Palermo to London
 

We are spending 1 week in Sicily in Aug after a week in Malta, and would like to leave from Palermo to London around the 24th Aug to catch a cruise from Southampton on the evening of the 25th. Any suggestions , if we should fly to London Heathrow or Gatwick airport, to make it easier to get to Southampton, and we don't mind having one night prior to our cruise in Southampton. What transport is there from either airports to get to Southampton? I did find a direct flight with with EasyJet, but never heard of them, and the alternative is Alitalia but it goes via Rome, making it a longer flight. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Pachet

Easyjet is a perfectly decent airline, a bit like Ryanair-lite. Just follow their suggested check-in and baggage rules, and take the Gatwick Express into central London.

Ryanair flies Palermo to London Stansted and seems to be even cheaper.

Here's another recommendation for Easyjet, and if you fly to Gatwick, there'll be no need to go onto London at all.

depending on your flight time from Palermo, you could overnight at Gatwick and then go to S'ton the next day, or alternatively go to S'ton and overnight there. there are many trains that will get you there with one or two changes, but there are also direct trains every hour at 9 minutes past the hour until 17.09.

That would be a lot cheaper and easier than going to Stansted.

The single-change trains from Gatwick to Southampton at worst take about ten minutes longer than the direct ones, and some actually take less time.

It's likely to be more depressing to overnight in Gatwick than in Southampton (well it can't be, really. But almost). But the direct trains from Gatwick stop at Chichester, and the one-change trains stop at Winchester, both of which are lovely towns to be benighted in. Unless you've got a real reason for staying in London, both Winchester and Chichester are much nicer alternatives to schlepping in to town then out again.

Stansted involves a far, far longer ground journey, and there are no flights to London via Rome: just flights that make you change planes in Rome - which is a completely different kettle of fish from getting a direct flight to Gatwick.

a lot depends on the time of the OP's flight flanner.

At the moment Easyjet are showing that their flights from Palermo to LGW next August will be leaving at 10.15 and landing at about 12.30 so plenty of time to get to somewhere nice as you suggest for an overnight stay before heading for Soton.

Echoing what the others have said. The immediately obvious route might be Ryanair to Stanstead, but from Stanstead to Southampton is a real pain, so to be avoided.

I suspect your issue might be luggage - Easyjet and Ryanair are both quite expensive for hold baggage. If you don't a great deal , and end up flying into Heathrow, then the National Express coach is the best way to get to Southampton (Except, take Flanner's advice and get off at Winchester for the overnight stay.)

I am so grateful for all your replies, all very good and positive information.
Thank you again.