London Airports -- Transportation options and costs
 

Hi, I need to investigate flying in and out of an airport other than Heathrow.

Stansted airport

1. There's Stansted Express at http://www.stanstedexpress.com/ . Supposedly there's night service from Liverpool Station (2:30-4:30). Can someone comment if this is indeed the case? I may have to catch a potential flight at 7 in the morning.

2. Stansted Express is 14.50 pounds each. Are there cheaper options? There're two of us. I expect that cab is much more expensive? What about car service?

Gatwick airport

3. If I fly out of Gatwick I think that the flight is later. I can use Gatwick Express (http://www.gatwickexpress.com/) -- 12 pounds each. So basically same questions as #2 above -- cheaper options, car service, cab?

Thanks!

Yes - there are trains to Stansted from Liverpool Street. Your problem tho' will be how you will get to Liverpool Street. The tube does not run early enough for you. There are night buses - but a lot depends on where you are staying.

If it were me I surely opt for the later LGW flight if it is anywhere near the same price.

There are slightly cheaper Southern and Thameslink trains to LGW that take 5 to 10 minutes longer than the Express. Which one would be best for you depends on where you are staying.

The NationalExpress.com bus goes from Stansted Express to several locations in central London. Also check the Terravision bus - http://www.terravision.it . Both are cheaper than the Stansted Express, but may take longer depending on your final destination.

The National Express bus is also cheaper from Gatwick, but again more time-consuming.

Thanks, decisions, decisions. Any ideas how much a cab would be?

One scenario is to fly to Copenhagen from London. The Stansted flight is on EasyJet and leaves at 7. The other flight is on Maersk and leaves from Gatwick. I may also be able to fly Snowflake out of Heathrow (but this flight is more expensive).

Any comments re the airlines?

I guess this also depends on whether I want to try see Siegfried in Copenhagen on Sunday, May 22. The only flight that will get me in before the noon matinee is the flight on EasyJet.

Anyway, I'm still thinking about my options and planning the itinerary.

Thanks again.

In 2002, cab service (minivan, four people, TONS of luggage including two oddly shaped bags containing Irish dancing costumes) was about 70 GBP. from Stansed Airport to Covent Garden. No doubt a smaller car would have been less,but today's gasoline prices are higher.

sorry about that, it was a CAR service. Man waiting with our names printed on a card, and after a difficult flight we were all very glad for his help with the luggage.

Thinking about the pound/dollar conversion is already giving me a headache. :-)

Well worth it for what we saved on the Ryan Air ticket from Glasgow. We flew in to Stansed mid-morning on a weekday (Thursday, I think) and although the car service contract price was a bit higher than the estimate provided for a cab, we hit very heavy traffic just outside London and were awfully glad the meter wasn't running. The trip was at least 2 hours.

2 hours?! ....

Well, I'm looking at the National Express website. Why is the trip to the Gatwick North Terminal over 4 hours? (Date = May 22.) That's odd.

It looks like the coaches to Stansted run through the night (from Victoria).

I probably have already made my first mistake by booking my Caravaggio tickets. Maybe I should have booked an earlier slot and flown to Stockholm the same day out of Heathrow.

This is giving me a headache already. :-)

Sometimes the National Express buses go to Brighton. Look for one that takes a more direct route. At least that's what I would guess is happening, based on memory. But keep in mind that the buses are often late, so if you are supposed to get an express bus at a certain time, you might find you have to wait for it.

Hi, I've mulled over the options and this is what I'm thinking of doing.

I'm leaning towards taking EasyJet to CPH (about 25 pounds each vs. 40 pounds for Maersk vs. 50 pounds for Snowflake).

The flight leaves Stansted at 7.

Any big surprises here I should be aware of (in particular, with EasyJet)?

I need to check the luggage allowance policies again....

I agree with janis that it might be troublesome taking Stansted Express from Liverpool Station at that ungodly hour. I could take the National Express coach (thanks, WillTravel) instead. There's one that runs at 3:30 that will get me in at 5.

I was thinking of using Priceline for a London hotel, but maybe getting a hotel by Victoria is the best way. Any suggestions? (On the other hand, the coach also stops at Hyde Park Corner, but I think that I'd be more comfortable taking the coach at the point of origin.)

More thoughts and comments?

Thanks again.

Well, I decided to use the path of least resistance -- I booked the Snowflake flights from Heathrow to Copenhagen. Probably take the tube (the cheapest option).

Thanks again.

On my return I'll fly into Stansted (from Bergen), so this thread is still useful to me.

I need to work on London hotels next.