| Heathrow
airport is owned and run by Heathrow Airport Limited, a subsidiary
company of BAA plc, the world's largest privatized airports company.
Heathrow is the busiest international airport in the world, handling
58 million passengers on more than 420,000 flights a year, with
over 95 airlines flying to more than 185 destinations worldwide.
Heathrow airport is situated 15 miles west of central London.
It has four terminals and two main runways.
London Heathrow Airport has four terminals Terminal 1 is for all
domestic flights, most UK airline departures to Europe plus EL
AL and South African Airways flights. Terminal 2 is for most non-UK
carriers' flights to Europe and some long haul destinations. Terminal
3 is the long haul terminal for US, South American, Asian and
Asia Pacific airlines plus most African carriers. Terminal 4 is
for British Airways long haul and Concorde flights and BA flights
to Amsterdam, Athens, Paris, Moscow and Tel Aviv. KLM and Qantas
also use T4.
Heathrow airport is situated 15 miles west of central London.
It has four terminals and two main runways.
There are many ways of reaching Heathrow including a wide network
of coach services and local buses, London Underground and the
new Heathrow Express.
Bus
Most bus services arrive at the central Bus Station in the main
airport area between Terminals 1, 2 & 3. Pedestrian access
to the terminals is signposted. A limited number of services additionally
stop at Terminal 4. National Express shuttle from London Victoria
Coach Station to Heathrow runs every 30 minutes. First bus 07.30,
last bus 23.30. Services operate seven days a week, all year round.
Fare: £7 one way; £10 return/round trip. Children:
£3.50 one way; £5 return/round trip. Journey time
- around 40 minutes; 55 minutes at peak hours. The Airbus service
links to Heathrow Terminals from many west London hotels and Kings
Cross and Euston main line rail stations. Departures are every
20-30 minutes with a journey time around 60-75 minutes. These
services drop off at Terminal forecourts. Fare: £7 one way,
£10 return/round trip. The Airbus A2 service leaves King's
Cross rail station every 30 minutes and calls at Euston station
and some Underground rail stations. The service also picks up
at various hotels on its journey to Terminals 1, 2 and 3. The
first service leaves King's Cross at 07:00, the last at 20:30.
The Airbus Direct service picks up from various central London
hotels and drops off at Terminal 4. First bus is at 05:30, the
last 15:50. Journey time: 1 hour 40 minutes. Airbus details are
available by calling the Heathrow Travel line on 0990 747777.
Details and tickets also available from the booths in terminal
Arrivals areas. There is wheelchair access on all Airbus services.
There are bus services to Heathrow terminals every 30 minutes
from Reading station for rail services from the West. Fare: £8.50
one way. Buses also operate every 30 minutes from Woking station
connecting with train services from the South-west. Fare: £8
one way. Scheduled bus and coach services run from major towns
and cities throughout the UK and there are connections from London
Gatwick, Luton and Stansted airports. There is an all night bus
service from central London to Heathrow.
Getting to Heathrow by train: Train Heathrow has two rail services
from central London. In addition to the London Underground ( "the
tube" ) is the Heathrow Express train service from London
Paddington station.
There
are many ways of reaching Heathrow including a wide network of
coach services and local buses, London Underground and the new
Heathrow Express.
Heathrow's
passenger terminals are grouped into two main areas. Terminals
1, 2 and 3 are in the Central Terminal Area; Terminal 4 is located
on the southside of the airport. A frequent courtesy bus runs
between each of the central area terminals and Terminal 4. Pedestrian
subways link the three central terminals.
Tube:
Heathrow
is served by the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground. There
is one station for Terminals 1, 2 and 3 which is accessed from
the terminal buildings via the pedestrian subway system, and a
separate one for Terminal 4 which is accessed directly from within
the building.
An
average journey to central London takes approximately 50-60 minutes.
Trains run every five minutes at peak times and every nine minutes
at off-peak times and at weekends.
The
first train to London leaves Heathrow Terminal 4 at 0508 (0558
on Sundays) and the last a 2349 (2257 on Sundays). The first train
from central London arrives at Terminal 4 at 0600 (0747 Sundays)
and the last at 0107 (0008 Sundays). It takes a further five minutes
to reach the Terminals 1, 2 and 3 station. As these times are
subject to change it is advisable to check with London Transport
before travelling.
Tourists,
travellers, if you have childs with you or if you want to be sure
not missing a meeting because of daily dailays in the tube, you
should take a cab.
Airbus
Heathrow
is served by Airbus Express and Airbus Direct, providing limited
stop services via West End hotels into central London.
Taxi:
The
famous London black cabs are licensed under, and regulated by
the Metropolitan Public Carriage Act to operate within the Greater
London Metropolitan Area. BAA Heathrow operates a computer system
that controls the flow of cabs from a large holding area on the
airport to the terminal forecourts to ensure that the supply of
cabs meets customer demand.
Taxi
ranks are located outside each terminal. Many taxis are accessible
to wheelchairs; on arrival at the rank, contact the local traffic
warden who will ensure that a suitable vehicle is available. However,
black cabs are often twice expensive as Airports-taxis' cabs.There
are taxi desks in each of the terminal arrivals halls.Please contact
us for the latest rates or to arrange a drop off.
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