AIRPORT TRANSFERS Getting to and from an airport can be a stressful event, especially
if there’s business involved. So it makes sense to do some research and ensure everything runs like clockwork. Michael Scanlon looks at some of the best options available when you’re organising transfers to and from London’s airports
Planning to take flight
ENSURING THAT YOURboss’s day goes as smoothly as possible is part and parcel of being a good PA. This is never more apparent than when organising travel arrangements, and in particular, airport transfers. Airports can be frustrating places at the best of times but doing a bit of research and planning can be the difference between your boss arriving at an impor- tant meeting in the right or wrong frame of mind.
WHAT’S GREEN AND VERY FAST? HEATHROW EXPRESS Heathrow Express is a non-stop train service running between Paddington Station in Central London and Heathrow. Because the service was designed and built with a specific objective, namely travel between London and Heathrow, it’s extremely user friendly. Trains run every 15 minutes, there’s plenty of room for luggage, the seats are ergonomically designed and comfortable, there’s WiFi access and even TV bringing you the latest news and weather to bring you up to speed before or after your trip. For the environmentally conscious traveller the Heathrow
Express also ticks all the right boxes, claiming to take a million car journeys off London’s already busy roads each year. A sim- ilar Express service is operated at London’s two other main air- ports, Gatwick and Stansted.
Length of journey: Central London to Heathrow – 15 minutes (Heathrow Terminal 5 – 21 minutes) Cost of journey: There are several pricing options available on the Heathrow Express so it’s worth looking at the details. Booking online can also save you money. A single journey costs £18 for Express Class and £26 for First Class when booked online. There is also a Carnet option, which gives you 12 journeys for the price of 11. Star rating: ★★★★★
GET CONNECTED OR GO UNDERGROUND Heathrow Connect provides probably the most cost effective air- port transfer between Central London and Heathrow. Trains run from Paddington every 30 minutes and stop at Ealing Broad- way, West Ealing, Hanwell, Southall and Hayes before arriving at Heathrow. While not as spacious as the Express service, Heathrow Connect is still a comfortable and reliable way to travel. Heathrow is also connected to the London Underground via
the Piccadilly Line. The journey time is the longest of all three rail options but tube trains run every five minutes at peak times and nine minutes at off-peak times and weekends. It’s also the preferred option if going to Piccadilly first adds too much time to your journey.
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