Heathrow: least worst choice?

andy · December 2010

I'm about to head out to Heathrow.

Despite the wider issue of this being a fool's errand, I'm keen to get people's views on how to get there.

- piccadilly all the way. Take's ages, cheap, reliable-ish
- minicab. quickish, but traffic carnage
- heathrow express. fast, expensive, but may well be broken down at present.

Any views? Any idea how long the piccadilly line takes?

Marquis · December 2010

Heathrow was closed yesterday. I'm stuck in Frankfurt and would love to be back. Most annoyingly my flight actually went but BA staff got things mixed up!

Nothing wrong with the Piccadilly line, if you get a seat, have something good to read or want a snooze and don't have too much luggage with you. The journey takes about an hour.

You have to look out for service alterations a bit. Sometimes Heathrow lines are redirected to Uxbridge, but probably only when it's me travelling.

JaneDoe · December 2010

I always get the Piccadilly line. I leave 1 hour 30 because I have a thing about being early. It usually takes max 1h 15mins, is cheap and I reckon not much slower than getting to the Heathrow Express, waiting around etc. Good luck!

miss annie · December 2010

I favour the Piccadilly line option as it's door to door and no faffing about with changes. Takes just over an hour from FP on a non snow day. Hope you're collecting someone and not trying to go anywhere. Misscara is in foreign climes at present and I fear that she may not make it back for knitting group with all the disruption.

Ali · December 2010

Looks like you guys have got it bad, in Changi and can see all the cancelled flights on the boards good luck to any one travelling

andy · December 2010

Thanks. General view is that it's 1h 15 on the piccadilly line?

I am going to try to catch a flight. More in hope than expectation, to be honest.

WillM · December 2010

1h 15 assuming there aren't any delays - I'd personally leave 1 1/2 hours if you've got a flight to catch

sincers · December 2010

Pretty much always use the Picadilly line. Its more convenient, miles cheaper but I always leave 2hrs because I'll have just missed one that went to the correct terminal and I'll have to wait 15 minutes for another.

tosscat · December 2010

Piccadilly every time. By the time you're a bit bored of reading and looking around the carriage you suddenly pop outside and you can check your mail or have a (polite, quiet) chinwag on the 'phone. I too am an early freak. I leave well over an hour to get to Kings Cross from the Upper East Side.

tosscat · December 2010

Good luck anyway andy, bon voyage.

andy · December 2010

Thanks all, Piccadilly line it is.

I've just noticed that Admiral Ozzel has bought the Imperial Fleet out of lightspeed, so I think I'll head off now.

Ian · December 2010

Something the list all agrees on I think. Piccadilly all the way, faster than messing about with the change at KX and the hopeless District line for the Heathrow Express. Traffic is a nightmare over to the M4. TC is right that most of the journey is in pleasant open air. That said - panicked last year because of signal failure. Got out, got in an (expensive) black cab. Got stuck in traffic. Only just made it with about 2.5 hours to spare.... I am also a hopelessly early starter for airports. Don't make the mistake I made going on my stag do and get a coffee from that coffee shop on the left as you get to FP station as something nice for the long journey. I swear the awful taste was still in my mouth as I touched down 18 hours later. And good luck as well. I think 1 & 3 are shut, but God Speed You (Black Emperor?)

miss annie · December 2010

I made it to Stansted 15 minutes before my flight to Rome in the summer and they let me on the plane. There's no need to pitch up early unless you really enjoy waiting around in airports, they will let you on at the last minute if you've checked in online.

ADGS · December 2010

I just find it much less stressful to get somewhere stupidly early, and then lean against a wall with my book for an hour plus, than to attempt to relax at my starting point while wondering about the various possibilities London transport can come up with for everything to go horribly wrong and leave me missing my train (never mind flight).

miss annie · December 2010

Most people I know always seem to be in favour of an ridiculously early start for travelling. I take the opposite stance, setting out in a panic at the last possible minute and hoping that the transport gods will take pity on me and make sure that I get there in time. I do actually try to set off early sometimes but I get distracted easily.

ADGS · December 2010

A friend of mine did once turn up ridiculously late for his flight to the US - and got an upgrade. Nice.
So the next time, he understandably wanted more of the same. However, rather than thinking it through and loitering groundside at the airport, he just set off very-nearly-late - cue signal failures, cabbies with no clue, general panic and having to pay to shift his seat to (coach class on) the next 'plane.
Those transport gods can smile on a daredevil, but not every time.

kreuzkav · December 2010

How many people on here have missed a flight? I've spoken to many people who have nearly missed one, but have just got on one at the last minute.

I prefer to get to an airport on time, have a drink (if past midday), read rather than rush for everything. But it can be a bit boring hanging out.

As regards the Heathrow express, I've only used it once when engineering works were occuring on the piccadilly line near Heathrow (it was complimentary if you had an oyster card). It was really nice and broke up the journey. However, I think I only saved 10 minutes maximum on the journey back to FP. I don't think it's worth the extra cost but I might consider it if it ran to and from Kings X.

Alex · December 2010

If very short of time, then the Heathrow Express would be fastest and could save you around 20 minutes over the Piccadilly line. But using the Circle line to Paddington would be a mistake -- change at Oxford Circus every time. Gold card or network card discounts are available on the Heathrow Express, though they try to hide this fact.

andy · December 2010

Well. That was as stupid and futile a plan as it sounded. And thanks for the piccadilly line tips, there were only two fights on crowded trains.

Ian · December 2010

Oh dear - sorry about that. Any chance you will get where you wanted to be going?

mapsa · December 2010

I missed a plane a couple of months ago, when the tube strike made the journey to Heathrow a nightmare. Still made it to T5 with half an hour to spare, having checked in online, yet they wouldn't let me board - was told I needed to be through security with 35 minutes to spare. Not even on a day like that would they make an exception. Let that be a lesson to anyone flying with bloody BA.

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missisclack · December 2010

I missed a flight to Havana a few years ago. Foolishly, I accepted the offer of a lift to Gatwick, then we got stuck in a massive tail back on the motorway due to a truck load of paper catching fire on the road.

We had already checked in online, and had only rucksack luggage, but despite arriving with 1 hour and 55 minutes left before boarding, the Virgin Jobs Worth wouldn't let us on as check in had closed 5 minutes earlier.

But we have checked in!! we wailed. But no, apparently the baggage security check in had closed 5 minutes earlier and they couldn't possibly be flexible for 2 rucksacks.

So, I started to think about negotiating the rucksacks as hand luggage. But Jobs Worth just smirked and waved us along. The I started to cry, like a big blub (I also had a raging hang over).

We had to wait 4 days for the next flight out and pay an additional £250 each. Pah to Virgin Atlantic.

dorothy · December 2010

I've often see people cry in the Ryanair queue, when they are told they are too late to check in, even though there's an hour to go and they 'need to join the other queue at the ticket desk' repeatedly. I wonder if they deliberately just open two check desks, so you can waste so much time in the queue it just makes you too late. I always get there early now, but then inevitably buy a watch, bag, sunglasses and something I hate later, from Ted Baker in the down time.

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dion · December 2010

My brother had his French cheese confiscated by a French official at a French airport as it was too 'liquid' and therefore could be dangerous. The French official was quite fat so obviously confiscated quite a lot.

miss annie · December 2010

A lady at L.A. airport tried to confiscate a beauticious snowglobe that I had bought because it had (lovely, glittery) water inside! After a lively discussion she decided that it would be easier to just let me take it on the plane. I had a pair of shoes impounded at San Francisco airport a couple of years ago.

taff bach · December 2010

Shoes?

miss annie · December 2010

Yes taff bach, shoes! Very nice shoes they were too.

krappyrubsnif · December 2010

My mad Canadian cousin was arrested at Toronto airport while trying to travel with a souvenir brass rabbit. It was hollow and the security goons wanted to know what was inside. A lively discussion ensued during which he inadvisedly used the b___b word. He missed the flight, was kept in custody and wasn't allowed to travel for days. Not something he will be repeating.

sincers · December 2010

I thought they were meant to be relaxing the rules.

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Heathrow: least worst choice?

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