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What’s the cheapest way to get to and from the airport?
Friday, 02 July 2010By Hazel Cottrell and Garnet Roach
If you are looking to cut the cost of a holiday abroad, a good place to start is by using the cheapest way to travel to and from the airport…
Whether you plan to get a taxi to the airport, drive yourself or even use a lift-sharing scheme, there are plenty of ways to cut the cost of travel to and from the airport.
Taxis and express trains might be the most convenient way to get to the airport, but they may not necessarily be the cheapest.
Read our guide to make sure that you don’t waste any of your precious spending money getting to and from the airport.
Public transport
Most of the country’s major airports, such as London Heathrow, are served by public transport links to local city centres.
While services might not always be as fast as London’s Tube network, making the time for public transport can really cut the cost of your airport journey.
Coach
Coach services run through the night to major airports and you can save even more by booking your tickets online and in advance.
It might take you a bit longer to get to the airport - and you should remember to leave extra time in case of accidents or road works - but coaches provide a cheap and reliable service that will get you to the airport in time for your bargain 5am flight.
Train
Specialist express trains run regular services to airports from very early morning until late at night - but tickets can be costly.
You can use a railcard to get discounts, if you’re eligible, however these also come at a price.
Consider using another train company that uses the same lines to run their own slower, but often cheaper, airport services. Again, book your tickets online and in advance for the best fares.
Taxi
You might think that taking a taxi to the airport is one of the most expensive ways to get there, but this depends on two things:
- How far you live from the airport
- How many people are travelling in your group.
If three or four of you are travelling together, the cost of a taxi will become far more economical. Compare quotes from local taxi firms to make sure that you're getting the best deal - and always book in advance.
You can use your local taxi firm or you can compare quotes from hundreds of taxi firms nationwide by using Taxi Quoter (www.taxiquoter.co.uk).
Driving
It is possible to drive your own car and simply pay to park it at the airport as there are usually long stay car parks available. Obviously, the cost of doing this will depend on how long you're going away for, and how long your car will be sitting at the airport.
An airport parking comparison site like Holiday Extras (www.holidayextras.co.uk) lets you compare prices from different parking firms at 26 UK Airports.
With information included about the distance to the airport from the site and the frequency of transfers, this site helps you select the best deal for you.
Again, booking your parking space in advance can save you a huge amount of cash, but you should also investigate local, off-site parking that might be cheaper still.
If you’re going to have heavy bags that you might struggle to carry, make sure that you find out exactly how far the car park is from the airport - not all on-site car parks are within walking distance of the terminal.
Lift-sharing
There are a number of websites that coordinate your journey with other people going the same way as you, with each person simply contributing to the cost of petrol.
Try www.carshare.com but make sure that you have a back-up plan if you leave something like this until the last minute.
Stay in an airport hotel
If you have to catch an early morning flight then you might want to consider staying in an airport hotel the night before your departure.
It will save the stress of driving to the airport at an ungodly hour, the hotel parking rates are usually good value and you might even get a free transfer to the airport.
Holiday Extras (www.holidayextras.co.uk) provides a valuable airport hotel comparison service.