booking tickets with at least two airlines and separate tickets. This makes managing your booking trickier, as well as claiming compensation if something goes wrong. You would also be responsible for removing and rechecking any baggage, plus going through security for a second time, instead of using the transfers section of the airport.

There’s also the added hassle of waiting around at your stopover airport, and the potential for missing your transfer entirely. Furthermore, adding unnecessary miles to your journey is hardly the most environmentally-friendly way to travel, even if it does save a few quid.