LHR arrivals lounge/getting into the CBD

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Kangol

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Hi all,
I am flying Y+ MEL-LHR next month (QF9/31) and back (QF10) and was wondering if there is an arrivals lounge that would be available to me? (I am QP/PS)

The flight arrives at 6.20am so if possible I'd like to have a shower in the morning.. otherwise I could have one in the lounge at SIN.

Also when getting to the city, I am staying near Gloucester Rd tube station on the Piccadilly line so I'm thinking of taking the tube there. Do I need to get an Oyster card (similar to Myki here in Melb I understand)? Or can I just purchase an old fashioned ticket on the day?

The last time I was in London was 11 years ago.. well, not including the 2 hr stopover a few months ago.
 
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I believe access to the T3 AA arrivals lounge is for J and F OW passengers. There is some anecdotal evidence that WP's have gained access when flying Y+, but as a PS/QP the only way in would be to stump up US90.00. (See Here)

There is also an air Canada lounge at T3 which can be accessed with Priority Pass. (My preference because it is next to the Car Rental bus stop!!)

Can't answer the question on the Oyster card.
 
You don't need an Oyster card but I'd encourage you to get one if you will be using the tube a few times.

Ultimately it will work out a little cheaper but I'd suggest it just for the convenience of not having to stand in the ticket line every time you want to travel.


Sent from my iPad using AustFreqFly App
 
Kangol said:
Hi all,
I am flying Y+ MEL-LHR next month (QF9/31) and back (QF10) and was wondering if there is an arrivals lounge that would be available to me? (I am QP/PS)

The flight arrives at 6.20am so if possible I'd like to have a shower in the morning.. otherwise I could have one in the lounge at SIN.

Also when getting to the city, I am staying near Gloucester Rd tube station on the Piccadilly line so I'm thinking of taking the tube there. Do I need to get an Oyster card (similar to Myki here in Melb I understand)? Or can I just purchase an old fashioned ticket on the day?

The last time I was in London was 11 years ago.. well, not including the 2 hr stopover a few months ago.
Click to expand...

You won't have access to a lounge being QP only. Priority pass is your only option. I used the Air Canada lounge a couple if months ago and it wasn't too bad at all.

Also I am not sure if you can get an Oyster card at that time of the morning, but I was staying next to Gloucester Road station too and I just caught a tube in on a part ticket that i purchased. THere is a newsagent type place right near the station where you can purchase an oyster card for future travel. It's definitely the way to use the tube.
 
bossreggie said:
You don't need an Oyster card but I'd encourage you to get one if you will be using the tube a few times.

Ultimately it will work out a little cheaper but I'd suggest it just for the convenience of not having to stand in the ticket line every time you want to travel.


Sent from my iPad using AustFreqFly App
Click to expand...

Or a day travelcard works well. But the Oyster Card is going to be better if you're using Tube and buses on a regular basis over a few days and is capped at the equivalent travelcard price.
 
Thanks! I'll get an Oyster card in the event that I may need it on another visit.. I'll be using the tube and probably buses at least a few times so convenience will be greatly appreciated.

OT (and forgive me if this is a silly question) - I have some leftover Euros from a previous trip, will most shops accept cash Euros or mainly just Pounds Sterling?
 
As has been indicated The Tube and an Oyster Card is the smart way to go.

You can purchase one on-line before you leave.

Easy to top-up and they do not expire.

They get them to you, here in Australia, very quickly but probably a good idea to hop onto it as soon as possible.

All you need to know is on the site. visitorshop.tfl.gov.uk (sorry you will have to type or paste this into your browser)


 
Kangol said:
OT (and forgive me if this is a silly question) - I have some leftover Euros from a previous trip, will most shops accept cash Euros or mainly just Pounds Sterling?
Click to expand...

Some touristy places (and things like public phones) will accept euros, but from memory acceptance isn't really that wide. Pounds Sterling are your best bet...
 
Kangol said:
Does it cover travel on this train system: Buy Cheap Train Tickets Online: Rail Times & Fares | South West Trains
I'm going from Waterloo to Farnham (the Watercress line)?
Click to expand...

I don't believe so.

A map of the valid Oyster rail and tube stations can be found here: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/oyster-rail-services-map.pdf (please take note of the exclusions noted at the map's top left).

A website I have found useful for planning train travel whilst in the UK is this one: National Rail Enquiries - Journey Planner. It pays to play around with origins and destinations as cost can change significantly - splitting a journey into two tickets (but staying on the same train) can sometimes reduce the cost by up to half :!:. Another pointer to bear in mind is that pre-purchasing a ticket can be a huge cost-saver, too. For example: Manchester to London - an anytime fare can be as high as £139.50; advance purchase as low as £11.50.)
 
Just to add a bit more to what has already been said.

Waterloo – Farnham is outside Oyster range.

The Trainline is a good on-line site to manage your requirements from Australia.

thetrainline.com/buytickets (It looks like the Gods will smile on me from now on and future posts should have live links)

They also have quite a good phone application.

I strongly endorse booking ahead as very considerable savings can be made.
 
Just to clarify, you can use your Oyster on National Rail services but ONLY where they begin/end within the "zone" system. As mentioned, your destination is slightly outside so you'd be best to purchase a cash ticket.

One thing to note also is that you can purchase Oyster cards from the ticket machines, it's about time they brought in the functionality :)
 
Just want to confirm what others have said about access to arrivals lounge at T3 - the Air Canada's arrivals lounge, operated by Priority Pass.

We flew cattle class with QF to LHR (via SIN) - the flight from SIN originated from MEL so it arrived at LHR earlier than the one originated from SYD. I have an Amex Platinum card which gives 2 free access a year to Priority Pass lounges (anywhere in the world). I had not used mine 2 passes, as we always went to QF departure lounges. So, I was able to use the 2 free access for hubby and myself - after 23 hours on the plane we desperately needed a shower.

The Air Canada arrivals lounge, as a member said, is located just outside the terminal exit. We did not have to pay for ours, so I was not sure how much it would cost. The lounge is small, but has showers, simple breakfast items (drinks, tea / coffee, danish pastries, toasts, yogurt, fruit, chips etc), newspapers and magazines and wifi. They were kindly to cloak our 4 suitcases while we had the showers. The BA arrivals lounge in T5 is bigger, and has better showers, and wider choices for breakfast (full hot buffet).
 
Ah ... the holy grail .... a shower on 6am arrival into LHR after being stuck in a metal tube for 12 hours ! I've never figured out how to manage it as a low-status pax (QC only). If you're lucky your hotel will allow you an early check in. If not, you could be stuck until 1pm. The best 'theoretical' options ? Health club at LHR Hilton ? Paddington station supposedly has cheap private showers (take cheap Heathrow Connect not expensive Heathrow Express). Pools near Gloucester Rd ? I don't know any. You could walk across to the Serpentine Lido in Hyde Park where they have showers (probably a more viable option in summer). Maybe a local health club ?

You can buy an Oyster Card at LHR. There is a very helpful desk that will tell you where you can and can't use it.

The tube to National Rail transfers can be a bit complicated if you don't know what you're doing. Make sure you swipe on/off your Oyster (often on the platform) and buy the NR ticket if necessary.
 
Geegeela said:
Just to add a bit more to what has already been said.

Waterloo – Farnham is outside Oyster range.

The Trainline is a good on-line site to manage your requirements from Australia.

thetrainline.com/buytickets (It looks like the Gods will smile on me from now on and future posts should have live links)

They also have quite a good phone application.

I strongly endorse booking ahead as very considerable savings can be made.
Click to expand...

Thanks everyone, I've just had a look at The Trainline and in comparison to the official site (southwesttrains.co.uk) the prices are the same for the dates I'm looking at - just need to confirm exact travel times and I'll buy them online.
 
taking the tube is fine but if you have a bit of luggage beware as there are about 20 steps from platform to lift at Gloucester Rd. Hammersmith has no steps (lift from platform to street level) & a taxi rank outside so a good option if staying west of the West End &/or wanting to avoid Heathrow Express. Also Hammersmith is zone 2 and Gloucester Rd zone 1 so there is quite a difference in tube fares.

You can find out about step-free access at the TfL website. There are lists of disabled access tube stations and of tube stations that are step-free but not necessarily wheelchair friendly: the latter are fine with heavy luggage.

Oyster card is a must
 
Just some further tips for using an Oyster. If you are using it on a Pay As You Go basis i.e. not a time period ticket (weekly etc.), your spend will be capped at the equivalent travelcard rate each day for the zones you cover on the tube or trains (buses are 'zoneless'). It usually means that after 2-3 journeys the rest are for free for the remainder of the day.

Also, if your first journey is after 09:30 then you only pay the Off-Peak travelcard rate which can be a saving of ~30%. Its why you might see a crowd in a tube station at 09:25 as people clock-watch before going through the barrier.

And train fares are going up here by c.6% in the New Year, so if you know your journey details I would get it booked in the next week if possible.
 
Thanks everyone, all train tickets [London-Farnham] and [London-Truro] are booked and paid for.

Now I need to get a SIM card as I will be making a few calls whilst there. (not roaming my mobile)
I'm after a cheap prepaid SIM, something like a 10 or 20 pound card with some credit included - are there any carriers that I should use or avoid?
 
Kangol said:
Thanks everyone, all train tickets [London-Farnham] and [London-Truro] are booked and paid for.

Now I need to get a SIM card as I will be making a few calls whilst there. (not roaming my mobile)
I'm after a cheap prepaid SIM, something like a 10 or 20 pound card with some credit included - are there any carriers that I should use or avoid?
Click to expand...

Three have prepaid Sims for about 15 pounds which includes unlimited data so great for an iPhone. O2 have a similar one too
 
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