For many Brits, the lure of cheap flights to Europe inspires many to enjoy weekend, or even day-trip, adventures without using too much annual leave. However, airport transfer experts at SCSChauffuers have warned that budget airline travellers should double-check the airport before hitting the book button, thanks to this big travel mistake made by millions each year.

According to travel expert Hadleigh Diamond, director of airport transfer company SCS Chauffeurs, “Many budget airlines use major destinations in airport names that are actually hundreds of miles away from the actual destination, leaving travellers working out how to get an airport transfer to the real destination”. In fact, revealed below are seven European airports that are actually several dozen miles away from the city they are named after. Most of them require over an hour’s transfer time, eating into both your holiday time and your budget.

Frankfurt-Hahn Airport (HHN) - 78 miles (closer to Luxembourg)

Frankfurt–Hahn Airport is an international airport in the municipality of Hahn. The airport is equidistant between Frankfurt and Luxembourg. The addition of "Frankfurt" to the name was controversial, and in 2002, Lufthansa even launched legal proceedings against Ryanair - who used it as a base for its operations - claiming the use of "Frankfurt" in the name was false advertising.

The closest major cities are Koblenz, at about 43 miles, and Mainz, at about 56 miles. Since 2023, it is now known as Hahn Airport again.

Transfer time: 1 hour 45 minutes to Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (central station)

Transfer cost: £15.85 (can vary by company and booking time)

Airlines: Primarily Ryanair and Wizz Air.

Oslo-Torp Airport (TRF) - 68 miles southwest of Oslo

Oslo-Torp Airport, also known as Sandefjord Airport, is a minor international airport just 4.6 miles northeast of Sandefjord but some 68 miles south of Oslo in Norway. The airport was built largely with NATO funding as one of several bases to be used by the US Air Force in case of war. However, by the time it had opened, military interest in the airport had dwindled. Civilian flights commenced in 1958.

Transfer time: The train to Oslo Central Station takes about 1 hour 45 minutes

Transfer cost: £14-21 each way

Airlines: Ryanair, Wizz Air, and other airlines.

Memmingen Airport (FMM) ("Munich West") -  72 miles from Munich

Memmingen Airport, often marketed as "Munich West", is an international airport in the town of Memmingerberg in Bavaria, Germany. It provides a low-cost alternative to Munich Airport and serves as a base for Ryanair. In 2024, it handled some 3.2 million passengers.

Transfer time: 1 hour 30 minutes to Munich Central Station (ZOB)

Transfer cost: £12.50-£18

Airlines: Ryanair, Wizz Air, and some other smaller airlines.

Stockholm Skavsta Airport (NYO) - 62 miles south of Stockholm

Stockholm Skavsta Airport, or Nyköping Airport, is an international airport in Nyköping, Sweden, some 62 miles from Stockholm. The airport is located far outside Stockholm Municipality and Stockholm County, but is included in STO, the IATA airport code for Stockholm airports. It was Sweden's seventh busiest airport in 2024, welcoming just over 364,600 passengers.

Transfer time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Transfer cost: £12-16

Airlines: Ryanair, Wizz Air, and other budget airlines.

Barcelona-Reus Airport (REU) - 62 miles southwest of Barcelona

Barcelona-Reus Airport, also known as Barcelona South, is actually located five miles from the city centre of Tarragona. It is equidistant to the town of Constantí and the city of Reus. The airport receives a large amount of tourist traffic from passengers heading for the beach resorts of Salou and Cambrils, as well as for the centre of Barcelona.

Transfer time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Transfer cost: Around £12-16

Airlines: Ryanair, Wizz Air, and other airlines during tourist season.

Paris–Beauvais Airport (BVA) - 53 miles northwest of Paris

Paris-Beauvais Airport, also known as Beauvais–Tillé Airport, is an international airport near the city of Beauvais in the commune of Tille, France. Mainly used by charter and low-cost airlines, it handled just under four million passengers in 2024. Despite its brand name, the airport is located in the Hauts-de-France region and sits some 53 miles from Paris.

Transfer time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Transfer cost: £14-16.

Airlines: Ryanair, Wizz Air, and other budget airlines.

Düsseldorf-Weeze Airport (NRN) - 52 miles from Düsseldorf

Düsseldorf-Weeze Airport is a minor international airport in the Lower Rhine region of Germany and is used by Ryanair. It lies 2.3 miles southwest of the municipality of Weeze and about 21 miles southeast of the Dutch city of Nijmegen. The operators originally wanted to name it after the city of Düsseldorf, but the significant distance to the city, which already had two closer international airports (Düsseldorf Airport and Cologne Bonn Airport), resulted it being blocked by a court ruling in 2016 that such a description would be likely to mislead passengers.

Transfer time: 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes

Transfer cost: £12-16

Airlines: Ryanair, Wizz Air, and other budget airlines.

However, these airports are not all bad, according to Hadleigh: “They do have benefits, however, offering cheap flights to major destinations, as long as you’re able to plan your airport transfer effectively, especially by pre-booking if its a late night flight".