What is the best way (most efficient, least painful--baring expensive taxi) to get from NW8 to Heathrow for an 8:30am international flight (to New York) flight on a Thursday morning? Thanks!

Do you have an actual address (ie, street name and #) rather than just a post code?

Also, how many people in your party?

Your choices are:
1) Public transportation
2) Car Service, eg. JustAirports
3) Taxicab

One person in party.

I'm not comfortable giving out my address (this is where I live now), but I will say the closest tube is St. John's Wood.

Considered Picadilly or Heathrow express. A taxi or car sound really nice, but how much would that cost me? Don't know that I can justify that expense. But it will be early, early and not excited about schlepping the bag on public transport either.

I think your best bet (easy enough, not too expensive) would be:

1) taxi from your place to Paddington STation
2) Heathrow Connect, NOT Heathrow Express, from Paddington to Heathrow.

My guess is, the taxi ride shouldn't be more than £10, and the Heathrow Connect is £6.90.

The Heathrow Connect takes 5-10 more minutes than the HEX, but costs less than half of HEX.

A car service will be at least £30.

You live in NW8 already? Try www.tfl.gov.uk journey planner to work out your route via public transport, or phone your local cab company. You must have loads of them posting cards through your letter box?

samtraveler: If you live in NW8 near St John's Wood -- don't you already know your way around by public transport?

Anyway - if you want to use the tube - it would be St John's Wood to Green Park on the Jubilee line, and then the Piccadilly line to LHR.

A car service would probably cost in the region of £30 and be door to door. A lot easier and not much more expensive than taxi to Paddington plus train to LHR.

If your flight leaves at 0830, what time do you have to be at check-in?

The earliest Piccadilly Line train from Green Park gets you to Heathrow around 0630/0640:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/1129.aspx

Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect both run much earlier, if you need to.

There is a bit of a walk at the Green Park interchange.

According to this, it's £26 with Justairports.

http://www.justairports.com/prices.htm

Well yes I already know my way around public transport, but given that I only just moved here in August, I'm not exactly an expert on the best way to reach Heathrow. If a car service would really only be £26-30, that sounds like a good option given my early departure. I could handle that. yk, or anyone, do you have any experience with just airports? Or any other car company to recommend? Otherwise the taxi to Paddington and then Heathrow Connect might work too. Thanks for helping me work this out.

I use justairports every trip. Never had a problem.

Thanks, I just booked with justairports. £26 for the outward, and £32 for the return. Not bad for door-to-door! Thanks for the tip.

Thanks again for the tip on justairports. I used them both ways on my recent trip and everything was perfect! Thanks!