London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
Tel: (0870) 000 0123. Fax: (020) 8745 6061.
Website: www.baa.co.uk

Heathrow, 24km (15 miles) west of central London, is the world’s busiest international airport serving destinations worldwide and coping with over 60 million passengers every year (on its busiest day on 29 July 2001, 213,000 passengers passed through the airport). The airport is massive, with terminals one to three linked to terminal four by the Heathrow Express. After a ten-year deliberation and some fierce opposition, plans to build a new terminal five were passed in November 2001.

Major airlines: The ‘world’s favourite airline’, British Airways (tel: (08705) 444 000; website: www.britishairways.com), operates both national and international flights from Heathrow. There are over 90 additional airlines that operate in and out of this airport, serving 160 destinations worldwide. These include Air Canada, Air France, Alitalia, Cathay Pacific, Gulf Air, Iberia, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Quantas, South African Airways, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Airways and Virgin Express. All domestic flights operate from terminal one.

Airport facilities: Facilities include bureaux de change, ATMs, airport information, hotel reservation and travel information desks, postal services, telephones and fax machines, shops, duty-free outlets, restaurants, cafes, bars and a London Tourist Board centre in the London Underground station. There is also car hire available in all four terminals, from Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, National and Sixt.

Business facilities: The Business Centre (tel: (020) 8759 2434) in the Queen’s Building offers 20 meeting rooms, a conference suite, computers with Internet access, faxes, photocopiers and audiovisual equipment.

Transport to the city: The frequent Heathrow Express (tel: (0845) 600 1515; website: www.heathrowexpress.co.uk ) train service to Paddington station (0502-2347) takes 15 minutes. Single tickets cost £11 pre-booked on the Internet, £12 at Heathrow and £14 on the train. The airport is also on the Piccadilly underground line, with the fare into the city centre costing £3.80. Bus services include the Airbus Heathrow Shuttle (tel: (020) 7222 1234; website: www.gobycoach.com ) to Victoria or King’s Cross train stations (journey time – one hour) at £8 for a single ticket. The N97 night-bus service travels to central London every 30 minutes (£1). The Airport Travel Line (tel: (0870) 574 7777) provides further coach transport information. Taxis to the city centre cost around £40 (depending on traffic conditions). The Travel Line (tel: (0870) 608 2608) provides further information on all transport to and from London.

London Gatwick Airport (LGW)
Tel: (0870) 000 2468. Fax: (01293) 504 153.
Website: www.baa.co.uk

Gatwick, 45km (28 miles) south of central London, is the second busiest international airport in the UK and the sixth busiest in the world, serving over 30 million passengers a year to 280 destinations worldwide. The free Inter Terminal Transit train links the two terminals (north and south).

Major airlines: British Airways (tel: (0870) 551 1155; website: www.britishairways.com ) operates both national and international flights from Gatwick. Over 100 other airlines also use Gatwick airport, serving over 280 destinations worldwide. These include Alitalia, American Airlines, Britannia, Delta Airlines, El Al, Finnair, Maersk Air, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Sun.

Airport facilities: Both terminals have bureaux de change, ATMs, airport information desks, shops, duty-free outlets, restaurants and bars. There is also a post office in the south terminal. Both terminals have the following car hire providers: Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and National.

Business facilities: The airport provides a Fast Track priority service for business-class travellers, and a full range of business services at the London Gatwick Hilton Hotel (tel: (01293) 518 080) and Le Meridien London Gatwick Hotel (tel: (01293) 567 070).

Transport to the city: The newly revamped 24-hour Gatwick Express train service (tel: (0870) 530 1530; website: www.gatwickexpress.com ) to Victoria station takes 30 minutes, with single tickets costing £10.50. Alternative services by Thameslink (tel: (0845) 748 4950) to King’s Cross station take 40 minutes. Coaches by Speedlink (tel: (0870) 574 7777) to Heathrow airport, Flightlink (tel: (0870) 575 7747) to Victoria coach station and National Express (tel: (0870 580 8080) to destinations nationwide depart from the ground floor of the south terminal. The Airport Travel Line (tel: (0870) 574 7777) provides further information on coach transport and the Travel Line (tel: (0870) 608 2608) provides further information on all transport to and from London. Chauffeur-driven cars are provided by Gatwick Goldline Cars (tel: (01293) 507 183). A taxi ride to the centre of London costs about £65, depending on traffic conditions. Driving times from Gatwick airport to central London varies depending on driving conditions and traffic but is generally one hour and 30 minutes.

London Stansted Airport (STN)
Tel: (0870) 000 0303. Fax: (01279) 662 066.
Website: www.baa.co.uk

This impressively modern and uncomplicated airport is an expanding hub for the increasingly popular budget airlines, which offer cut-price flights to many major cities across Europe. One of Europe’s fastest growing airports, Stansted is located 48km (30 miles) northeast of central London and in 2000, served 12.9 million passengers.

Major airlines: Scheduled flights to 101 destinations are offered by 23 carriers. Budget airline Ryanair (tel: (08701) 569 569; website: www.ryanair.com ) dominates the Stansted skies, followed by other low-cost carriers Buzz (tel: (08702) 407 070) and Go (tel: (0845) 605 4321). Other airlines include British Airways, Eurowings, Kibris Turkish, KLM Excel, Lufthansa and SAS).

Airport facilities: These include bureaux de change, ATMs, airport information, hotel reservation desk, shops, duty-free outlets, restaurants, bars and car hire from Avis, Budget, Europcar and Hertz.

Business facilities: The first-class lounge (open to all passengers, for a fee) has workstations with fax, telephone, e-mail and Internet. There is also an Internet cafe in the main terminal.

Transport to the city: The Stansted Express (tel: (0845) 744 4442; website: www.stanstedexpress.co.uk ) is the frequent and recently revamped rail service (0600-2359) to Liverpool Street station, with laptop connections and complimentary newspapers in business class. The journey takes 45 minutes and a standard single fare is £13. There are also coach services to Victoria Coach Station, Heathrow and Gatwick airports and national destinations. The Airport Travel Line (tel: (0870) 574 7777) provides further information on coach transport. The Travel Line (tel: (0870) 608 2608) provides further information on all transport to London. Stansted Airport Cars (tel: (01279) 662 444) charge around £80 for the 50-minute (depending on traffic and conditions) journey to central London.

London Luton Airport (LTN)
Tel: (01582) 405 100. Fax: (01582) 395 313.
Website: www.london-luton.co.uk

This recently revamped airport, the UK’s seventh largest, is 52km (32 miles) north of central London. Luton served 6.2 million passengers in 2000, with the most popular destinations being Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Major airlines: Luton serves 63 destinations and is the base for the world’s largest charter airline, Britannia Airways (tel: (01583) 424 155; website: www.britanniaairways.com ), and the popular low-cost airline easyJet (tel: (01582) 445 566; website: www.easyjet.com ). Other airlines include Monarch Airlines, Manx Airlines and Ryanair.

Airport facilities: The airport has bureaux de change, ATMs, an information desk, fax, shops, duty-free outlets, restaurants, bars and car hire from Avis, Budget, National and Sixt.

Business facilities: An executive lounge is located in the international departure lounge (tel: (01582) 700 105). Facilities include fax, telephone, e-mail and Internet.

Transport to the city: The Luton Airport Parkway station provides a fast link (approximately 30 minutes) to central London on Thameslink (tel: (020) 7620 6333; website: www.thameslink.co.uk ) for £16.80 return. Trains run from 0700-2200 Monday to Saturday and 0900-2000 Sunday. A free shuttle bus connects Luton Airport with the Parkway station. There are coach services to Victoria coach station, and Heathrow and Gatwick airports. The Travel Line (tel: (0870) 608 2608) provides further information on travel to London. Taxis are available 24 hours and cost about £85 to central London.

London City Airport (LCY)
Tel: (020) 7646 0088. Fax: (020) 7511 1040.
E-mail: info@londoncityairport.com
Website: www.londoncityairport.com

Voted the ‘Best City Airport’ in 2000, the business-orientated London City Airport is the most central of the capital’s airports, located just ten kilometres (six miles) east of the centre. The airport is relatively small, yet served its record number of passengers in 2000, with over 1,500,000 travellers passing through the airport.

Major airlines: Lufthansa (tel: (0845) 606 0320; website: www.lufthansa.com ) operates the majority of flights from London City Airport, followed by British European and VLM. Scheduled flights are also provided by Air Engiadina, Air France, Alitalia, Braathens/Malm?, CityJet, Crossair, KLMuk and Luxair.

Airport facilities: These include bureaux de change, ATMs, information and hotel reservation desks, postal facilities, duty-free shopping, restaurants, bars, and car hire from Avis and Europcar.

Business facilities: The Business & Conference Centre (tel: (020) 7646 0900) offers fully serviced conference suites and office space.

Transport to the city: The Airport Shuttle (tel: (020) 7646 0088) runs to Canary Wharf (£3) and Liverpool Street station (£6), Monday to Friday 0650-2200, Saturday 0650-1315 and Sunday 1100-2200 (journey times are approximately ten and 25 minutes respectively). Shuttle buses also run every ten minutes to Canning Town station (£2), which is served by the Jubilee Line and Docklands Light Railway, taking approximately five minutes. Silvertown & London City Airport train station is a ten-minute walk from the terminal building for Silverlink Metro services to Richmond via Willesden Junction. Computacab (tel: (020) 7646 0850) taxi services into central London charge from £30. The Travel Line (tel: (0870) 608 2608) provides further information on all transport to and from London.

Approximate flight times to London: From New York is 7 hours 40 minutes; from Los Angeles is 10 hours 20 minutes; from Toronto is 7 hours and from Sydney is 23 hours 5 minutes (plus stopover).

Arrival/departure tax: None.