Belfast sits just under 200 miles from Liverpool as the crow flies, but for years, many were defaulting to the ferry or routing through other airports simply out of habit. That's started to change, and honestly it's not hard to see why.

The flight itself takes around 45 minutes - that's shorter than a lot of commutes into central London. You're barely at cruising altitude before the cabin crew are thinking about descent. For anyone who's sat on the overnight Stena Line ferry watching the Irish Sea roll past at 2am, the appeal of being wheels-down at Liverpool John Lennon Airport in less time than it takes to watch an episode of something on Netflix is pretty obvious.

What's Actually Drawing People to This Route

Liverpool has had a bit of a moment in recent years, and not just because of the usual tourist trail stuff. Yes, the Albert Dock is still there, the Cavern Club is still there, and there are enough Beatles references to last several lifetimes. There's a genuine energy to the city that's drawn people from across the UK and Ireland, whether for weekends away, for football (two Premier League clubs will do that), for the music scene, or just because flights from the north of Ireland to somewhere that isn't London or Dublin make a refreshing change.

For people travelling from Northern Ireland, flights from Belfast to Liverpool open up a direct, no-nonsense connection to the north-west of England without the palaver of Heathrow or Manchester. Liverpool John Lennon Airport is compact enough that you're not spending half an hour on a bus between stands. You land, you're in the city within 20 minutes or so. It's low-fuss travel, which is the best kind.

Fares on this route tend to be fairly competitive too. You're not going to be paying transatlantic prices for 45 minutes in the air. EasyJet operates the route and if you're flexible on dates, it's not unusual to find tickets for well under £50 each way. Book at the wrong moment and yes, it'll cost more, but that applies to any route anywhere.

The Practical Stuff Worth Knowing

Belfast International and George Best Belfast City Airport both serve different parts of the city, so where you're travelling from in Belfast matters. City Airport is more central if you're based in east Belfast or coming from that direction. International is out near Antrim and suits people coming from further afield. Worth double-checking which Belfast airport is operating the Liverpool service before you book, because that detail has caught people out before.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport sits south of the city in Speke, which isn't the most central location, but the Arriva 500 bus service runs into the city centre and takes around 40 minutes depending on traffic. Taxis are plentiful if you'd rather just get there, though obviously they cost more. A few people hire cars from the airport too, especially if Liverpool is just the entry point and they're planning to travel further into Lancashire or Cheshire.

One thing that catches travellers off guard is that despite how short this flight is, you still go through the full airport security process. That means the usual liquids rules, laptops out of bags, and all the rest of it. Build in enough time. Arriving at the airport 90 minutes before departure is not being paranoid; it's just sensible, particularly at peak times like Friday afternoons and Sunday evenings when half of Liverpool's Irish community appears to be travelling in both directions simultaneously.

Is It Worth It Over the Ferry?

The ferry has a certain romance to it, and if you're taking a car across, it's the obvious choice, but for foot passengers travelling light, the flight wins on time alone. You save hours; the ferry from Belfast to Liverpool takes roughly eight hours, whereas the flight takes 45 minutes. That's a full evening back in your pocket, which you can spend in Liverpool rather than staring at the horizon.

The route is one of those useful ones that doesn't get talked about much but does what it's supposed to do. Fast, affordable, and genuinely convenient for two cities that have more in common than most people probably realise.