Heathrow V Stansted V Gatwick

movingtotheuk

If you can get a flight to Heathrow close enough to the price of Stansted or Gatwick i presume you should just go with Heathrow as that is the most central really???

Getting to central London from Stansted and Gatwick can be quite costly it appears so if there is only 10/15 Euro in the difference I am thinking Heathrow would be the best.

Cheers.

D-Generate

Depends where you want to go. If you want to get to the centre of City as quick as possible or anywhere west then Heathrow is best. If you want to get to South West London or South East then Gatwick is the better choice.
In all my time here I have never used Stansted or City airport so no opinion on those except by all accounts that I have heard Stansted is a ballache to get to.

movingtotheuk

Can't really see the point of Stansted as the cost of getting to London after is quite high.

What's the jazz with Gatwick? Is it expensive then to get into South West or South East London?

D-Generate

I think its around £8 to get to any place south west/east as long as you don't go through victoria or central london. Takes around 20-25 mins to get to say Clapham Junction.

emeraldstar

movingtotheuk wrote: »

Can't really see the point of Stansted as the cost of getting to London after is quite high.

Not really; the bus is like £9, or if you book easybus in advance online it's ridiculously cheap - a pound or two.

OP, if the flight costs are similar I'd go with Heathrow for sure. Can't beat hopping straight onto the tube, plus it's only a few pounds right into town.

breadmonkey

I doubt you'll get a flight to Heathrow for only a few quid less than one of the other airports. Even if Aer Lingus are having a "sale", they're never cheaper than Ryanair.

Anyway, it's very easy to get to central London from either Stansted or Luton. The train is a bit expensive all right but it's much faster than the bus which is really cheap.

Don't know about Gatwick but I'm sure it's fine too.

Obviously, Heathrow is handy because you can get directly on the tube but it takes forever to get into central London on the Picadilly.

Jack B. Badd

It's not just flight prices that will dictate what you pay. The taxes & charges contribute more to the cost than the flight a lot of the time. Airport charges vary (Cork has some of the highest charges I've come across). Most of the flights that I have taken through Heathrow have higher charges attached than the closest equivalent through Gatwick or Stansted.
Also the Heathrow Express/Connect are ridiculously expensive in comparison to the train/bus options from other airports to central London. And the alternative (Picadilly line) I wouldn't touch with a barge-pole.

thee glitz

I always go to Heathrow. I dont mind the 50odd mins on the tube to green park (not South Ken), then I change
for Stockwell. Sometimes i get the Express :pac: 15mins into Paddington

OhThePenguin

I use Stansted all the time. Thats just because its the easiest for me as I live in the East. I can just hop on the bus at Liverpool St. Station or Stratford and I'm usually there in under an hour. The bus is only £8/9 one way depending on which company you use.

If only flights from City Airport were cheap, then I'd use that all the time.

bluedolphin

I've used Stansted/Heathrow/Gatwick a fair bit each and from my experience:
1. Stansted - good for getting to the North or East quickly; also, the flight times suited me. However, the train is close to £30 return to Liverpool Street and the bus, while significantly cheaper, can take anything up to 2 hours or more depending on the time of day which makes it difficult to judge when to leave London to go there for a flight.

2. Heathrow - straight onto a Tube so you can get bang into the centre of London pretty quickly; however, it's a pretty big airport which means you need to factor in time for security and getting to the right terminal/gate more than the other two.

3. Gatwick - my preferred airport because it's small enough not to have to allow for too much additional time; it's the best one for south London; and while you can get the Gatwick Express to Victoria in 30 mins (or is it 45?) it's much cheaper to go by either Southern or First Capital Connect (normal local trains)...I've gotten a £6 return ticket to London Bridge by booking in advance before (I booked at the same time as I booked my flights) but usual price averages around £12-15 return in 30-45 mins, and from London Bridge you're on the Northern and Jubilee lines which are both pretty useful lines for getting across London.

Re Aer Lingus versus Ryanair...I've flown with Aer Lingus the last few times to Shannon because it has actually worked out cheaper and I much prefer flying with them. Mostly because I don't have to listen to that fupping trumpet if it lands on time. Mother of fup, that fanfare wrecks my head.

Fysh

Heathrow generally involves the most expensive airport fees as already mentioned above, so flights there have to be really cheap to genuinely be the cheapest option. There are several options for getting into town, from the slow & cheap (Picadilly Line, something like £4 or so for a single and about 1 hour from Heathrow to Picadilly Circus...when it's running) through mid-range (Heathrow Connect, leaves every half hour Monday to Saturday or every hour on Sunday, ~ £9 for a single and 30 mins to Paddington) to the fast (Heathrow Express, leaves every 15 minutes, about £17 for a single, ~15 mins to Paddington).

Aside from this you have to factor in the time and hassle at the airport - I find Heathrow Terminal 1 to be by far the most tedious and stressful airport terminal to travel through, in no small part due to the frankly rubbish way that the security measures are implemented.

Gatwick is a bit cheaper in terms of airport fares but not quite as well connected - you can get First Capital Connect & Southern trains (leave every 15 minutes, take 30-45 minutes, prices vary depending on time) or the Gatwick Express (leaves every 15 minutes, 30 minutes to London Victoria, about £17 for a single) into the city from the airport. I find Gatwick much more relaxed to travel through than Heathrow.

Stansted & Luton both tend to be cheaper, but you've got to allow more time to get there. You can get an express train to Stansted (45 mins) or a bus (from 45 mins to 2 hours). Luton is well-connected for various train services and buses. Security tends to be a bit more relaxed at both of these, though Luton can get a bit hectic at certain times of day as it doesn't handle crowds particularly well.

I haven't travelled through London City Airport but everyone I know who's been through there has been delighted at the experience and has urged me to try it.

9_Iron

Fysh wrote: »

Heathrow generally involves the most expensive airport fees as already mentioned above, so flights there have to be really cheap to genuinely be the cheapest option. There are several options for getting into town, from the slow & cheap (Picadilly Line, something like £4 or so for a single and about 1 hour from Heathrow to Picadilly Circus...when it's running) through mid-range (Heathrow Connect, leaves every half hour Monday to Saturday or every hour on Sunday, ~ £9 for a single and 30 mins to Paddington) to the fast (Heathrow Express, leaves every 15 minutes, about £17 for a single, ~15 mins to Paddington).

Aside from this you have to factor in the time and hassle at the airport - I find Heathrow Terminal 1 to be by far the most tedious and stressful airport terminal to travel through, in no small part due to the frankly rubbish way that the security measures are implemented.

Gatwick is a bit cheaper in terms of airport fares but not quite as well connected - you can get First Capital Connect & Southern trains (leave every 15 minutes, take 30-45 minutes, prices vary depending on time) or the Gatwick Express (leaves every 15 minutes, 30 minutes to London Victoria, about £17 for a single) into the city from the airport. I find Gatwick much more relaxed to travel through than Heathrow.

Stansted & Luton both tend to be cheaper, but you've got to allow more time to get there. You can get an express train to Stansted (45 mins) or a bus (from 45 mins to 2 hours). Luton is well-connected for various train services and buses. Security tends to be a bit more relaxed at both of these, though Luton can get a bit hectic at certain times of day as it doesn't handle crowds particularly well.

I haven't travelled through London City Airport but everyone I know who's been through there has been delighted at the experience and has urged me to try it.

I'd go along with most of this.
Just a few of things to add, chiefly regarding costs:
- Heathrow Connect is a much better option than the Heathrow Express: it's half the price and unless you are in a mad hurry, 30 minutes v 15 minutes to Paddington is not going to make much difference to you.
I have tended to take the Tube more often than not, though, simply because the Piccadilly line is so convenient for the city centre.

- Why oh why is there not a cheaper alternative to the Stansted Express (which is a misnomer anyway, since it stops at least twice between Liverpool Street and Stansted): as noted, Gatwick has the Gatwick Express, but also several other non-express trains that are cheaper and not much slower. Always a black mark against travelling to/from Stansted.

- London City airport is a business traveller's dream: off the plane, 60 second walk to baggage reclaim, and another 60 seconds to the DLR station, which takes you to Bank/Monument in about 25 minutes (£4 or £3ish with Oyster).
It's perhaps less useful for the casual flyer from Ireland, as only Cityjet (I think?) go there from Dublin and they're not the cheapest.

- Finally, I'd concur with anyone who says that your destination in London should be factored into your choice of airport, especially if you find airfares to be in and around the same. You can end up with a far longer commute than flight, if you're not careful.

ztoical

There is one other option and that is London Southend Airport. Hasn't been much of a player till now but they're finishing the new railway station this month going to Stradford and Liverpool street in 50mins. So far only Aer Arann flying there but could be in for an expension if the rail service improves.