Comparison of London Airports
London is served by many high capacity airports which have different tradeoffs in terms of location, price and airlines serving them. All are served by some form of rail and also coach services though the journey times in to the city center vary widely. This can be offset by the cheaper flights found at some of them.
Airport |
Location |
Local Transport cost |
Flight costs |
|---|---|---|---|
Heathrow |
West |
£14.50 (15 minute Heathrow Express) or £4 (one hour tube) |
Generally the most expensive. No budget airlines, but most full service flag carriers operate from here. |
London City |
East |
£?? Docklands Light Railway |
Has several airlines such as VLM, BA CityFlyer and Swiss flying to mostly business destinations in Europe. Easy to reach from Central London. Growing rapidly. |
Gatwick |
South |
£14.90 (30 minute Gatwick Express) or £8.90 Southern Train. |
Mid range. A mix of traditional and budget carriers, principally serving leisure markets. |
Stansted |
North |
£14.50 (46 minute Stansted Express) |
Cheap. Many budget airlines, such as Ryanair and Air Berlin. |
Luton |
North |
£11 (over an hour including shuttle bus from station to airport) |
Generally the cheapest. Many budget airlines, principally easyJet. |