Most convenient way LHR-LCY?

[hossein_au]

Hi there,
Later this year I am flying BA to LHR, with my onward flight departing LCY. What is the cheapest/fastest/most convenient way to go from LHR to LCY? Also of note, I'll arrive about 4:50AM on a weekday and I have about 3.5 hours to get to LCY.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Himeno]

Easiest is most likely HEX to Paddington then a taxi.

 

[Joshua]

Cost/speed/convenience are generally not mutually inclusive. If you expect to have much luggage then definitely easier to take the more direct path as above. Unfortunately there aren't many other option besides taking the tube and DLR part of all of the way which would involve multiple connections/transfers.

 

[cambriamarsh]

Not on one PNR, both BA by any chance? If so would they arrange the transfer? Someone here will know

 

[ellen10]

The minimum connection time between the airports is 3 hours and 30 minutes. The public transport route is the Piccadilly Line to Green Park, Jubilee Line to Canning Town and the DLR to London City, around an hour and a half. You could shave off 15-20 minutes or so taking the Heathrow Express to Paddington, and the Bakerloo Line to Baker Street, changing to the Jubilee line there.
Your big uncertainty is immigration at Heathrow and collecting checked bags if you have them.

This was suggested earlier. Easiest is most likely HEX to Paddington then a taxi.
Maybe your best option.

 

[A330]

I took the reverse journey LCY-LHR once. DLR to Canning Town, Jubilee line to Baker Street, Bakerloo line to Paddington. Then the HEX to LHR T5.

It's only about 15 minutes quicker to get the HEX than getting the tube all the way. But you get a seat and it beats all those stops on the Piccadilly line.

 

[hossein_au]

Not on one PNR, both BA by any chance? If so would they arrange the transfer? Someone here will know

One PNR, both on BA, but I have read they might not even check my bags through (I don't have much luggage anyway).

 

[Hvr]

This site will give the actual timings using public transport: https://www.tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/

However it doesn't appear to show the HEX option so you could start it from Paddington Station.

Here is the HEX site: Heathrow: Welcome to Heathrow Airport | Parking

 

[Himeno]

One PNR, both on BA, but I have read they might not even check my bags through (I don't have much luggage anyway).

no, they won't. Airlines are not responsible for transferring baggage in cross city connections.

 

[wanderer_au]

Blimey, listen to you lot with your fancy-pants "F Lounge, can't be seen going into the J lounge" talk and all the rest of it... and you're using the sodding TUBE to move heavy luggage around London?

I recommend a combination of Heathrow Express, and Addison Lee (car + driver, cleaner and cheaper than black cabs, safer than minicabs).

 

[TomVexille]

Blimey, listen to you lot with your fancy-pants "F Lounge, can't be seen going into the J lounge" talk and all the rest of it... and you're using the sodding TUBE to move heavy luggage around London?

I recommend a combination of Heathrow Express, and Addison Lee (car + driver, cleaner and cheaper than black cabs, safer than minicabs).

Some of us are poor...

 

[wanderer_au]

Some of us are poor...

Quite. I'm not particularly made of money myself - almost all my flying is through work. Moreover, my wife would have my guts for garters if she thought I was doing something as frivolous and expensive as a "status run". Status runs don't assist with the mortgage or renovation costs...

I just thought it was hilarious reading something as pedestrian as getting the tube, on a discussion board where people are fixated on using First class lounges. This AFF is like an onion - it's got layers

 

[TomVexille]

Quite. I'm not particularly made of money myself - almost all my flying is through work. Moreover, my wife would have my guts for garters if she thought I was doing something as frivolous and expensive as a "status run". Status runs don't assist with the mortgage or renovation costs...

I just thought it was hilarious reading something as pedestrian as getting the tube, on a discussion board where people are fixated on using First class lounges. This AFF is like an onion - it's got layers

I do zero work flying and there's currently two of us living on my wage which is below the median income. But we can afford to travel well on the cheap because of AFF.

 

[hossein_au]

Blimey, listen to you lot with your fancy-pants "F Lounge, can't be seen going into the J lounge" talk and all the rest of it... and you're using the sodding TUBE to move heavy luggage around London?

I recommend a combination of Heathrow Express, and Addison Lee (car + driver, cleaner and cheaper than black cabs, safer than minicabs).

That is very a good point, but I guess I might be in the minority here: I travel very little for work (exclusively domestic), and as my girlfriend lives in Germany, I travel to Europe quite a few times a year on my own budget. Therefore given a set budget, I much rather increase the number of my trips rather than quality of the journey. Of course I do have standards (surprise, surprise), and therefore prefer to fly major/traditional airlines.

Presence of *A is limited in Australia, and therefore Qantas remains my only source of status when traveling overseas. I do have Plat with both QF and VA, but the use of VA status overseas is almost non-existence.

The question posted above is for a nested trip. I have a USDM first class and I found a very cheap revenue BA flight to nest in there. The return BA flights from Germany to Australia was just shy of A$1500, which is brilliant considering it is in the peak of peak seasons. The only drawback is on the return leg; I fly to LHR and the continuing flight is from LCY. Hence the original question.

So, what is this "Addison Lee" you speak of? Do you have any data points, price-wise?

EDIT: Just looked it up. It costs £44.60 for a one way from Paddington to LCY. Does anyone know how much a taxi would cost?

 

[wanderer_au]

If you're landing at around 5am mate, I reckon central London traffic will be ok. Cab and Addison Lee from Paddington to the City airport will be similar in price, in fact the cab might even be a smidge cheaper. You should be fine.

 

[Himeno]

I haven't done this trip (LHR-LCY) before, but I have done the airport>accommodation multiple transfer on public transport thing a number of times before. A few times, after getting to a connection station, I've decided that I really didn't want to pull my bags through all the stairs and tunnels between the platforms, worked out that the physical location of where I currently was was closer to where I was going then expected and ended up walking (longer walk then planned, but still arrived quicker then continuing with the connections on the train).