Which airport is the most convenient for your trip to London? Save money traveling TO or FROM the capital based on where you stay.
There are 6 main airports in London: Heathrow, London City, Stansted, Gatwick, Luton and Southend. People usually go for the cheapest flight when visiting the city but you can actually save money commuting TO the capital based on where you land.
This guide will help you identify which London airport is more convenient for your trip and which airports you should avoid before booking a flight to London. It will cover the location of such airports, commuting price and routes as well as other advantages and disadvantages.
I have been living in London for over 10 years and I like traveling so I had to learn this the hard way... Now I don't go for the cheapest flight unless I know where I will be arriving =).
London's main and busiest airport with around 210,000 passengers per day or 76 million passengers yearly. The airport has 4 terminals (Terminal 1 to 4), each for different type of flights (e.g. regional, continental, intercontinental, etc.).
It operates major airlines including but not limited to British Airways, Qatar Airways, Air France and more. You can visit Heathrow's airline contact info website for a full list.
Heathrow Airport is located in west London zone 6. The cheapest way to travel from or towards there is with Picadilly line for just £3.60 using an Oyster or Contactless card. The journey is approximately 45-60min long. There are other methods of transportation such as:
London City Airport is the closest airport to the city center and also the smallest airport out of the six. Mainly designed for business travel with just one runway, small planes and not many airlines.
Located in east London zone 3 in London City Airport DLR station, one of the 11 London train lines. The best way to travel from or towards there is via public transport, costing also £3.60 (or less if off-peak hours) and less than 20 minute away from the city center.
Taxis can cost around £30 and are only recommended if traveling long distances from this airport.
A nice and small airport usually best for budgeted flights. It serves over 160 destinations and operates a few airlines such as Ryanair, easyJet, TUI, Jet2.com, British Airways and a few others. You can see the full list of destinations served from London Stansted airport website.
London Stansted airport is located in North East London and the best way to commute there is via Stansted Express from £7 if you book tickets well in advance from train stations like Liverpool Street or Tottenham Hale. If you don't tickets might cost you around £20. The journey is usually 40-50 min long. Other methods of transportation include:
The second busiest airport in the UK. It has 2 terminals: North and South. It supports 90 airlines and over 200 destinations. You can find a full list of airlines and their corresponding terminal in the gatwick airport site.
London Gatwick is located south of London, in West Sussex. The best way to travel to or from there is via National Rail. Southern Railway tickets will cost you £6-9 one-way and will leave you in major London stations such as London Bridge, Victoria, or Blackfriars in 30-50 minutes. Other methods of transportation include:
Similar to Stansted airport, Luton Airport is home to budget airlines and is located 28 miles from the city center. It is one of the oldest operational airports in the UK and also a historical place in the country since it used to be home to many military aircrafts in WWII. London Luton airport serves 122 destinations in 33 countries.
The airport is located north of London and the best way to get there is via coach, usually taken from Victoria Coach station, costing £11 one-way with a journey time lasting approximately 1.5 hours.
There are also train tickets usually £13-19 from London St Pancras station with 50 minute journey. However, you will need to change at London Luton Airport Parkway and take a shuttle coach to the Luton Airport (or viceversa if traveling towards London) once you arrive there.
Taxis are usually more expensive if traveling from or towards this aiport with prices starting from £70 with journeys lasting at least 1h.
An international airport situated 36 miles from London city center, so it is the farthest away from the city. It is located near the East cost of England in Southend-on-Sea so there are still mixed feelings about it being called 'London Soutend Aiport'. The airport covers a few destinations listed on their website and only operates 3 airlines: easyJet, Aer Lungus and Thomson.
The airport is located in Southend-on-Sea, at the East coast of England, and the best way to travel from or towards there is via national rail. You will arrive at London Liverpool Street in 50 minutes and train prices range from £15-19.
I would not recommend a coach or a taxi due to long commuting time and extremely high prices with taxi journeys costing approximately £110...
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