Luton Airport Express - How Much Does it Really Cost?

Luton Airport advertises their trains from London costs as little as "a tenner" - but what are you realistically going to pay?

Warning

Unlike the Stansted Express or the Heathrow Express - cheap Luton Airport Express tickets are only valid for a specific train.  So if your flight is late, you will be charged for a new ticket or an upgrade fee.  I have personally been charged for missing a train from Luton Airport Parkway station by 30 seconds - so this definitely does happen!

Alternatives

Whilst Luton Airport Express does all the advertising - don't forget that Thameslink also serves Luton Airport Parkway station.  And whilst Thameslink trains usually stop more often, a through train from south London may be more convenient, especially with luggage.  And if you're travelling from west or east London, the connection at West Hampstead (most Luton Airport Express trains don't stop there) is incredibly quick and may also be more convenient.

Today

If you want to travel today instead of "a tenner" you will be paying a whopping £24.10 or if you've got a suitable railcard you could get that down to £16.05

Tomorrow and Beyond ...

Booking a ticket for travel tomorrow is a mixed bag - some trains cost the full £24.10 whilst there are also trains for £10.70 and the odd one that's even under a tenner!  Just remember that these tickets are only valid on the specific train - if you miss the train, you're in trouble.

Saturdays Good - Sundays Bad

There seems to be a pattern for the next few weeks of at least one cheap train every half hour, but plenty of trains are still expensive even when booking weeks in advance.  Saturdays generally have more cheap trains, but weirdly Sundays seem to have fewer cheap trains.

Don't book 85 days in Advance

Whilst most journeys are cheaper if you book well in advance - Luton Airport Express has an 85 day penalty system!  If you're too eager you'll only be able to book full fare tickets.  Leave it until 84 days in advance, and some trains are indeed "under a tenner".

Flexiblity

If you're travelling to the airport, you will probably be happy booking a specific train.  Or if you're prepared to spend plenty of time hanging out in the airport drinking expensive coffee, you may decide to book a cheap train from the airport giving plenty of time for your flight landing late, or your bags taking a long time to show up on the carousel.

However what about a ticket that gives you some flexibility?

Anytime Day Single

On most UK rail routes you can buy an Off Peak Day Single, or a Super Off Peak Day Single but Luton Airport Parkway and Luton Airport will only sell you an Anytime Day Single.  Even if you book months in advance, you cannot purchase an off peak flexible ticket.

Super Off Peak weekend fares - Not Available

If you go one stop beyond Luton Airport Parkway, suddenly Super Off Peak fares are available - and especially at weekends they are very attractive.  And of course these prices are further reduced if you have an appropriate railcard.

Conclusions

Travelling to the airport it's worth booking a cheap specific train in advance - but you only need to do this about a week in advance to get a decent fare.  And by then you will know about any engineering works or planned strikes.

Travelling from the airport booking a cheap specific train probably isn't worth it.  So you might as well just book an Anytime fare on your phone after you've actually landed whilst your plane taxis around Bedfordshire!

After being charged for missing my pre booked train, I no longer book train tickets in advance when flying into Luton Airport.

Heathrow Express - How Much Does it Really Cost?

Heathrow Express is the train service from Heathrow T5 via T123 non stop to London Paddington.  If you're coming from T4 you need to change at T123.  With a journey time of around 15 minutes from T123 to Paddington it has historically been the most expensive train in Britain.

But with competition from Crossrail / Elizabeth Line, HEX is trying to broaden its appeal with £10 fares for 30 day advance bookings.

However if you've not got your travel plans nailed down 30 days in advance - how much will it really cost?

If you're travelling today or in the next three days you will be charged a whopping £25

But that drops to a marginally less eye watering £22 from day 4 to day 20

From day 21 to day 29 you will be paying a still unreasonable £18.50 for the 15 minute journey

And then the 46% price drop kicks in from 29 days to 30 days before departure.

Is this the biggest cliff edge in British train pricing?

In comparison Stansted Express takes 90 days to get down to their lowest price - using six different price points, with their biggest drop happening at the start of the slide.

Unlike the Stansted Express, HEX does recognise most Railcards (apart from the popular Network Railcard).

Other Transport Options

The Elizabeth Line costs £12.80 to Paddington station or £13.90 to other Zone1 stations.

Liz Line trains continue through Paddington into central London - avoiding a long walk in the station if you're changing from HEX to a tube or train and continuing your journey.

Whilst the whole of the Elizabeth Line accepts contactless payments - if you have a Railcard and are only using the Liz Line you are better off buying a paper or digital ticket.  Remembering that with the Network Railcard a minimum fare applies on weekdays.

And of course the Piccadilly Line is even cheaper with a standard fare of £5.80 from Heathrow to Zone 1 - with a saving of up to £2.20 if you're prepared to do the Hatton Cross hack!

Conclusion

If your travel is nailed down over 30 days in advance, and Paddington is convenient for you, then maybe the £10 Heathrow Express fare will be attractive.

But for everybody else, HEX is unlikely to be a competitive option - despite what their ticket touts dominating Heathrow arrivals would have you believe!

London to Dublin - two Sail Rail hacks!

SailRail tickets combine your rail journey to a port, and your foot passenger journey on a ferry.  Despite the rise in cheap flights across the Irish Sea, they are still popular on the Holyhead to Dublin route - especially at peak times or last minute, when air fares are extortionate!

The advantage of SailRail tickets are they are fixed price.  So for example London to Dublin costs either £53.40 for an "Advance" ticket, or once they sell out it's £60.10 for the misnamed "Standby" fare.  Tickets from elsewhere in both GB and Ireland are on a sliding scale, as per this old map - all ferries now serve Dublin port!

Most days there's a 9am train from London Euston which gives you 80 minutes to see the sights of Holyhead, before the huge Irish Ferries ship Ulysses pulls out of port and delivers you into Dublin around 5.30pm - where you stroll across the gangway back onto dry land.

If the journey that you want is showing as Sold Out / Unavailable - try booking Bangor (Gwynedd) to Dublin departing at 12:23 - the last stop before Holyhead.  If this shows as available, you know that it's the train that's causing the problem rather than the ferry that's sold out.

Since the pandemic, Avanti require seat reservations for SailRail tickets - even though they always have a couple of carriages that don't have any seat reservations!

When I've encountered this problem I've tried multiple rail reservation websites, and none could overcome the Avanti block.

Avanti Hack

However, if you go to a mainline station with a ticket office, they should be able to sell you a ticket for the date you want, without a specific train.  Since most stations only sell a handful of SailRail tickets it may take some time for them to work it out. And make sure they select correctly between Irish Ferries (Dublin Ferryport - DFP) or Stena (Dublin Port Stena - DPS).

Then it's just a case of getting past the Avanti staff at the gateline and onto the train with your open ticket!

Sunday Hack

The 9am direct train to Holyhead unfortunately doesn't operate on a Sunday (or if Avanti amend the timetable) - so you'll need to find a connecting route.  If you want to get the 2.10pm Irish Ferries ship, rail reservation websites say you need to depart London Euston just after 8am.

However if you select Dublin Port Stena (for the later ferry) you can book connecting trains which should get you into Holyhead a tantalising half hour before the 2.10pm Irish Ferries departure.

With the last transfer bus to the ferry departing the terminal 20 minutes before the ferry leaves, if the trains are on time you can make the 2.10pm ferry - even though you can't actually book it.

Once you arrive at Holyhead station you need to go to the rail ticket desk (not the Irish Ferries or Stena ticket desk) and ask them to swap your ticket from Stena to Irish Ferries.  As you enter the station/terminal from the platforms, the rail ticket window is on your right facing the ferry ticket desks.

When I did this recently the rail ticket staff member was rather confused and actually issued me a new ticket the same as the old ticket. But thankfully the Irish Ferries checkin staff let it go, and issued me a Ulysses boarding pass anyway.  I guess they appreciated my effort!

So if you value an extra 40 minutes in bed and are willing to take the risk that you may end up on the Stena ferry if your train is late into Holyhead - then give this Sunday Hack a bash!

Stansted Express - How Much Does it Really Cost

Stansted Express highlight their £9.90 Advance ticket price - but how much does it really cost for the 49 minute train journey from London Liverpool Street to London's third airport?

Of course the £9.90 fare is available - if you book a full 90 days in advance - and with no refunds or changes allowed, you may not consider that an appropriate purchase.

But if you need to travel in the next 12 days - you'll be paying an eye watering £25 for this short journey to Essex.

So what about everybody in between.

If you manage to book 13 days in advance you save £8 and get a single ticket for £17.

If you book 33 days in advance of travel you save a further £2 with a single costing £15.

If you purchase 48 days before travelling you save an extra £2 with tickets at £13.

A full 75 days in advance you save a paltry £1.50 on a £11.50 ticket.

And the final £1.60 saving is available for 90 day advance purchases.

Most people will probably be fairly confident of their travel arrangements 13 days in advance - but do you really want to book a non refundable ticket three months in advance?

If you're travelling in either direction after 10am or at weekends you should be able to get a Railcard discount (Network RC etc) - bringing the fare down to a slightly more reasonable £16.65

It can also be booked last minute - so you can be confident there aren't any emergency service alterations.  When flying into Stansted (or Luton), I usually wait until we've actually landed, check trains are running, and only then book my train ticket on my phone.

But the Railcard discount can only be applied to the full £25 single fare - even if you're booking more than 12 days in advance, you don't get a discount on the Advance fares.

You also need to check for Engineering Works - especially if you're travelling at weekends.  These are usually planned months in advance - so unless you're taking a punt on a 90 day advance booking, you can be fairly sure that any planned works are listed.

When the train line is disrupted (either planned or emergency), it's often better to take a coach service directly to or from the airport.  

My coach of preference is the National Express A9 service direct to/from Stratford which has good tube connections, and avoids central London traffic.  NEX A9 fares can be as low as £7 if booked well in advance - or as high as £17 for peak on the day bookings.

Conclusions

If you're travelling on a weekday after 10am or at weekends (and own a Railcard) - booking an "Anytime Single" with the Railcard discount gives you some protection if your journey plans change.  And this can be booked through your normal company - giving you any discounts / rewards that they offer.

If you're travelling before 10am on a weekday - try and book at least 13 days in advance on the Stansted Express website to get the £17 fare.

If your travel is absolutely guaranteed - then go for the 90 day cheap ticket.

  

Hoek van Holland to Harwich - Day Ferry

May bank holiday Monday - fares from Netherlands to the UK were a bit silly - even the Transavia flight from Rotterdam to Stansted was £119 and the Ryanair flights from Eindhoven to London had crazy prices.

I even looked into travelling by train to Calais, and then ferry to Dover, and train to London - but journey was totalling up to £134 ... and of course Eurostar from Amsterdam or Brussels was a truly stupid price, as per usual!

So I decided to spend the day on the ferry from Hoek van Holland to Harwich - and then the train from Harwich to London.

As per Seat61's excellent instructions - I booked the "Dutch Flyer" on Stena's Dutch website, avoiding my browser's offer to translate to english which stopped the website working properly.  I paid 85 euro for the combined ticket - which was just 6 euro more than the foot passenger ferry fare.  So about a 15 quid saving over and Advance Single train fare - and a huge saving over a flexible train fare!

Getting to Hoek van Holland

Of course the first task is to actually get to Hoek van Holland Haven station - and the NS website or app will likely route you through Schiedam Centrum.

I couldn't work out whether the mainline and Metro stations were separate - but they are actually both in one building with the rail tracks next to each other.

Arriving into Schiedam Centrum rail station from the north, for the quickest transfer you should be in a carriage near the back of the train … and if travelling west into SC then a carriage near the front of the train … and if you’re really lucky you might even get a cross platform change!

There’s only one platform exit - so go down the stairs / lift (not sure if there’s a down escalator) - turn left (the Metro sign could do with being bigger) - out through the mainline gateline … turn left and almost double back on yourself to go through the Metro gateline.  There’s just two escalators up to the Metro platforms - with a sign above the bottom of each with the next destinations … so you can’t miss your Metro B destination "Hoek van Holland Strand". 

Carrying a small rucksack down the stairs (from the wrong part of the train) and standing on the escalator up to the Metro platform took me 2 minutes 10 seconds - you can probably beat this by following these directions!  This meant that I was able to catch the earlier Metro (every 20 minutes) than NS journey planner expected.

Hoek van Holland Haven station

Just north of Hoek van Holland Haven station is a very decent sized Albert Heijn supermarket - a proper one, not the overpriced “To Go” versions that are found in most Dutch train stations!  Less than a five minute walk from the front of the Metro platform will enable you to stock up for your journey.  And they have a reasonable choice of Stroopwafels - if you're into that sort of thing!

If you want a strong coffee - I got a good one to go from Cafe Prins Hendrik just down the road from AH for a reasonable 3 euro.

From the rear of the Metro platform it’s just a couple of minutes walk to the Stena building - you can’t miss it with the big Stena sign and the flags outside.

The spacious building suggests that it was built with serious passenger numbers in mind - maybe it still gets big numbers in the Summer holidays.  The toilets are reasonable and there’s even a coffee machine if you don’t have time to go get a proper one!

Two members of Stena staff were scanning passports and issuing boarding passes.  They don’t need your reservation number - you just hand over your passport and their system matches it with the details you’ve already submitted, and they print your boarding pass.  You get offered a map of the ferry - and reminded that all passenger facilities are on deck nine.

A few steps further on a couple of Dutch police complete exit formalities - stamping British passports or just scanning EU passports.

Then it’s a decent walk up to board the ferry itself - there’s a few incline travelators to help but only one was working on the day I travelled.  Although there was one man working on the broken ones!  There are good views out both sides to the ferry and into town to take the edge off the hike!  And kudos to Stena for avoiding the use of a bus to board foot passengers - it's great not to have to wait and be squashed into an old wreck of a bus!

To give you some context - you enter the building on the left of this photo (with the white poles on top) ... and you board the ship through the gangway on the right of this photo.  It doesn't feel crazy long - but it does add up!

Hoek of Holland Strand

If you have some spare time before your 45 minutes Stena checkin cut off - then why not stay on the Metro one stop beyond Hoek of Holland Haven station, and go visit the beach!  Just down the line is the lovely Strand station - where you can spend 23 minutes / 43 minutes / 63 minutes before catching the Metro back to the Haven station (all of 0.33 euro for the 3 minute journey).

It's not the most amazing beach in the world, but you get a good view of the ships coming in and out of Rotterdam.  And there's a decent number of cafes and restaurants - but I didn't stop to sample their output, so can't vouch for the quality!

Stena Brittanica / Hollandica

Most of my ferry experience in recent years is on the Irish Ferries Ulysses - which has a great mix of different outdoor areas and indoor spaces.  I found the Stena Brittanica (the Hollandica is identical) a bit of a let down.  The only official outdoor area is at the rear of deck 9 - and once the ferry gets up to full speed the engine noise and vibrations aren’t pleasant.

I realised late in the crossing that if you go up to deck 11 inside the ship and look for the orange staircase - you can then get outside on a nicer deck with a couple of benches.

I found the indoor areas got quite stuffy on my journey - which was a busy daytime May bank holiday Monday - but it wasn’t completely rammed.  The WiFi on the ferry was pretty woeful (as it also usually is on the Ulysses).  One thing that's great about the Stena Brittanica is the outdoor enclosed mini football space - which the kids loved.  Sadly on our crossing once we were out to sea it got too windy for much use.

Weirdly the Truckers Lounge was completely empty - which was such a waste when the rest of the ship was so busy.  Surely Stena should declassify it when there are virtually no truck drivers on board?

The loading of our ferry was late - finishing about 15 minutes after our scheduled departure.  And the waterways around Hoek of Holland are so busy that we waited another 15 minutes to depart our berth.  Amusingly we had barely cast off before Stena announced that the duty free shops were open!

With my AH food in hand I didn’t use the ship's catering outlets - but they mostly seemed to serve the usual burger and chips fare.  I did have a coffee - which was ok and cost 3.50 euro.  But it wasn’t good enough for me to have a second one!

As with all big ferries, the last mile into port takes a relatively long time as the ship gradually loses speed / energy.  You get to see the port of Felixstowe on the north side of the estuary, which looks a bit feeble after the enormity of Rotterdam.  But we did get to see Evergreen's "Ever Given" - made famous for six days it spent blocking the Suez Canal!  You also pass the town of Harwich on the way into the Stena berth.

Some ferries leave you guessing until the last minute as to which side or even which deck you will disembark - but Stena gets points for having the Harwich and Hoek exit points clearly marked.  The only trouble is that the queue wasnt very well managed - one of the crew even accidentally facilitated queue jumpers!

Since we were 25 minutes late arriving into Harwich (although the Stena Sailing Updates page didn't update), I wanted to be off quickly to avoid getting stuck in the passport queue, to ensure I didn’t miss the next train.  So I queued up instead of watching the ship dock - which can be a bit of fun - but I didn't want to add an extra hour onto the already long journey!

After a short walk down some gangways … we came to two Border Force agents checking passports, supported by two (presumably Special Branch) plain clothed coppers.  My passport was scanned and I was on my way quickly. I passed some luggage carousels that weren’t being used (maybe they see action in the summer) and immediately you leave the Stena section you are into the train section - it's all one building.  I timed it from the foot passengers being released to arriving onto my platform at five and a half minutes.

I was so fast that I had time to wander around the station before my train.  The station toilets were ok.  There was a coffee vending machine that sadly wasn't working, and a drinks vending machine that charged £2.20 for everything!

I caught a train that just went a few stops to Manningtree station.  In Manningtree the fast London train went from the other side of the same platform.

Both the East Anglia trains were fine - the restricted leg room is a bit shocking after the generous space that you get on NS trains.  But on the plus side there was power provided on both the East Anglia trains I used, and neither service was busy.

The ticket inspector on the train seemed a bit surprised by my Sail Rail ticket - but he did check the date of my ticket.  And arriving into London the gateline guy saw that I had my printout (Stena tell you to print it) and just waved me through.

Final thoughts

Maybe I'm spoiled by the Irish Ferries Ulysses, or maybe the extra journey time was just a bit too much for me - but I wouldn't be rushing back to do a daytime crossing on the Hoek to Harwich route.  I might try doing an overnight crossing - where you should get a decent night's sleep.