Interval between flight arrival and coach departure?

martindow

Railair buses pick up at the central bus station and T5 whereas Bristol buses only go from the bus station. If you are arriving in T5 it can be a good option going to Reading.

Voyager2002

Personally, I would encourage him to buy the ticket on arrival. They have machines in the bus station so if he has any kind of card the purchase would take seconds... I doubt whether there is any money to be saved by booking in advance, and if he arrives earlier or later than expected that saving would be lost, with an extra five pounds to pay on top. The advantage of the coach is that he just gets on and can then go to sleep or relax after his (long?) flight, with no need to pay attention to where he has to change.

The bus to Reading is outrageously expensive, but you can buy a ticket on-line and load it on to his mobile 'phone. See
http://www.railair.com/tickets_prices.php

A cheaper (but less convenient) way to get to Reading is to go from Heathrow to Slough. There is a direct (local) bus, or you can take a bus or Heathrow Connect train to Hayes & Harlington and train from there, and onward to Bristol (perhaps changing at Reading).

thescouselander

Yes, the rail route is Heathrow express to Paddington and then change for the Bristol train. I've used this route a few times and it's not actually that bad although it's expensive.

Years ago I used the National Express bus to get back to Bristol directly. On that occasion I just bought the ticket on the day in the terminal. That worked out OK too but I'm not sure it was any quicker than the train - it was definately cheaper though.

wealdroam

thescouselander wrote: »

Yes, the rail route is Heathrow express to Paddington and then change for the Bristol train. I've used this route a few times and it's not actually that bad although it's expensive.

Unless ten minutes or so is worth over £11.00 to you, then I would suggest using Heathrow Connect rather than Heathrow Express.

A single from Heathrow to Paddington on Heathrow Express is, as you say, quite expensive at £21.00.

An Anytime Single on Heathrow Connect is 'only' £9.90.

Even cheaper of course is the tube, but I can understand that not being suitable in this case.

cookie365

Whenever I've got a National Express coach at Heathrow the drivers have always been completely flexible about allowing me to get a later (or earlier) coach if it's taken me longer to get through customs.

Savvy_Sue

martindow wrote: »

Railair buses pick up at the central bus station and T5 whereas Bristol buses only go from the bus station. If you are arriving in T5 it can be a good option going to Reading.

IIRC he's now told me it's T3. Definitely not 5. Matters now complicated by my mother being in hospital in Reading, so I may want to get him there.

martindow

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

IIRC he's now told me it's T3. Definitely not 5. Matters now complicated by my mother being in hospital in Reading, so I may want to get him there.

Sorry to hear about your mother.

From T3 you just follow signs for trains and buses from the terminal and walk to the central bus station. You can buy rail air tickets there or get them online in advance if you wish. Rail air is considered part of the rail network so there are discounts for some railcards.

In Reading buses 3, 9 and 19 go to the Royal Berks and leave every few minutes from a stop a few metres from the Rail air stop.

Voyager2002

martindow wrote: »

Sorry to hear about your mother.

From T3 you just follow signs for trains and buses from the terminal and walk to the central bus station. You can buy rail air tickets there or get them online in advance if you wish. Rail air is considered part of the rail network so there are discounts for some railcards.

The link I posted above indicates that it is no longer possible to buy tickets for the rail air bus in the central bus station.

Marmaduke123

Voyager2002 wrote: »

The link I posted above indicates that it is no longer possible to buy tickets for the rail air bus in the central bus station.

From your link:

Standard Ticket Prices - including RailAir Lounge and Heathrow

The following ticket options are available on the day (before you board) at Reading (RailAir Lounge) and Heathrow (Central Bus Station and Terminal 5), from any UK rail station or in advance from any UK rail station or rail ticketing website.

Ticket type Single Day
Return Period
Return Adult £19.00 £20.00 £27.00 Child (aged 5-15) £9.50 £10.00 £13.50 with Railcard (16-25, Senior, Disabled or HM Forces only) £12.60 £13.30 £18.00 Family (up to 2 adults and 2 children or 1 adult and 3 children) £55.00
Only 16-25, Senior, Disabled and HM Forces railcards are accepted, and these should be produced with the ticket when boarding.

You can get tickets on the day, you just can't buy them on board. From memory there is a ticket desk in or near the waiting room.It's a bit more expensive if you don't get the ticket in advance

wealdroam

Voyager2002 wrote: »

The link I posted above indicates that it is no longer possible to buy tickets for the rail air bus in the central bus station.

The link you posted earlier shows that railair tickets can be purchased from the Central Bus Station: