My family and I are beginning to plan a Europe trip for next September. We are on a tight budget and comparing flight vs. rail travel. Ryanair is cheap, but I wonder what the cost is getting to and from the airports. Does anyone know what the cost of transportation is from Heathrow airport to Stansted airport? How long would it take?
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9363 posts
Heathrow to Stansted is easy and relatively inexpensive. National Express runs from the central bus station at Heathrow many times a day. The drive takes between an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half, depending on what time of day it is. When I did this in May, a one-way ticket to Stansted was 20 GBP, but a round trip ticket was 26 GBP. Check the National Express website -- you can order your tickets online in advance there. And don't be too concerned about the possibility of a late flight causing you to miss your bus. You can take the next one (or an earlier one, if you luck out like I did) with no problem if the bus isn't full. www.nationalexpress.com
Posted by
Edmonton, AB, Canada
23 posts
You don't ask about other Ryanair airports. Look carefully. Some are not only way out, but out of the way. For example: many travellers find their "Paris" airport too far away from Paris and too inconvient to get to and from. Check out other airlines and don't forget that the big airlines sometimes offer great discounts. And many of us find train travel convenient, sometimes faster and cheaper. I guess I'm saying: keep all your options open.
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
Ryanair also has the most restrictive baggage policies in the discount airline industry....another reason to use them only as a last resort. To compare discount airlines, check www.whichbudget.com. And, as has been mentioned, check the big guys too....they will offer discounts on flights where there's competition from the discount airlines. A rule of thumb I use is that anything longer than 5 hours is good by plane, otherwise by train, once all costs are taken into account. An exception would be London-Paris, unless you can get a good discount rate on the Eurostar.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23267 posts
There can be a lot of hidden or unexpected costs with using discount airlines and almost none with trains. The airport that the discounters use can be a major expense getting to and from. And there is time -- I use a six hour mark but someone mentioned five and that is reasonable. I rather watch the country side roll by than stand in security lines, and hang out at over crowded airline terminals. Again, personal preference.
Posted by
Moline, IL, USA
23 posts
We flew on Ryanair from Frankfurt to Kaunas, Lithuania last summer. They do have very strict weight limits. Excess pounds can be very expensive. In addition, it is time consuming. An overweight bag puts you in a new line to pay the fee. Beyond that, our plane was clean, and well run. Be prepared to do exactly what the stewards request when the seat belt light goes on! We would fly Ryanair again.