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Transportation in London, UK

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London Airport Information

A major air transit hub, five major airports service London: Heathrow, Gatwick, London Luton, London Stansted and London City.

London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
Heathrow Airport is London's and Europe's busiest airport, serviced by over 90 airlines offering flights to over 170 destinations across the globe. With over 67 million passengers passing through its gates in 2007, London Heathrow is also the 3rd busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic.

About 24 kilometers west of central London, the airport consists of two parallel runways and five terminals, the fifth of which was recently opened in 2008. Other airport updates include a £105 million Pier 6 at Terminal 3, which allows the airport to service the Airbus A380 superjumbo, and a £50 million air traffic control tower. Heathrow plans to invest another £6.2 billion over the next 10 years for rebuilding and renovating its existing terminals.

Not just a transportation hub, Heathrow is a true dining and shopping experience. High-end boutiques abound, with stores such as Burberry, Thomas Pink, Versace, Cartier and the first Tiffany & Co. airport store in Europe lining the terminal halls. Other storefronts offer a range of goods, from technology at Dixons to beauty products at Boots to gourmet chocolates at the Chocolate Box to children's toys at Hamleys. In order to allow guests to make the most of its shopping, Heathrow allows travelers to "fly with everything you buy," meaning travelers can take anything they purchase after security on the plane with them, regardless of any baggage restrictions. Many of its shops are also duty or tax free.

Less avid shoppers can also pass the time at Heathrow at one of its many restaurants or bars. From quick service at cafes such as Bite and Bagel Street to lingering meals at Carluccio's or Brasserie Chez Gérard, travelers with a little or a lot of time to eat can find a suitable stop. Famed chef Gordon Ramsay also has a restaurant and cocktail bar at Heathrow named Plane Food. Other amenities provided by the airport include the spa Urban Retreat, wireless Internet access, a post office and 32 private cabins with bathrooms, Internet access and entertainment systems, available for small fees for unexpected delays or long transfers. The airport also has an interdenominational chapel with Anglican, Catholic, Free Church, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and Jewish chaplains.

London Heathrow Airport has short-term, long-term and valet parking options. Business travelers can also take advantage of business parking, which is closer to terminals and offers more frequent transfer service. The London Underground has a stop at Heathrow, and the airport's Heathrow Express trains reach London Paddington in 15 minutes. Single fare is £15.50 at the station.

Airline carriers serving London Heathrow Airport

  • Terminal 1
  • Aer Lingus
  • Asiana Airlines
  • bmi
  • bmi Regional
  • British Airways
  • Cyprus Airways
  • El Al Israel Airlines
  • Finnair
  • Icelandair
  • LOT Polish Airlines
  • South African Airways
  • Transaero
  • US Airways
  •  
  • Terminal 2
  • Aeroflot
  • Air Algérie
  • Air Astana
  • Air France
  • Air Seychelles
  • Air Transat
  • Alitalia
  • Alitalia Express
  • Austrian Airlines
  • Austrian Arrows
  • Azerbaijan Airlines
  • Bellview Airlines
  • China Eastern Airlines
  • Clickair
  • Croatia Airlines
  • Czech Airlines
  • Bulgaria Air
  • Iberia Airlines
  • Iran Air
  • Jat Airways
  • Libyan Airlines
  • Lufthansa
  • Luxair
  • Olympic Airlines
  • Rossiya
  • Royal Air Maroc
  • Atlas Blue
  • Swiss International Air Lines
  • Syrian Arab Airlines
  • TAP Portugal
  • TAROM
  • Tunisair
  • Uzbekistan Airways
  • Yemenia
  •  
  • Terminal 3
  • Air Canada
  • Air China
  • Air India
  • Air Mauritius
  • Air New Zealand
  • All Nippon Airways
  • American Airlines
  • Biman Bangladesh Airlines
  • Blue1
  • Cathay Pacific
  • Cyprus Turkish Airlines
  • EgyptAir
  • Emirates
  • Ethiopian Airlines
  • Etihad Airways
  • EVA Air
  • Gulf Air
  • Japan Airlines
  • Jet Airways
  • Korean Air
  • Kuwait Airways
  • Malaysia Airlines
  • Middle East Airlines
  • Pakistan International Airlines
  • Qatar Airways
  • Royal Brunei Airlines
  • Royal Jordanian
  • Saudi Arabian Airlines
  • Scandinavian Airlines
  • Thai Airways International
  • Turkish Airlines
  • Turkmenistan Airlines
  • United Airlines
  • Virgin Atlantic
  • Virgin Nigeria
  •  
  • Terminal 4
  • Air Malta
  • British Airways China Southern Airlines
  • Continental Airlines
  • Delta Air Lines
  • Kenya Airways
  • KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
  • KLM Cityhopper
  • Northwest Airlines
  • Qantas
  • TAM Airlines
  •  
  • Terminal 5
  • British Airways

London Gatwick Airport (LGW)
Gatwick Airport is the city's 2nd largest airport with 79 airlines flying to 227 destinations. Serving over 35 million passengers annually, London Gatwick is the busiest single runway airport in the world and 7th busiest international airport in the world. Situated in Crawley, West Sussex , approximately 46 kilometers south of London, the airport is a major hub for British Airways, easyJet and Virgin Atlantic.

To make a trip to London Gatwick more enjoyable, the airport boasts numerous restaurants, bars and shops, including pharmacies. The airport's unique Shop & Collect service allows travelers to leave purchased items at the airport and collect them once they return. Both terminals also feature Internet access and family play areas.

Gatwick has long-term and short-term parking options, and the Gatwick Express offers high-speed travel between London and the airport in about 30 minutes. Single fare is £16.90.

Airline carriers serving London Gatwick Airport

  • North Terminal
  • Adria Airways
  • Air Comet
  • Air Namibia
  • Air Southwest
  • Atlas Blue
  • British Airways
  • Brussels Airlines
  • Clickair
  • Continental Airlines
  • Cyprus Turkish Airlines
  • Daallo Airlines
  • Delta Air Lines
  • easyJet Switzerland
  • Emirates
  • First Choice Airways
  • FlyLal
  • Malaysia Airlines
  • Malév Hungarian Airlines
  • TAROM
  • Thomsonfly
  • Virgin Nigeria
  •  
  • South Terminal
  • Aer Lingus
  • Afriqiyah Airways
  • Air Zimbabwe
  • Air Malta
  • Air Transat
  • airBaltic
  • Astraeus
  • Aurigny Air Services
  • Azerbaijan Airlines
  • Belavia
  • BH Air
  • bmi
  • Bulgaria Air
  • Centralwings
  • Croatia Airlines
  • Cubana de Aviación
  • easyJet
  • Estonian Air
  • Eurocypria Airlines
  • Flybe
  • Free Bird Airlines
  • Ghana International Airlines
  • Karthago Airlines
  • KD Avia
  • LTE International Airways
  • Meridiana
  • Monarch Airlines
  • Montenegro Airlines
  • Northwest Airlines
  • Norwegian Air Shuttle
  • Nouvelair Tunisia
  • Olympic Airlines
  • Oman Air
  • Onur Air
  • Pakistan International Airlines
  • Qatar Airways
  • Rossiya
  • Ryanair Scandinavian Airlines System
  • SATA International
  • Sterling Airlines
  • TAP Portugal Thomas Cook Airlines
  • US Airways
  • Virgin Atlantic
  • Zoom Airlines

London Luton Airport (LTN)
London Luton is based on the outskirts of Luton, Bedfordshire, roughly 48 kilometers north of London. The 5th busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the 4th largest serving the London area, London Luton welcomed nearly 10 million passengers in 2007. Several budget airlines, including easyJet, Monarch Airlines, Thomsonfly, Silverjet and Ryanair, service the airport, with flights running to over 30 destinations in four continents.

Originally opened in 1938 as a military airbase, the airport was slowly rebuilt and renamed London Luton in 1990. The biggest development began in 1998 with a £40 million aluminum and glass terminal of 60 check-in desks and a wide choice of shops, restaurants and bars; the terminal was opened in 1999 by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. Later, in 2005, the £35 million Passenger Terminal Development project was completed with the opening of a departure lounge and retail complex, a six-gate boarding pier and new security, immigration and customs halls. A new departure hall opened in 2005.

Today, eateries, from coffee shops to full-service restaurants, and various retail outlets are found in the airport. London Luton offers short-term, mid-term and long-term parking. Shuttle services are also available between London and the airport.

Airline carriers serving London Luton Airport

  • Aer Arann
  • easyJet
  • Flybe
  • Monarch Airlines
  • Ryanair
  • Silverjet
  • SkyEurope
  • Thomsonfly
  • Wizz Air
  • XL Airways

London Stansted Airport (STN)
Located close to Harlow in Essex and about 48 kilometers from the northeast of London, Stansted is home to thousands of low-cost flights that serve over 20 million passengers each year. As the United Kingdom's 3rd busiest airport, Stansted consists of a main passenger terminal, a private aircraft terminal and a cargo station. A unique and attractive design, the main terminal building's "floating roof" creates the impression of a swan in flight. Guests can reach the airport through the Stansted Express, which runs to and from Liverpool Street Station every quarter of an hour. The total journey takes around 45 minutes.

Airline carriers serving London Stansted Airport

  • Aegean Airlines
  • airberlin
  • Air Malta
  • Air Moldova
  • American Airlines
  • Atlantic Airways
  • Aurigny Air Services
  • Albanian Airlines
  • Blue Air
  • Cyprus Airways
  • Cyprus Turkish Airlines
  • easyJet
  • Eastern Airways
  • El Al Israel Airlines
  • FlyLal
  • Germanwings
  • Iceland Express
  • Norwegian Air Shuttle
  • Ryanair
  • TACV Cabo Verde Airlines
  • Turkish Airlines
  • Wizz Air

London City Airport (LCY)
This single runway airport is located directly opposite the London Regatta Centre in the east of London. Serving up to 2.5 million passengers and flying to over 30 destinations a year, London City Airport serves the bulk of financial business travelers who work in the city. The airport is also recognized as the closest private jet center to central London, and three years ago, it was voted the best corporate aviation handling facility for passengers in Europe by European Business Air News.

The airport's 22 check-in desks and 12 self-service machines offer some of the fastest check-in times of any airport in the United Kingdom. London City offers seven eateries, over five retail outlets, wireless Internet access and a foreign exchange desk. Short-term and long-term parking facilities are available, and the airport is easily accessible from a new stop on the Docklands Light Railway, which links to the London Underground.

Airline carriers serving London City Airport

  • Air France
  • Air One
  • Austrian Airlines
  • British Airways
  • KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
  • Lufthansa
  • Luxair Scandinavian Airlines System
  • Swiss International Air Lines
  • VLM Airlines

London Train Information

Network Rail
Network Rail owns and operates Britain's rail infrastructure. Main routes take guests to Glasgow, Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, amongst other destinations. There are nine major British rail stations in the capital, with Paddington, Victoria and Euston being the main stations. St. Pancras International acts as the gateway to European destinations thanks to its Eurostar connections to Paris, Lille, Brussels and beyond.

London Public Transportation

Transport for London
Transport for London manages most of the public transportation services in London.

London Underground
The London Underground metro system, often called the Tube, is the world's longest underground railway at about 400 kilometers of track. The Underground services three million people daily at 268 stations on 11 lines: Bakerloo, Central, Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, Jubilee, Metropolitan, Northern and Piccadilly. The Victoria and Waterloo & City Lines connect the central city and many suburbs to the north of the Thames.

The Underground is divided into six zones, and fares are dependent on zone and time of day, with prices ranging from £2 to £6 per trip. The Oyster Card, introduced in 2003, is an electronic card that covers particular zones on a weekly or monthly format. Currently used by about 10 million passengers, monthly cards cost around £24.

London Rail
London rail service includes the Docklands Light Railway, which provides transportation to 39 stations in East London, and the London Overground, whose five lines make stops at locations including Kew Gardens, Camden Road and Queen's Park. Oyster Cards can be used on both rail services. Rates vary based on zones traveled and time of day. Fares start at £1 for children and £4.80 for adults on off-peak hours and £6.30 for adults on peak hours.

London Buses
London Buses commands about 8,000 vehicles covering 700 routes, making it one of the biggest bus systems in the world. About 1.5 million passengers ride the buses each year. One-way fare is £2. One-day bus passes for £3.50 and seven-day bus passes for £13 are also available. The electronic Oyster Cards, used on other Transport for London transportation, can be used on the buses at a rate of £0.90.

London River Services
London River Services operate commuter journeys along the River Thames. With a network of 24 piers and five new piers added in 2000 at a cost of over £7 million, the service is now used by more than 2,000 passengers every day and approximately three million people a year. River buses run Monday through Friday every 15 minutes. Fares vary based on pier.

Rental Cars
Rental car companies are numerous and most service all London airports. Common companies include Hertz, Avis, Europcar, National, Alamo and Enterprise.

Taxis
Hackney Carriages are the only official licensed black cabs to shuttle visitors around the city in one of 21,000 vehicles. Guests will immediately spot the yellow "hire" light that is situated on top of the vehicles. Rates are based on time of day, the distance covered and the speed of the taxi. The minimum fare is £2.20. A five- to 12-minute journey costs around £5 to £8 before 8 PM and an eight- to 15-minute journey ranges from £7 to £11.

Distance to...

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  • 289 mi
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  • 362 mi
  • 404 mi