National Express Heathrow pricing to Swindon

[Feuillesmortes]

Example:

Victoria to Swindon £6 at 0900
Heathrow to Swindon £18 on the same service!

Is this a one-off anomaly or is it some clever pricing strategy? Can you start short? Thanks

 

[JonathanH]

Airport journeys to most destinations on the National Express network are charged at a premium price, reflecting that passengers are prepared to pay more for the convenience of a direct service, and there generally isn't railway competition. It is arguably the most lucrative part of their operation.

I wouldn't advise trying to board a coach at Heathrow Airport with a ticket from London Victoria, not least because it breaches the terms and conditions. Strictly you can't end short either, although that is obviously harder to police if you are travelling without luggage.

https://www.nationalexpress.com/en/help/conditions-of-carriage

3.2 Validity of your ticket
(a) Travel permitted by your Ticket: Your Ticket permits you to make the Journeys and travel on the Services stated on the Ticket, subject to any restrictions or conditions (such as dates, days of the week, and times within a day on which you may travel) set out on the Ticket or in any Special Conditions applicable to the Ticket.

(b) Period for which your Ticket is valid: Your Ticket is valid for travel:

at the time(s) as is/are stated on the Ticket or in the Special Conditions which apply to the Ticket; or
if it is an open return Ticket (i.e. with no other time(s) specified thereon) three months from the date of outward travel. You will need to make a reservation for a specific Service in accordance with Condition 5 if you want to ensure that there is a seat available on the return Service on which you want to travel.
(c) Expiry of your Ticket: When your Ticket expires in accordance with Condition 3.2(b), it is no longer valid for travel. You will need to ensure that your Ticket is valid for the entirety of your Journey(s).

6.11 Joining and leaving a service
(a) You may not board or leave a Service except at the start, or finish, point of your Journey, save for any mid Journey breaks and ill health breaks permitted under Conditions 6.10 above or Condition 6.12 below, or unless permitted by Condition 6.11(c) below.

(b) If you wish to join your Service at a different location than your start point and you have not amended your Ticket in accordance with these Conditions you will be required to purchase a new Ticket for the Service, subject to space being available on the Service from the different start point to the finish point.

(c) You may leave the Service at an earlier stop where you: (a) tell the driver when you board the Service that you wish to do so (so that your Luggage can be placed in an appropriate location in the luggage hold) unless that earlier stop is one at which unloading of Luggage is restricted if you are travelling with Luggage in the hold; and (b) you pay the driver or other National Express Representative any additional fare payable as a result of you leaving the Service at an airport stop rather than the booked finish point of your Journey.

 

[RJ]

Example:

Victoria to Swindon £6 at 0900
Heathrow to Swindon £18 on the same service!

Is this a one-off anomaly or is it some clever pricing strategy? Can you start short? Thanks

It’s covered in their conditions of carriage, section 6.11 - https://www.nationalexpress.com/en/help/conditions-of-carriage

It’s not unknown for a premium to be charged for shorter trips. It happens on airlines. The other week I took a flight on Emirates from Singapore to London via Dubai. The ticket was significantly cheaper than one from Dubai to London. The levy might be in place if there’s a captive market for the shorter journey.

 

[Simon75]

The 9.10am Stoke-on-Trent to London Victoria £17
Stoke-on-Trent to Heathrow £42

 

[Deerfold]

The 9.10am Stoke-on-Trent to London Victoria £17
Stoke-on-Trent to Heathrow £42

Yes, it's very common.

 

[Mwanesh]

Has always been like that. For Terminal 5 it drops you right outside the entrance. You are paying for the convenience. I went to Manchester Airport the other week to drop a friend in the drop zone £6 for 5 minutes. Next I told them to take the bus

 

[Eyersey468]

Airport journeys to most destinations on the National Express network are charged at a premium price, reflecting that passengers are prepared to pay more for the convenience of a direct service, and there generally isn't railway competition. It is arguably the most lucrative part of their operation.

I wouldn't advise trying to board a coach at Heathrow Airport with a ticket from London Victoria, not least because it breaches the terms and conditions. Strictly you can't end short either, although that is obviously harder to police if you are travelling without luggage.

https://www.nationalexpress.com/en/help/conditions-of-carriage

The other thing with joining a coach later than you are booked to is if the coach is full the seat may have gone to a standby

 

[Feuillesmortes]

Coach travel between Victoria and the M25 is really slow.

So I was thinking if I could use rail between central London and the airports, and then pick up a coach, I would save money (like megaplusbus used to).

But no, the airport premium pricing prevents that.