Flying home - how often and which airports?

jonnyfingers

Hi guys,

I'm a bit saddened that Aer Arann are pulling out of Waterford in January, and with it their London routes , as myself and my family have used the Luton and Southend routes quite a lot over the past few years. There's a bit of hope as rumours are another operator might take over a Waterford - London route, and possibly to another airport instead of Southend.

Just wondering how often any of you would take a trip home and which airports do you fly out of normally?

83ste

I'll go home two or three times a year, and I find that as long as you book well in advance, Aer Lingus from Heathrow is actually the best option. The price is reasonable, you get a bit more legroom and a bit less hassle than Ryanair, there's a nice dedicated Irish departures area in Heathrow and you can get out there cheaply and easily on the Piccadilly line.

LadyMayBelle

jonnyfingers wrote: »

Hi guys,

I'm a bit saddened that Aer Arann are pulling out of London as myself and my family have used the Luton and Southend routes quite a lot over the past few years. There's a bit of hope as rumours are another operator might take over a Waterford - London route, and possibly to another airport instead of Southend.

Just wondering how often any of you would take a trip home and which airports do you fly out of normally?

Aer Lingus regional still operate from South End no?! I hope so as I've Xmas flights booked! I know they pulled Aer Arann operated flights to and from Galway and Waterford....

I fly from either South End or Stansted to Dublin, usually around Easter, in June for the bank holiday, in and around Sept/oct and then Xmas, so about four times a year and family usually visit once.

* just checked: Aer Arann operating under Aer Lingus Regional are still flying South End to Dublin*

jonnyfingers

LadyMayBelle wrote: »

Aer Lingus regional still operate from South End no?! I hope so as I've Xmas flights booked! I know they pulled Aer Arann operated flights to and from Galway and Waterford....

I fly from either South End or Stansted to Dublin, usually around Easter, in June for the bank holiday, in and around Sept/oct and then Xmas, so about four times a year and family usually visit once.

Sorry my mistake. I meant just the London to Waterford routes. I've edited my post for clarification.

tibor

serrity wrote: »

I'll go home two or three times a year, and I find that as long as you book well in advance, Aer Lingus from Heathrow is actually the best option.

BA are better if you can get a good price. More legroom, free check-in bag(23kg), free seat choice, and in free flight drinks and snacks.

Unfortunately I usually end up on Ryanair who make it just cheap enough to endure their bull****.

x43r0

I find Stansted to Cork is almost always the cheapest and easiest option for me.

The bus from Stratford is £9 and gets there in about 35mins

Blured

Currently flying back to Ireland once a month. I suppose it depends where you are living, I'm in South East London so find Gatwick is my best option. Trains (not the Gatwick Express) are quite reasonable to London Bridge and only take 28 minutes if you get the right service.

Fly either Ryanair or Aer Lingus, they can be quite close on prices. If you book in advance and want to treat yourself, flying in and out of London City airport is quite plesant

djpbarry

I go back to Dublin 2/3 times a year and usually use Gatwick as I live near Clapham Junction. I never fly with Ryanair. Ever. They lost my bag once and their attitude was utterly inexcusable (I was told by the girl at their lost baggage desk that "you get what you pay for"), so I've never flown with them since.

tibor wrote: »

BA are better if you can get a good price. More legroom, free check-in bag(23kg), free seat choice, and in free flight drinks and snacks.

I had my first BA experience last year from London to Frankfurt and it was absolutely fantastic! Wonderful airline - cannot understand how they get so much stick from the British public.

That said, they usually are a bit expensive, so Aer Lingus is usually the best option for me from London to Dublin.

I used to live on the Piccadilly line and flew into/out of Heathrow, but I found that the tube is often unreliable west of Acton Town. Also, because of it's size, Heathrow is plagued by delays - pretty much every time I fly into Heathrow, I end up circling above London for 10 - 20 minutes.

Jev/N

City Airport is very handy if booked in advance. They recently had a sale with most returns being €119.

DLR from Bank to Airport in around 25 mins, cheaper than forking out for other 'express' services and great if working in the City.

Another few pluses are that the ticket automatically includes a 23Kg bag and you can check in up to 15 mins before takeoff AFAIK (20 if with a bag)

Bluezar

I have been home a few times since I moved over a few months back and I have used Stansted to Dublin as it's easy to get to and from Stratford.

Bit sick that Wat-luton is closing down because I have used it so many times over the last few years as my family live in Luton and I was living in Waterford!

S.M.B.

Usually fly Heathrow to Dublin after work on a Friday because I work in Hammersmith and Dublin to Gatwick on the way back because I live in Balham.

90% of the time I'll fly with Aer Lingus. I even plaid nearly double the amount to fly with them this Christmas.

Will check out BA next time.

1fm

Another Waterford-Luton/Southend lost soul! Southend is a pain in the butt to get to but it I'm only 15min from the Airport in Waterford. Would love if Flybe relaunched Luton. From Jan onwards it will be back to a mix of Cork/Dublin-Heathrow

Weebuns12

Southend to Belfast, with Southend to Dublin as a back-up. Such a handy, easy to use airport!

Seraphina

I live south east so always fly from Gatwick. After turning up 20 minutes before departure time to the check in desk for my flight home for my fathers 60th birthday, and still being allowed to check my bag in and take my flight, I will NEVER fly any airline other than Aer Lingus home again.
Sweet jesus I could have kissed the woman on the desk!

Playboy

Seraphina wrote: »

I live south east so always fly from Gatwick. After turning up 20 minutes before departure time to the check in desk for my flight home for my fathers 60th birthday, and still being allowed to check my bag in and take my flight, I will NEVER fly any airline other than Aer Lingus home again.
Sweet jesus I could have kissed the woman on the desk!

I try and avoid Ryanair where I can... Aer Lingus and BA even though they are more expensive are much more pleasant flying experience!

Woden

My preference would be for Heathrow. In previous job all was paid for so would just take the express. Now I think a lot of the extra cost can be offset if willing to take the tube. Even though I live in Islington and tottenham hale is only a few stops away for the Stansted express. For Gatwick I find the express slow.

For christmas I left it a bit late and was considering my options. BA looked good out of heathrow and you'd get the bag included. Ended up going with Air France out of City due to old airmiles knocking around.

rebel girl 15

I've ended up being home 5 times since September - Luton is the easiest to get to for me which is Ryanair to Kerry, but I've found Heathrow to Cork with Aer Lingus to be the most relaxing option. Mostly fly Ryanair - very cheap flights out of Stansted, but they cut back their flights recently, had a 6.20am one which I used twice and worked nicely.

ballsymchugh

Seraphina wrote: »

I live south east so always fly from Gatwick. After turning up 20 minutes before departure time to the check in desk for my flight home for my fathers 60th birthday, and still being allowed to check my bag in and take my flight, I will NEVER fly any airline other than Aer Lingus home again.
Sweet jesus I could have kissed the woman on the desk!

i was flying from gatwick to dublin a couple of years ago with aer lingus and got to the check in bang on 40 mins before the flight was meant to leave. was told at the desk that the flight was all fuelled up and ready to go early, so check in was closed early. it was the last flight of the day and i had work at 8 in the morning in dublin. could've killed the woman at the desk, but that was the last time i willingly chose aer lingus. have used them once since on a transfer via heathrow and gritted my teeth the whole way!

now i go home every 5 or 6 weeks, almost always with ryanair from either gatwick or stansted, depending on whether it's to dublin for the weekend or to home, and how much of a rush i want to be in on returning. the last flight to stansted on a sunday is usually hassle free in both airports.

the odd time i'll use city airport. it's great, just park on the street in silvertown and walk in. the in 10 years and 5 or 6 times using that airport, the car has been fine for the weekend!

philologos

Don't use Southend. The morning flight is so early there's no trains on the Liverpool Street line there on a Saturday morning. The airport shuts from 12am to 4am so I couldn't even just wait around. The flight takes longer due to using smaller jets. I also had to get a taxi which cost a good 40 quid with a driver who was moaning about it being too cheap.

I live in the east so I'd pick London City first as its less than 30 mins from work and less than an hour door to door to my house.

Stansted is a close second. 40 mins from Stratford on bus.

If you're north Stansted or Luton. Or south Gatwick and west obviously Heathrow. Since the latter is about 1hr 30 to 2hrs away its a non option.

x43r0

On the subject of flying home, has anyone booked a backup method of travelling in the event that the weather causes cancellations?

I've been looking at ferries home but am I being paranoid?

Fysh

x43r0 wrote: »

On the subject of flying home, has anyone booked a backup method of travelling in the event that the weather causes cancellations?

I've been looking at ferries home but am I being paranoid?

No, you're not.

Bear in mind that adverse weather elsewhere can also screw you up - I ended up out of pocket to the tune of £300 a couple of years ago when bad weather in Dublin grounded an afternoon Aer Lingus flight back to Heathrow. This meant there was no Aer Lingus jet available for my Heathrow > Malaga flight, so it got cancelled and I had to rebook at the last minute with Easyjet.

Obviously there's no practical & cheap option for getting to Spain, but if you're talking about getting back home to Ireland you could always book a Sail Rail ticket and get a refund on the return trip - gives you peace of mind and is still cheap enough that you're not hugely in the hole.

x43r0

Just called my travel insurance company there to check what I'm covered for and I can get new flights in the event of cancellation so that's some comfort. Obviously if there are no new flights to book then I'm still screwed....

Fysh

x43r0 wrote: »

Just called my travel insurance company there to check what I'm covered for and I can get new flights in the event of cancellation so that's some comfort. Obviously if there are no new flights to book then I'm still screwed....

I'd ask for confirmation of that in writing if I were you - I got a refund from Aer Lingus for my cancelled flight but my travel insurance provider did not provide coverage for replacement flights (though they probably would have done if they'd been return flights).

83ste

I bypass all this and just go straight to booking a ferry.

ballsymchugh

serrity wrote: »

I bypass all this and just go straight to booking a ferry.

if it's anything like 2006, that'd be a wise option!

jonnyfingers

I have the ferry booked this year only because we're home for two weeks and having the car will be handy.

However I got stung badly due to the weather a couple of years ago when coming over to the UK for a sneaky interview just before Christmas. The interview was on a Monday and my girlfriend was already living in London so I traveled over from Dublin to Gatwick on the Friday. The plan was to spend the weekend with her, call in sick to work on the Monday while actually going for the interview, then fly home that night and go to work on the Tuesday morning.

All went to plan, the interview went well and I was sitting in the Wetherspoons in Gatwick South Terminal watching BBC news waiting for my boarding time. Suddenly it was announced on the news that Gatwick Airport was closed for the evening. Myself and other passengers looked around in bewilderment that the airport we were currently sitting in was apparently closed????

I asked a member of staff who denied the airport was closed. Five minutes later there was an announcement that it was indeed closed and we were all to make our way to baggage reclaim. Best of all they wanted everyone who bought duty free to return it! Needless to say that didn't happen. But literally within half an hour we all had our bags and were kicked out of the airport. All airline staff had already left so we were left stranded. Luckily I had a place to stay but I'm sure many weren't that lucky.

I wasn't due to work until 4pm on the Tuesday so there was still a chance I could get an early flight home and not get caught. So I called Aer Lingus who were able to move me to the next available flight from Gatwick. Unfortunately that was on Thursday! Turns out there was space on a flight from Luton the next morning so I took that. So bright and early I arrived at Luton to be told the flight is cancelled as the cabin crew were delayed last night and didn't get sufficient time off to be able to work again. :mad:

So back to London I go. I booked onto a flight the next day (Wednesday) from Birmingham and had to ring my boss to tell her I was stuck in London and wouldn't make it to work until late Wednesday or possible Thursday. Needless to say this didn't go down well. The next day I get the train to Birmingham and hear on the way up that Dublin Airport has closed due to ice on the runway! So once again I had to turn around and go back to London.

Finally I was booked onto a flight from Heathrow to Cork on the Thursday. Thankfully this flight went ahead and I landed on Irish soil. However my car was in Dublin! :rolleyes: So I hopped on the bus to Waterford arriving around 10pm and went to work Friday morning!

As luck would have it my girlfriend was actually flying into Cork late the next day, coming home for Christmas. So after work I caught the train to Dublin, bus out to the airport, picked up my car and drove in terrible snow for 4 hours to get to Cork to pick her up, before driving us both back to Waterford.

Worst week of my life! But at least I got the job!

I must add I did initially try to get on a ferry after the first flight cancellation but every single one was fully booked. So if you are thinking of taking the ferry home for Christmas book it early.

vard

I'm pretty sure I've taken every possible flight route and alternative mode of transport to and from London.

As was mentioned before, I'd avoid the early Southend flight as it doesn't sync with the rail transport to the airport. I took it once and found that I'd have to arrive the night before - I didn't mind, I figured I could sleep on a bench in the airport. I arrived at 10pm the night before to find that the airport would shortly be closing. There is NOTHING in the area, so I just lay down outside the train station and froze my are off until the airport opened in the morning. That said, I did save a bit of money, so if you're as frugal as I am you might be happy to suffer!

I find the cheapest last minute option tends to be ryanair from Luton (I never have the luxury of booking in advance). You can either get there by train or by one of the many coaches serving the route. There are a few which leave from Victoria, but the easy coach tends to be the cheapest option. Last time I booked a return ticket from/to the airport for just 2 quid. Advise you book in advance online as they are closer to van size than bus size.

Sometimes take ryanair / ei from Gatwick whenever it works out cheaper. Rarely the case I find, but I prefer it as an airport if you're going to be hanging around.

Heathrow is the easiest option for me, but rarely works out cheaper. If ever the price comes in close though it is worth it for convenience sake seeing as I tend to be in West London and the tube takes you door to door. If I can book in advance Aer lingus tends to be cheapest but last time I took BA which - for the first time - turned out cheaper.

Beyond that you could take the euro lines bus from Victoria as I often do (pretty much 13 hours each way) or the rail and sail which is pretty much the same.

If we're expecting a rough winter the ferry could end being a safer option. I'd have saved myself some pain a few years back during that mad one; I ended up having to spend 3 days in Gatwick.

djpbarry

jonnyfingers wrote: »

...if you are thinking of taking the ferry home for Christmas book it early.

I remember getting the ferry on Christmas Eve a couple of years ago, when it was apparently fully booked, but there were loads of empty seats on board. I think a lot of people book it as a back-up but end up travelling by alternative means.

vard wrote: »

That said, I did save a bit of money, so if you're as frugal as I am you might be happy to suffer!

Can’t really put a price on risking hypothermia.

vard wrote: »

Beyond that you could take the euro lines bus from Victoria as I often do (pretty much 13 hours each way) or the rail and sail which is pretty much the same.

The sail and rail option is about 5 hours quicker than Eurolines from London to Dublin!

vard

djpbarry wrote: »

I remember getting the ferry on Christmas Eve a couple of years ago, when it was apparently fully booked, but there were loads of empty seats on board. I think a lot of people book it as a back-up but end up travelling by alternative means.
Can’t really put a price on risking hypothermia.
The sail and rail option is about 5 hours quicker than Eurolines from London to Dublin!

Aha, well I've only done the rail and sail from Dublin to London. Ends up being the same duration; when the evening ferry gets in you have to wait around for hours in the depressing ****hole that is Holly head for the first train in the morning. Baffles me why the two services aren't linked, but I guess it must work better if you're going London to Dublin.

vard

djpbarry wrote: »

I remember getting the ferry on Christmas Eve a couple of years ago, when it was apparently fully booked, but there were loads of empty seats on board. I think a lot of people book it as a back-up but end up travelling by alternative means.
Can’t really put a price on risking hypothermia.
The sail and rail option is about 5 hours quicker than Eurolines from London to Dublin!

Aha, well I've only done the rail and sail from Dublin to London. Ends up being the same duration; when the evening ferry gets in you have to wait around for hours in the depressing ****hole that is Holly head for the first train in the morning. Baffles me why the two services aren't linked, but I guess it must work better if you're going London to Dublin.

ballsymchugh

'london' oxford airport anyone?!!


http://www.minoanair.com/en/About

londonbus

Best try Sail-Rail:

Train and ferries - cheap too. You can book up to 1800 the day before you go.

Details here:


http://www.seat61.com/Ireland.htm

Misticles

I go home every two weeks.
Generally use Stansted though next month I'm flying into City

djpbarry

Misticles wrote: »

I go home every two weeks.

Jaysus - that must cost a fortune?

Zippy1991

Hi Guys,

Flying to Dublin from Luton Airport next Friday.
Flying at 8.25pm and finish work beside Bank Station at 5pm.

What's the best way to get to Luton Airport from there in terms of speed/cost/convenience.

Thanks

Zippy

exiledelbows

Get to Farringdon by tube and get any train from there heading to bedford and you should make it to Luton Airport Parkway between 6 and half 6. Cost is 15.60 according to National Rail Enquiries

ballsymchugh

djpbarry wrote: »

Jaysus - that must cost a fortune?

i flew every week a couple of years ago for about 6 months. booking well in advance and the flights cost about £40 return.

apart from the time that i went to check in once and realised i'd forgotten to book that weekend.:mad:

it's extremely tiring though. i don't envy those who have to get red eye flights a few times a week. it's a rotten existence.

tibor

Zippy1991 wrote: »

Hi Guys,

Flying to Dublin from Luton Airport next Friday.
Flying at 8.25pm and finish work beside Bank Station at 5pm.

What's the best way to get to Luton Airport from there in terms of speed/cost/convenience.

Train from Kings Cross to Luton Parkway and shuttle bus from there.
If you buy your ticket to "Luton Airport" and the shuttle bus is free.
The East Midlands service only stops twice on the way out, making it about 10-20 mins faster than FCC/SouthEastern, also much more comfortable.

vard

Zippy1991 wrote: »

Hi Guys,

Flying to Dublin from Luton Airport next Friday.
Flying at 8.25pm and finish work beside Bank Station at 5pm.

What's the best way to get to Luton Airport from there in terms of speed/cost/convenience.

Thanks

Zippy

Check out the Easy Bus. Book in advance online... costs next to nothing. 2 quid into central London, something like that.

Grandpa Hassan

I've been in London a year and a half. And flown every 3 weeks or so in that time. I swear by the Ryanair Gatwick route. I genuinely can't remember having any problems in all that time. I always pay the extra for the legroom seat, and never have baggage, so can turn up just before departure and sit comfortably in seat 1A.

Gatwick is the most pleasant of the big airports and as it runs with the lowest volumes against capacity of the main airports, there are far fewer delays. And the train is more reasonable (the 'slow' train is only 5 minutes slower than the 'express' and half the price)

vard

Heathrow is my airport of choice. Lived in west London on the Piccadilly line, and trusting that there are no delays I can be in and out of the airport in 10-15 minutes... so for the sake of convenience it can't be beaten. Prices tend to be a deterrent however.

Stanstead would be the airport I use the most. Generally the fares tend to be cheapest. The airport isn't bad. I've slept there overnight a couple of times. The Stanstead express offers a good service, however if I can I prefer to go for one of the cheaper bus routes that operate from there.

I don't particularly like Gatwick. Most delays I've experienced have been here. (Although I will say, my experience with Ryanair with regard to delays - while sometimes ridiculously expensive, as I have to book last minute flights - has been largely good) Gatwick has been a building site for the last number of years and I find it a little spread out. Fares are hit and miss... sometimes it's the cheapest route; sometimes it's the most expensive. Perhaps the 2 days I had to spend sleeping here during that miserable winter a few years back have left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Luton is a dump. It's a **** airport, it's out of the way and the choice of flights is rubbish. Once in a while they'll be the cheapest, so only then will go from there. The one positive is that the EasyBus is great value. It's not quick, it's not pleasant, but for 2 quid you can't complain. I'd recommend staying away from the train if travelling to/from Luton. While it's the fastest option, it's expensive, often overcrowded and it doesn't get you to the airport itself... you still have to pay for an additional shuttle bus to go from the station to the terminal.

I've never flown in/out of City airport. I can't afford it, but for any bankers out there I guess it's probably the only way to go. Again, I can never book in advance, so it doesn't work for me as the prices here tend to be 400 + return. If you're lucky enough to spot a bargain - or you can afford it - it could be the best... certainly the most convenient way to go.

I've done Southend a few times. Travel time is the longest and trains only run up to a certain time... but the flights tend to be the cheapest, so if you're particularly frugal it's definitely worth a look. The airport is basic and the services are limited, but it has at least comparable services to any of the bigger airports. Once you're there - it's quick and easy. Getting in / out is very fast... but the airport closes early - 11am If I remember correctly. I had to arrive early the night before a flight here as I realised the first train in the morning wouldn't get me there in time; I took one of the later trains the day before intending to sleep in the airport. I ended up being kicked out and slept outside under the railway bridge. Near enough froze my tits off. Airport opened again at 4am or so and in I went. Caught my flight at 6 something... the things I do to save a few bob.

Failing that, there's always the bus or rail and sail which I use every now and then. It isn't comfortable and it certainly isn't quick, but it will usually be cheapest way to go.

silvervixen84

Not a flying tip but still comes under the umbrella of travel - there's a discussion about megabus deals from London to Rosslare here:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056917897

I didn't know that megabus even offered that route, so it's handy to know as a backup. Prices start at £1 and that includes the ferry!

http://uk.megabus.com/England%20to%20Ireland.aspx

Misticles

ballsymchugh wrote: »

i flew every week a couple of years ago for about 6 months. booking well in advance and the flights cost about £40 return.

apart from the time that i went to check in once and realised i'd forgotten to book that weekend.:mad:

it's extremely tiring though. i don't envy those who have to get red eye flights a few times a week. it's a rotten existence.

My job covers the cost of flights

Welruc

Try to get back every two weeks, Stansted to Knock.

Ryanair have added a Friday evening flight which will make the weekends at home that bit longer, getting into Knock at 1:00pm on Saturday and heading off again the Monday morning was the pits

enda1

I almost always redeem airmiles (avios) on BA and so fly from Heathrow.

"Home" is London though not Ireland.

I generally go back every 3-4 months maximum unless there's a particular reason. Find it too much hassle (booking, packing, getting to airport, price of flights, missing out on stuff in London) to be going much more than that.

I usually go with Aer Lingus from Heathrow for the cheap tube journey, or Easyjet from Stansted to Belfast, taking the National Express coach from Golder's Green to the airport for just a few quid.