Heathrow Express Advance Fares and Mobile App

[andrewkeith5]

Hi all,

I will be flying out of Heathrow T5 in August this year for my holidays, and have been looking at the best value way of getting to the airport in a suitable level of comfort. My 'local' train station is Gatwick Airport, rather conveniently, which means there are a vast array of options.

Travel on outward and return will both be saturdays, and my current thinking is that I will take the Gatwick Express into Victoria, hop over to Paddington and jump on the Heathrow Express - as if I book in advance, it seems this will be cheaper than airport parking.

However, I'm a little confused by the Heathrow Express ticketing situation - I will be proposing to use their 90-day advance fares, which looks all well and good on the website at £7.50 each way in Business First.

I cannot for the life of me get the 90-day Weekend Business First Advance ticket to display in the app, however. Is this just me, or something deliberate about the app? I'd really rather not mess around with paper or having to find a 90-day old text message!

Additionally, does anybody happen to know if the HEx fares are quantity-limited? I can't find any implication that they are provided you buy them before the deadline.

Sorry for the super-long post, and thanks in advance!

 

[miami]

I suggest the direct coach. Cheaper, less hastle, more comfortable, faster.

 

[anme]

I suggest the direct coach. Cheaper, less hastle, more comfortable, faster.

Coach is definitely the better option between Gatwick and Heathrow.

If you do choose to go by train, the Piccadilly line will generally get you to Heathrow from Victoria at least as quickly as the underground and the Heathrow Express, with the same number of changes and considerably less dragging of luggage required.

 

[Clip]

he does want to travel in relative comfort though which none of the above ideas are imo.

Ive never used the app Andrew so cant help you there but can you not use the normal website for it?

 

[miami]

he does want to travel in relative comfort though which none of the above ideas are imo.

Ive never used the app Andrew so cant help you there but can you not use the normal website for it?

For comfort I'd certailny avoid dragging bags down to a platform at gatwick, off the train and onto the tube (or a taxi) at Victoria, then off the tube at paddington and onto the train, then off the train at heathrow and (depending on the terminal) a long walk.

Compare with dragging bags onto bus, then dragging them off the bus, and potentially a long, but not as long, walk.

I'm not sure about the average Gatwick to Heathrow bus, but I've been very impressed with the Heathrow-Reading bus both times I've used it.

Most comfortable would be a door-to-door minicab for about £40-50 each way.

Train and Hex is going to be at least £20 each way (£12 for Gatwick-Victoria seems the cheapest, £2 to Paddington, £7.50 to Heathrow). Coach is £20.50 each way.

I would put them in this order:
Comfort: Taxi, Coach, Train/Tube/HEX, Train/Tube
Speed: Taxi, Coach, Train/Tube/HEX, Train/Tube
Price: Train/Tube, Coach, Train/Tube/HEX, Taxi

If there's more than 1 person, definitely use the coach. If it's one person, it depends on how much you value comfort, time or money for a Taxi or Coach toss-up.

 

[Clip]

A cab far outweighs anything else for comfort but there isn't a coach in the world that I would swap a train for they are awful and I would go the extra mile out of my way like the OP wants to do so I would never even see a coach let alone sit on one.

 

[miami]

A cab far outweighs anything else for comfort but there isn't a coach in the world that I would swap a train for they are awful

You'd rather (hypothetically) spend 3 hours on a pacer than 1 hour on the Oxford Tube?

 

[anme]

I can report that the coach between the airports is fine. They are considerably nicer than the average plane. Have people here actually been on a coach recently?

My only other comment is that from Victoria to Heathrow, using the underground all the way is generally quicker than going via Paddington and the Heathrow Express.

 

[168lover]

National Express coaches are quite nice. WIFI, reclining leather seats, good legroom and a guaranteed seat. Try and get that on your average 442 and 332

 

[Clip]

You'd rather (hypothetically) spend 3 hours on a pacer than 1 hour on the Oxford Tube?

Thats not really a hypothetical situation nor is it comparable is it? But yes.

 

[andrewkeith5]

Well this thread hasn't gone the way I had planned.

Thank you to those who are advising the use of the coach. I appreciate the thought, however there are a variety of reasons why I do not intend to use the coach on this occasion. Not least that I have too much experience of the M25 and wouldn't feel comfortable with the amount of contingency time I would have to give myself to ensure of an on-time arrival - which would make the journey longer than the train!

Thank you to Clip for being the only person who attempted to address my actual question (sorry if the background information made this difficult for some to get to). I could use the website, but as the only options there are print at home (which just doesn't work for me) or a text message ticket (which is likely to take an absolute age to find ninety days after it's received), I would prefer the app.

For whoever suggested a taxi - this is a form of transport I generally avoid at all costs!

For those who suggested the coach is cheaper, when I checked last night coaches were £20 each way, plus a £10 supplement if you want to be able to change the time of the coach (e.g. if the flight is delayed inbound), making a comparable fare. In standard class, booking the HEx 90-days in advance (£5 each way) and even using walk-up Oyster fares (although not on Gatwick Express) of £16.20 each way is cheaper, let alone with a Network Railcard which anyone can buy or the potentially cheaper paper fares.

If I really wanted the most comfortable method of travel, I would just drive and pay for the parking! The train offers me the chance to have a comfortable journey, which I can split in central london to get a few other bits and pieces done, for a reasonable price.