Flying out of Heathrow on Nov 12 at 12PM (hotel question)

If there is any doubt at all, I always recommend staying at an airport hotel. And in your case, with the possibility of it being a strike day, it would definitely make things easier. I've done that quite a few occasions; most recently in London as I had an early morning flight. My flight left from Terminal 4, so I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express there, and it was so easy to get to my flight in the morning.

If your flight leaves at noon, you will probably need to get there by 9 am, which is another good reason to stay near the airport. Regardless, your London hotel should allow you to store your luggage there the day before until it's time to pick it up and head to LHR. Mine have always done so.

Edit: One possibility for you is to reserve a room at an airport hotel near your terminal that is fully cancellable. Then if there is no strike (they have announce it 14 days beforehand, I believe), you can decide what you want to do at that time.

The strike on 12 November is a tube drivers strike, meaning there are expected to be no tube trains- thus no Piccadilly line to Heathrow.

The Elizabeth Line is National Rail, not a tube line. Thus it will be running, but can be expected to be very busy due to taking all the displaced tube passengers.

Heathrow Express will also be running as normal. Surprisingly they still have reduced price tickets available for that day at £20. You would have thought the quota would have run out on such a day.

Interesting. I just assumed the strike was for all rail.

If I were to book a hotel, I'd be looking for something with easy transportation to Terminal 2. It looks like there are MANY options along that road. Is there a bus that connects them all to the Terminal or something else I should keep in mind about getting from the hotel to the airport? Or should I just pick whichever hotel seems best for our family.

If leaving from T2, look at the Hilton Garden Inn. It's a 5 minute covered walk.

a taxi will still get you into Heathrow, Heathrow Express will still be running, as will Elizabeth Line, even if the tube strike goes ahead.

For a flight as late as noon, requiring you to be there at 9, leaving around 8, the bulk of the rush hour will be over or ending, and the flow of commuters is into central London, not going out...

You may decide for peace of mind to stay at the airport or in town. Good luck with whatever you decide.

If you’re already staying in downtown London on November 10, I wouldn’t pack up and check into an airport hotel just for one night on the 11th. I like using the Heathrow Express, but you do need to get yourself to Paddington Station (maybe by taxi or bus) to take it. I also just responded to your Iceland for One Day post from a couple of weeks ago with some recommendations. That makes it sound like you actually have a 3:00 PM flight to Reykjavik, and are planning on arriving at Heathrow around noon, not departing the runway at noon. That gives you more time in the day to reach the airport from London.

If the Heathrow Express is still offering “early bird” ticket prices for November 12, that’s your best deal, do buy them ASAP, if you decide to go that route. Also, remember that November 11 is Veterans Day in the USA, and Remembrance Day in the UK. Wherever you are at 11:00 AM on 11/11, there will be people pausing for a moment of silence to observe that. We were at Heathrow a few years ago, and everything there completely stopped for that moment, before the bustling resumed.

11 November is Armistice Day in the UK, unless it falls on a Sunday. Remembrance Day is on the closest Sunday- 10 November. this year. That is the day when the major commemorations happen at all war memorials across the country. Whitehall and area will be closed until early afternoon on 10 November for the National commemoration at the Cenotaph at 11am.
The previous day, 9 November, I am attending the unveiling of a brand new memorial in my own village to 1 man from WW1 and 1 man from WW2 who were previously inadvertently omitted. The culmination of 14 years of work and research for me. We have descendants attending from as far away as Australia.

OK, I stand corrected regarding Remembrance Day. I just know that that day at Heathrow in the past, November 11, and not a Sunday, had that moment of observation, remembrance, and reflection at 11AM, when all the bustle and chaos at that airport was temporarily suspended. Lots of people were wearing plastic orange-and-black poppies on their lapels.

Interestingly, Veterans Day in the USA falls on a Monday in 2024. One of the few federal holidays that is not automatically observed on a Monday will be observed on a Monday this year.

The Hilton Garden Inn is connected to Terminal 2.

I've stayed numerous times including last night.

Another option, which is the one I’m using the weekend before because of a strike, is reserving a car service. It’s more expensive but I just decided that was the way to go. I just didn’t want to worry about it. I went with one of the reputable vendors and I feel like I’ll be in good shape.

The Hilton Garden Inn at terminals 2 and 3. Very convenient.

a taxi will still get you into Heathrow, Heathrow Express will still be running, as will Elizabeth Line, even if the tube strike goes ahead

When we were in London there was a tube strike the day of our departure from a train station across town. The hotel had a direct line to the taxi dispatchers but they told us they weren't answering. We ended up walking the 2 miles to St. Pancras. So I wouldn't count on being able to get a taxi on a tube strike day.

My favorite way to end a trip to London is to stay at the Premier Inn in Heathrow. (there might be more than one.) We enjoy their breakfast buffet and avoid the stress of travel. It just makes for a calmer travel day.