Sandy

We are considering going to Edinburgh (from London) for 2-3 days in March and could really use some of your expert advice (I have done a search but could not find answers to my questions).<BR><BR>In London, we will be staying near the Gloucester Road tube.<BR><BR>It seems very inexpensive to fly and here's our questions:<BR><BR>1. How much time should we allow to get from Gloucester Rd tube to Luton Airport and is this an easy trip?<BR><BR>2. We're thinking of trying to fly back from Edinburgh to Gatwick, where we will fly back to USA. If we leave Edinburgh at 7:00 a. and arrive at Gatwick at 8:25 a., we should have plenty of time for our 10:05 a. flight back to USA, right? Are flights pretty much on time?<BR><BR>3. How far (timewise) is the airport in Edinburgh from the city?<BR><BR>4. Any of the low-cost airlines considering closing or any we should avoid?<BR><BR>5. Does everyone agree we should book ahead on the web for the cheapest fare?<BR><BR>Anyone have any comments, suggestions, advice?<BR><BR>Thank you all in advance,<BR>Sandy

xxx

Have you compared the cost of advance purchase train tickets with the cost of air fare? The London to Edinburgh trip is 4 hours or less and the train departs from King's Cross and arrives at Waverly Station , right in the heart of Edinburgh.

Sandy

Yes, our first thought was the train but we can fly for about $70 (1.5 hrs) and the train would cost about $160 (4.5 hrs).<BR><BR>Any ideas on how to get cheap train fare?<BR><BR>Thanks,<BR>Sandy

bettyk

Sorry, but if memory serves, the train trip from London to Edinburgh is more like 6 hours than 4. If you have the time, fine, take the train, but if not, try to find a cheap airline ticket.

ttt

If your flight from Edinburgh is even a little delayed you are going to be cutting it very close. Remember, when you fly back to the US it will be an international flight and you need to allot 2 hours for the check -in &amp; security process. Plus you need to check which Gatwick terminal your Edinburgh flight arrives at..it could be the North terminal and your US flight ( if it is on a US airline ) will leave from the South terminal. You would need to allow extra time to take the tram from one terminal to the other.<BR>

ttrainz

Check with thetrainline.com for the time of the London to Edinburgh trip.. depending on time of day it takes 4 to 4 1/2 hours.

Nigel Doran

Cheap train fares are www.trainline.com or www.gner.co.uk <BR>Cheap air tickets on www.ba.com or www.easyJet.com or www.iflybm.com. <BR>I think flying is your best bet, but see below about when to fly back. <BR>Lots of restrictions on the cheapest rail tickets. First class is not really worth it. <BR>I would say that the time you have to get from your inbound Gatwick flight to your outbound US flight is not enough. Why risk it? Why not come back a day earlier, travelling late from E'burgh and stay in a Gatwick Airport hotel? <BR>Also, a train would not get you into Gatwick early enough, so I think flying is the best. <BR>E'burgh airport is well served with buses. We used them a few months ago to get from the airport to the centre and back again. It's not expensive (especially if you get a return ticket ie. round-trip) and took about 30 minutes. <BR>easyJet.com will allow you to fly from Luton to E'burgh and back to Gatwick, but it might well be cheaper to fly from Gatwick in the first place. Luton is a bit of a faff to get to, as youi have to get a bus from the Luton Airport station. Coaches from central London are a pain in traffic jams. Gatwick is easily reached by trains from Victoria. Check out also the Thameslink service which stops at Kings Cross. (Gatwick Express has a website.) <BR>When in Britain, check out train times and services on 08457 484950. It's a lo-call number so just 20 or 30p should do it in a phone box. <BR>

Carolina

Definitely not enough time between flights. I assume you are flying on different airlines. As well as the check in etc. for your flights to the US, remember that you will have to wait for your luggage etc. and could well find that your flight to the US is from a different terminal. <BR>It is not enough time even without delays.

Sandra

We flew on BA from Gatwick to Scotland and back again this summer. The flights were late, and it took forever to get our luggage (but maybe yours will be check all the way through to the U.S., so no problem there). I think since yours will be the first flight out in the morning, you have a much better chance of being on time. If you miss it, they should protect you and put you on anther flight to get you home. You are much better off flying than taking the train. Go for it.

xxx

Sandy, if you have never been to Gatwick before let me explain how check in works. I am assuming your plane is going to be leaving from the South terminal and that your Edinburgh flight has deposited you at the North Terminal. There is a tram that goes between terminals or I guess you could taxi between terminals.<BR>You walk in from the street level or take lifts up from the train platform. Then you enter the large area where the check in counters are located and find your airline's counter. <BR>You enter a line of people and approach the first airline employee who will check your passport and your tickets ( or e-ticket info)and asks if you have packed your own luggage etc.<BR>Then you will be directed to person #2 who gives your boarding pass and puts the tags on your luggage.<BR>Then you walk to the security line( which can be lengthy) where your boarding pass and passport are checked again. Then you enter the screening area..you know the drill for this one.<BR>Ok, now you are in the 'holding area'. This is where you wait until your flight appears on the overhead screens. The screen will direct you to the gate. <BR>First you walk down a long corridor, then you wait for a tram to take you to the satellite where your plane's gate is... this process can take 15-20 minutes.<BR>If your US plane is scheduled to take off at 10:05, you would need to begin all this check in stuff at 8:05 at the latest.<BR>And that would be 20 minutes before your Edinburgh plane is scheduled to arrive.<BR>

ttrainz

Holy cow, why risk missing your plane home?<BR>And even if your luggage has been checked through from Edinburg to your US destination that really doesn't gain you a whole lot...&amp; if YOU don't make the US flight, your luggage is going to be taken off and you will have to round it up. . And you can't count on the airline having seats for you on a later flight.

Sandy

Thank you, thank you! You are right, why make ourselves crazy worrying if we will arrive on time.<BR><BR>I have just booked our tickets on EasyJet coming/going from Gatwick. We'll return late Sat night, spend the night near the airport, and then NOT have any worries about missing our flight the next a.m. (at 10:05). <BR><BR>The tickets were REALLY cheap, $55.44 ea. The base cost was only $16.79 ea but the taxes, etc. ran them up to $55.44, still a bargain!<BR><BR>Thanks again . . . I knew I could count on you all for the BEST advice.<BR><BR>Now I'm going to go search for hotels near Gatwick.<BR><BR>Sandy

starspinners

Hi Sandy.. I think you will be very happy when you wake up the morning you fly back to the States and know that you are just minutes from Gatwick.<BR>I can vouch for the Gatwick Hilton, have stayed there many times..it is connected to the South Terminal by a walkway.<BR>There is a Le Meridien connected to the North Terminal but I have not stayed there.<BR>I can also vouch for the Renaissance in Horley . I stayed there this past October and the AAA rate for the queensized bed room was &pound;95. <BR> Right next to the Renaissance it is the Gatwick Moat House, both of these use the same shuttle ( &pound;1 person ) to make the short ride to the airport.

Carla

Sandy,<BR>I'm interested in flying from London to Edinburgh too.<BR>Your plane tickets had $40 worth of added tax? Besides the 17.5 % VAT, what else were you charged for?

Sandy

Uh oh, make a little miscalculation. The $17 was just for one way . . . I have looked again and here are the CORRECT amounts:<BR><BR>Ticket, roundtrip = $33.58<BR>Tax = $15.40<BR>Insurance &amp; security chg = $4.92<BR>Credit card service chg = $1.54 <BR>Total price per ticket = $55.44<BR><BR>The extras run about 39.4% of the ticket costs!<BR><BR>I used the exchange rate 1.54 to $1.00. <BR>EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) has an incredibly fast and easy website to use and all tickets are e-tickets. <BR><BR>Sandy

MHS

Hoping that Nigel or XXX or whoever can address this twist to the same question... We are planning to go to York then on to Edinburgh by train in May. For return, I am looking at tickets with Virgin Air from JFK-London; Edinburgh-JFK connecting in London. We would have about 1.5 hrs between the time our flight landed &amp; the London-JFK leg left. Am I correct in thinking that all the pre-screening &amp; ticketing would be done in Edinburg &amp; bags would be shipped through? How much of the line rig-a-more-roll we facing in the London airport? Would really like to have time for a coffee &amp; rest-room break -- not just dashing &amp; standing in line. thanks.

xxx

MHS..post your question as a seperate thread so that those who have done what you are planning can see it and answer your question about the luggage. *S*<BR>But I am guessing since you are NOT changing airlines , your luggage could be checked through from Edinburgh to JFK.<BR>