London Heathrow

[G54]

Hi, I am unfamiliar with LHR airport and wonder if someone can help me out with information here, because I want to book an advanced rail ticket North so am looking at rough guide to time needed at immigration and baggage and distance to the underground station.

I accept that times will vary on baggage and immigration.

But I am wondering, roughly how long are the queues at immigration for a Brit and rough guide to times for baggage.

Is it far to walk to the underground station to get the tube?

I will be arriving from BKK and at LHR for about 9 a.m. on a Friday morning with either Etihad or Jet airways.

TIA

Edited September 25, 2009 by G54

[tw25rw]

Hi, I am unfamiliar with LHR airport and wonder if someone can help me out with information here, because I want to book an advanced rail ticket North so am looking at rough guide to time needed at immigration and baggage and distance to the underground station.

I accept that times will vary on baggage and immigration.

But I am wondering, roughly how long are the queues at immigration for a Brit and rough guide to times for baggage.

Is it far to walk to the underground station to get the tube?

I will be arriving from BKK and at LHR for about 9 a.m. on a Friday morning with either Etihad or Jet airways.

TIA

I would always allow about an hour to get through immigration/customs. The station is a few minutes through tunnels. Heathrow Express is a quicker train, but more expensive and a bit longer to walk. If you are catching a train from Euston or Kings Cross, I would allow about 2 hours minimum from the plane arriving.

[julie_f]

The heathrow express goes to London Paddington which won't be much help if you are going north. I would leave around 2 and a half to 3 hours as the underground is difficult with luggage and baggage can take quite a while sometimes.

[syd barrett]

Hi, I am unfamiliar with LHR airport and wonder if someone can help me out with information here, because I want to book an advanced rail ticket North so am looking at rough guide to time needed at immigration and baggage and distance to the underground station.

I accept that times will vary on baggage and immigration.

But I am wondering, roughly how long are the queues at immigration for a Brit and rough guide to times for baggage.

Is it far to walk to the underground station to get the tube?

I will be arriving from BKK and at LHR for about 9 a.m. on a Friday morning with either Etihad or Jet airways.

TIA

You must also hope that your flight is on time.

However allow one hour to get through immigration/baggage/customs.

Then you need to take the tube train to Central London for train connection (Euston for Birmingham/Stoke/Manchester). The Heathrow tube is in the airport terminal(s).

If you arrive at 9.00am you will miss the rush-hour tube and qualify for a cheaper off-peak tube ticket.

When pre-booking train tickets allow plenty of time. You can always kill time in a bar or cafe reading a book. I have experience of doing what you do, these days I allow plenty of time. There is nothing worse than trying to get from Heathrow to a Central London Rail Station in a hurry.

[Rinrada]

At least the tube (Piccadilly Line )goes direct from Heathrow to Kings Cross which is also next to St Pancras and only a short wak from Euston.(depending on baggage)

Last time we took Etti I seem to remember that we hit the "Row "quite early...about 6-30 am and went thriough Immi in 2 minutes (Iris recog machine ) but of course the bags can take forever.

On said last joli ours came fairly quickly and we jumped the Dilly line and arrived back in North London (Oakwood) by @ 8-30 am....so ...

[G54]

Thanks for the above information.

I am heading to Kings Cross. So now have a better idea how much time to allow for the train.

Great help

Cheaper too than going via Manchester airport and as quick!! So, LHR it is

[tw25rw]

The heathrow express goes to London Paddington which won't be much help if you are going north. I would leave around 2 and a half to 3 hours as the underground is difficult with luggage and baggage can take quite a while sometimes.

Paddington is on the underground and is a few stops away. Heathrow Express is easily the fastest way, but is expensive. The Piccadilly Line is cheap but slow and crowded. A taxi from Paddington wouldn't cost much.

[smokie36]

Take the Heathrow Express to Paddington. The tube is too unreliable if you have a fixed connection. Taxi from there costs not much more than the tube anyway. Arriving at 9am I would book the 1200 or 1230 train to be on the safe side.

[theoldgit]

Take the Heathrow Express to Paddington. The tube is too unreliable if you have a fixed connection. Taxi from there costs not much more than the tube anyway. Arriving at 9am I would book the 1200 or 1230 train to be on the safe side.

Yes the Heathrow Express is far quicker, the Underground takes forever and is nearly always busy.

Paddington has a shared taxi scheme to popular destinations, I'm sure Kings Cross or Euston will be one of these.

[G54]

I presume the 'Heathrow Express' is outside the main building? Is it signposted and easy enough to find?

Sounds a better prospect than the tube.

I'd rather be prepared than be searching on the day after long trip.

TIA

[theoldgit]

I presume the 'Heathrow Express' is outside the main building? Is it signposted and easy enough to find?

Sounds a better prospect than the tube.

I'd rather be prepared than be searching on the day after long trip.

It's easy to get to, there are plenty of signs and it's below the terminal, there is a walkway and pretty sure a lift.

Certainly it's better and a lot quicker than the Underground, just one caveat there are two services on the route, The Heathrow Express which is non stop and takes about 15 mins, and Heathrow Connect, this is a stopper though a tad cheaper. You can book the Heathrow Express online and print you tickets meaning you can simply board the train.

https://www.heathrowexpress.com/index.asp?S...37-46914E6272E9}

[syd barrett]

I presume the 'Heathrow Express' is outside the main building? Is it signposted and easy enough to find?

Sounds a better prospect than the tube.

I'd rather be prepared than be searching on the day after long trip.

TIA

The Heathrow Express gets into central London in about 15 minutes. However it arrives into Paddington, then you have the nightmare of transfer to tube train Circle Line to get to Kings Cross.

If you jump on the tube at Heathrow (Piccadilly Line) it takes you directly to Kings Cross and is much cheaper.

My guess is both options would take the same amount of time.

[syd barrett]

The tube is too unreliable if you have a fixed connection

The tube is reliable too/from Heathrow Airport and takes 1 hour exactly to Kings Cross Station.

[G54]

Thanks for the extended information

I'll get the bookings sorted tomorrow.

[tw25rw]

You would be unlucky if it took an hour by HEx. Maybe if you just missed one and the tubes were being a pain, which happens around there because of the interchange at Edgware Rd.. Plus the tube would be busy. I used to travel from Bayswater to Baker St at that time and hated it. There are always loads of taxis at Paddington though, which raises the question of traffic on Marylebone Rd... Heathrow Connect uses the same platforms, but is a fair bit slower and you have to buy a ticket in advance. The actual transfer from HEx to Underground is easy.

Piccadilly line is straight there, but will get full and is slow. it's also much cheaper as HEx is about £19 one way, which may be a show stopper.

I think if i was paying for a group, I'd lean towards tube now, even though it will be painful in it's own way.

[smokie36]

Heathrow Express £16.50

The tube is indeed much cheaper at £4.

[jeff_north]

Have a look at taking the Bus from LHR upnorth ! there is a National bus terminal at LHR in the centre of the airport ? save going into town and cheaper too !!!

[Rinrada]

Its all "ere....

Buses and coaches

Frequent buses and coaches link Heathrow Airport with destinations across Britain.

View a bus network map showing routes to Heathrow

Coaches

National Express and other operators run services from Heathrow to more than 500 destinations.

Find out more: Coaches

Local buses

An extensive bus network operates around Heathrow and to destinations in west London and the Thames Valley.

Find out more: Local buses

Railair coaches and buses

Luxury coaches and buses connect Heathrow with the national rail network at Feltham, Watford, Woking and Reading.

Find out more: Railair

Group travel by coach

http://www.heathrowairport.com/portal/page...00357e120a____/

[tw25rw]

A bit OT, but they really need to extend the railway lines from LHR so they meet up with mainlines outside of London. I think there is or will be a line through to Staines, which is very near, but if they could connect to the Midland mainline it would benefit a lot of people.

[andy1234]

I came through Terminal 3 last night landing at about 7:15, it took nearly 2 hours to get through immigration and get my bags

to get to the underground terminal inside heathrow takes about 20 minutes and then a tube in to london will take the best part of another 30-45 minutes

[tw25rw]

I came through Terminal 3 last night landing at about 7:15, it took nearly 2 hours to get through immigration and get my bags to get to the underground terminal inside heathrow takes about 20 minutes and then a tube in to london will take the best part of another 30-45 minutes

I bet you were just delighted to be back too .. A feeling I know well.

[Rinrada]

FIO....London Local Travel

Terminal 2 closes today and will be demolished.(if anyone uses)

New one on plan for opening in 2015.

Also from Jan.2010 London Mayor has given the OK for OYSTER card use on National Rail within the Smoke areas (at moment only TFL)....

and about Time.

[salty]

I came through Terminal 3 last night landing at about 7:15, it took nearly 2 hours to get through immigration and get my bags

to get to the underground terminal inside heathrow takes about 20 minutes and then a tube in to london will take the best part of another 30-45 minutes

That seems an awfully long time. Never took me more than 30 minutes.

[tw25rw]

Sometimes it's quiet at immigration, other times it's insanely busy. I can use either EU or non-EU an often choose non-EU if EU has a queue and can usually walk right through. If there's just been a plane in from Africa or India, forget it.

[bifftastic]

If you can afford it I'd go with the heathrow express and jump in a black cab from Paddington to Kings Cross, St Pancras or Euston (not far at all even if the traffic's bad) depending on where you're going.

The tube is cheaper but it's a long long way to Kings Cross!

Personally, I find the journey away from the airport the worst part of the whole marathon.

Heathrow Express isn't really an option for me as I live in East London. I hate the tube but my free pass talked me into it!

Re the Oyster card, 2nd january they reckon it will be operational on the national rail links in London. Only really relevant to regular travellers who currently need 2 ticket types to get the cheaper fares in town.

Heathrow is, generally speaking, a complete nightmare to get to, and away from. If you're heading north on a train and don't want the hassle of the tube I strongly advise the Express to Paddington.

Give the bus a swerve too, specially after 14 odd hours in the sky!

[Rinrada]

and for regular travellers dont forget to register for IRIS.

We have used it about 20 odd times and never a problem.

Nice to be first through Immi......then its 30 minutes to get the bags

IRIS is a means of border control that allows registered passengers to enter the United Kingdom quickly through automated barriers at certain airports. It makes use of the fact that the pattern of the iris in each person's eye (the coloured part of the eye) is unique.

This makes it possible for a person to be identified simply by looking into a special camera.

Iris recognition is a form of biometrics that is a fast, secure and fraud-resistant way to check a person's identity. Biometrics is the science of using digital technology to recognise a person from a physical characteristic (for example a fingerprint or iris pattern) or another unique personal characteristic (for example a voice pattern or handwriting).

The IRIS system uses a photograph of the iris pattern, converts it into a digital code and then compares it with others stored in a secure database. When it matches the captured iris pattern with the corresponding one on the database and the registration is still valid, that person can enter the United Kingdom by passing through the IRIS barrier located in the immigration arrival hall.

It usually takes between five and 10 minutes to register for IRIS. A registered traveller entering the United Kingdom can cross an IRIS barrier in about 20 seconds.

IRIS is operating at the following United Kingdom airports:

all five Heathrow terminals;

Manchester terminals 1 and 2;

Birmingham terminal 1; and

Gatwick North and South terminals

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/managing...echnology/iris/

[MrFrank]

I would definitely use Heathrow Express. The trip from Paddington to King's cross is quite quick and easy because it's all on a single road and it has bus lanes all the way (I've cycled it in 20 minutes). If you don't have too much luggage you can get a number 205 bus from just outside Paddington (Praed St) which will get you there in 20 minutes.

The Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly Line can be a nightmare; lot's of delays, cancellations and over-crowding.

[knightlordnz]

if you have lots of money send it on HR express but if not and have 11mins longer there is a train that go's to paddington just book online i think it was around 6.40 pounds (www thetrainline com ) it's the HAF ticket then get a taxi it's around 2 miles i think