Is it best to get public transport to the airport?

B0bbyEwing

I'll start this off by saying I've never been abroad before. Well I have but once which was many years ago & I did none of the sorting, all I did was hand over my share of the payment.

Am going to have to sort travel insurance & a random thought came to me - I wondered if it was better to get public transport (than have someone drive you) to the airport. Or whether it doesn't matter & I'm thinking too much in to things again.

We were going to get a relative to drive us the 1hr-1hr30 drive to the airport but then I started to think - what if the car breaks down or whatever. 

Sorry Mr. InsuranceMan, the car broke. To which they'll say no it didn't, you just slept in so we're not covering you. At least with public transport like a train then it should be documented if anything goes wrong.

That's my thinking on it anyway but I could be going OTT with it.

And that aside, we'll be travelling on a Sunday to the airport so it may be difficult enough as it is.

user1977

Whether your destination is abroad or not isn’t really relevant here, seems to be just a “how to get to the airport” point.

But you’re probably overthinking things. Presumably you’d allow enough time to get a taxi if you had to as a backup option?

la531983

Surely it depends on the time of the flights, your location to public transport etc....

A train or a bus could break down too, btw. And so could a taxi. But if you spent the whole time thinking like that you wouldnt leave the house.

Emmia

I would get public transport so you're not reliant on someone else to make the trip - but options to do this vary depending on where you live Vs where you're travelling from, time of flight etc.

RAS

Have you got you EHIC? Worth taking.

Regarding the airport, where are you flying from? Weekday or weekend? It's worth checking for rail works, as there are substantial plans for some routes. For example anyone trying to get to Manchester from the North East is going to have fun when they close one of the stations for a month this summer. Even the smaller closures have added 30 minutes to journeys.

Both rail and road often schedule works for quieter Sundays.

lr1277

Some travel insurance policies will cover travel disruption getting to the airport, so  you could see if you can find one that is suitable for you.

I once took the train and I admit I took a later train that I should have. The train broke down/stopped between the station I got on at and the next station. It stood still for 45 - 60 minutes. When it got moving again, I got into Liverpool Street station. Then I was running through multiple tube stations carrying my bag. Not easy I tell you. I got to the check in desk 5-10 minutes before the check in desk closed and they let me on the flight.

In another experience I got to the check in desk I think just before closinmg time, but the airline had given my seat away so I had to wait for the next flight in 1-2 hours.

So you can leave early (either by car or public transport) but be prepared to wait around at the airport.

Depending on much you spent no the flights and the whole trip, would it be a problem if you missed your flight? You could go the day before and stay in a airport hotel overnight. And this would be at both ends of the trip. Will be more costly but like I said depends on how much the trip cost, how you would feel if you missed the flight and should you decide to go anyway, how much it would cost to buy replacement return tickets. Going the day before would mean lower anxiety levels.

It all depends on what risks you are prepared to take.

Rich1976

What if the bus breaks down or doesn’t turn up? 

What if the taxi doesn’t turn up?
what if your relative’s car doesn’t turn up or breaks down half way
you could always drive yourself and then you’re not reliant on other people.

we use National Express fairly often to get to the major airports near London and so far touch wood haven’t had an issue. 

We also use our own car and park for the week or 10 days .

either way make sure you allow plenty of time to get there on top of the 2 or 3 hours needed at the airport .

B0bbyEwing

Hmm, I'm wondering if some have maybe misunderstood where I'm coming from with this & the fact I've even been asked what day of the week I'm travelling is a little worrying too. Why? Well because I stated which day in my OP.

As for where I'm coming from, well I'm not about to give my post code out but as I said in my OP I'm about a 1hr-1hr30 drive from the airport. Google Maps says if I set off now then it's 1hr14.

Which means I wouldn't be setting off 1hr14 before I'm due. I'd be giving ample time and getting there quite early. I think our flight it at something like 8am.

As for leaving time for a taxi, well if we break down half way down the motorway I'm not sure a taxi would do me much good.

Agreed, public transport can break down - I said this in my OP. I'm thinking more of if we have to go the travel insurance route. If a train or a coach breaks down or they strike or whatever then this will be documented & what I tell the insurance should in theory be easily confirmed whereas if I say Joe Bloggs gave me a lift & his car broke down on the way, I'm not so convinced the insurance would play ball with that.

Will need to see what the trains are even doing that day anyway because that alone may make the decision for us. This was just a wondering I had.

Voyager2002

Personally, I would not expect a friend or relative to serve as my personal chauffeur like that: three hours of driving (they have to get home afterwards) is a lot, and they would face significant expenses.

Travel insurance policies vary in how they treat missed departure claims. It would invariably be easier to document a failure of public transport than a breakdown.

I suggest you explore public transport options: you might find them to be easier and more convenient than driving.

la531983

B0bbyEwing said:

Hmm, I'm wondering if some have maybe misunderstood where I'm coming from with this & the fact I've even been asked what day of the week I'm travelling is a little worrying too. Why? Well because I stated which day in my OP.

As for where I'm coming from, well I'm not about to give my post code out but as I said in my OP I'm about a 1hr-1hr30 drive from the airport. Google Maps says if I set off now then it's 1hr14.

Which means I wouldn't be setting off 1hr14 before I'm due. I'd be giving ample time and getting there quite early. I think our flight it at something like 8am.

As for leaving time for a taxi, well if we break down half way down the motorway I'm not sure a taxi would do me much good.

Agreed, public transport can break down - I said this in my OP. I'm thinking more of if we have to go the travel insurance route. If a train or a coach breaks down or they strike or whatever then this will be documented & what I tell the insurance should in theory be easily confirmed whereas if I say Joe Bloggs gave me a lift & his car broke down on the way, I'm not so convinced the insurance would play ball with that.

Will need to see what the trains are even doing that day anyway because that alone may make the decision for us. This was just a wondering I had.

For an 8am flight your public transport options are limited, especially on a Sunday. If you aren't willing to give location or airport you would need to do your own research.

lr1277

You really want to leave it to the day to make the decision? Is your relative ok with you telling them on the day whether you need them or not?

Should you want to take a taxi on the day, there may be none available. They do tend to get booked up.

Edited to add: you are flying at 8am on a Sunday morning. So you should be at the airport by 7am at the latest, and this is cutting it fine. Say you allow 1.5 hours to drive to the airport. So you are talking about leaving home at 5:30am at the very latest. Do you really want to be ringing around at 4am to see if a taxi is available to take you?

A taxi may be ok if you breakdown assuming it is from a taxi firm. If there is enough time, they can send out a replacement taxi. But there is nothing you can do if there is an accident on the motorway, you might be stuck for a long time. But I would image an accident on the motorway is recorded somewhere so your insurance company won't complain too much if you provide proof.

And I suppose in terms of proof, if you take something like an Uber, the journey start time and journey details are recorded, so these can be provided to your insurance company.