Out of curiosity, do London natives take the tube to Heathrow with luggage? I live in Boston, and since I took the subway here to the airport from my home (as do many, many others), it wouldn't dawn on me that it would be a problem anywhere else. I've taken the tube from Heathrow twice with no problem at all.

Cheryl/Peter, <BR> <BR>My sister lives at Dagenham, Essex. She always takes the tube if she is flying out of Heathrow. On the other hand, if she's flying out of Stansted or Gatwick she drives - unless she's going away for more than a few days as parking fees would be too expensive. <BR> <BR>While tube commuters are bothered by travellers with bags, by the same token car commuters will be bothered by the extra taxi traffic going into the city carrying all the people who didn't travel by train or bus. <BR> <BR>The airport bus is definitely the best, as I've found when staying in CENTRAL London. <BR> <BR>If there's a good, reasonably priced alternative for getting to Dagenham or Barking I would be pleased to hear of it. My sister who is resident there can't tell me a better way - so I'm open to your suggestions, Peter.

I used to commute every Monday from Heathrow to the continent (and then back on friday). I always took the tube from Hammersmith to Paddington and then the Express to Heathrow.

Just be extra careful about your documents and wallet. A friend was relieved of her wallet in the tube in a similar situation--with the luggage, jet lag, etc., and during rush hour, she was an easy mark. <BR> <BR>If you *do* have a lot of luggage (I did this with a friend at the beginning of a 2 month trip), suck it up and take a cab. You'll be so much more comfortable.