Airport Express Trains, tickets in Advance?

[Cruise Junky]

Hi there, we'll be taking both the Heathrow and Gatwick Express trains in September and wondered if there's any benefit to getting your tickets in advance? I noticed on the Gatwick site that you could buy them. Can't you just walk up pay and hop on? Is it cheaper to buy them in advance?

 

Tx

[Doeymeister]

I've read in numerous threads that there is no advantage to buying in advance.

[PhilbeachTraveller]

Not necessary to buy either trains in advance, no savings if you do. You can get quick tickets from the machines for the Heathrow Express and I think you cans still pay on board for the Gatwick Express.

[Globaliser]

Is it cheaper to buy them in advance?

Heathrow Express: Yes.

Gatwick Express: No.

Stansted Express: Yes.

 

See the respective websites for details.

[handfordr]

Both Heathrow Express and Gatwick express trains have stopping train alternatives, Heathrow Connect and Southern Trains.

These are substantially cheaper than the Expresses and only take a few minutes more.

Heathrow Express doesn't go to Terminal 4 and Heathrow Connect doesn't go to Terminal 5 at Heathrow

[Globaliser]

... only take a few minutes more.

Although this is correct for Gatwick, I don't agree about Heathrow.

 

The Heathrow Express runs every 15 minutes and takes 15 minutes to the station for Terminals 1, 2 and 3. So the average platform-to-platform time is 22.5 minutes.

 

The Heathrow Connect runs every 30 minutes and takes 30 minutes to the same station. So the average platform-to-platform time is 45 minutes - double that of the Heathrow Express.

 

It's a lot cheaper, and some may therefore think it good value. But it is a substantially longer trip than on the Heathrow Express.

 

And one crucial thing is this: If you can manage the Tube, that's cheaper again than the Heathrow Connect. But if you are near a convenient Tube station for the trip to Heathrow, the Tube would probably take no longer than the Heathrow Connect - and therefore, in my book, is better value.

 

One final word of warning about using Southern Railway services for Gatwick: the trains don't stop for long at Gatwick, so you have to be ready to get off the train smartish. That's different from the Gatwick Express, which terminates there and idles at the platform for quite a number of minutes before returning to Victoria. So there's less pressure and rush to get off the Gatwick Express, which may help those who have a lot of luggage.

 

As with all things in life, there is seldom one single answer that suits everyone!

[Cruise Junky]

Thanks everyone, after a 10 hour overnight flight, I'm not going to be up to the tube with luggage, so we'll stick to the Heathrow Express. We're booked into the Hilton at Paddington so nice and close.