Please help with info on airport shuttle between London Gatwick and Heathrow
 

An American Airlines reservations representative mentioned that there is a shuttle that runs between Gatwick and Heathrow. I would be arriving at Gatwick at 3:05 PM and departing Heathrow at 6:30 PM. Is this do-able? Would you know how much the shuttle costs? Are reservations necessary?

Thanks so much to anyone who can help.

There was a discussion of this very item, last week. A search on Gatwick express will bring it up.

Keith

There is direct coach (bus) service between the airports every 15 to 30 minutes (depending upon time of day). The cost is 15 GBP. Reservations are not necessary. Visit www.nationalexpress.com for the details. However, three and one half hours is not nearly enough time to make this transfer. Several posters on this board have said they missed their connection when allowing four hours to make it. Frommer's Budget Travel Newsletter recommends a minimum of five hours. Why? Because all it takes is a late arrival into Gatwick and heavy traffic between Gatwick and Heathrow to use up your margin in a hurry.

3+ hours would be enough time on a sunday morning or a Saturday night - but not nearly enough time on a weekday afternoon. 3:05 is not when you would get on the bus - that is your scheduled touch down time. Then you taxi, walk a loooooong way to the arrivals hall, wait for your luggage and go through immigration. You would be lucky to be on the bus by 4:30PM (unless you only have carry-on luggage - that would save you 30 to 45 minutes). Then count on more than an hour to LGW (afternoon traffic on the M25 can be TERRIBLE.). Thne you have to queue to check your bags and go through security.

In the afternoon I would want more than 4 hours to make that connection.

The connection is doable. I agree with most of what was said above except for the following.

If you're flying on the same ticket you will be able to check all the way through.

You will have to collect and transfer the luggage with you on the bus, but there is a "fast luggage drop-off" at the airport, so you don't have to wait in the regular check-in line again.
If you don't run into any major problems you should be fine and if you do, and you are on the same ticket for the connection, the airline will work with you.
It will be close, but doable.

Have a great trip!

AAFrequentFlyer: True, there is an "express" luggage check once you get to LGW. But the last time I flew into Heathrow, we had to wait 45 minutes for my friend's luggage to come off the carosel. I didn't check anything, and could have made happy2travel's 3 hour connection easy, but we would have missed it because of the luggage mess.

If happy2travel has a delay at LHR, 3+ hours will still be a pretty tight squeeze unless he lands early.

oops - that last sentence doesn't make any sense :(

I meant to say If happy2travel has a delay at LHR, 3+ hours will still be a pretty tight squeeze. Hopefully he lands early and solves the whole problem . . . .