I posted about a new service, Loganair, flying from Glasgow to London. As with other airlines they use out of town airports. In this case Southend!! Where? yes, way out on the Essex Coast far away from London. So I decided to investigate how I would get from Glasgow to London, how long would it take and what strange towns that I would see on the way.
Flying.
Loganair to Southend is roughly £85 with a further train ride of roughly 1 hour 45mins depending on fast or slow train. I did not waste time getting train fares as with check-in time, travel and train time this is just a bad joke!!! To be nice say 6 hours.
Easyjet fly to Tommy Robinson land in Luton which again is miles outside London. Plane fare is better at roughly £65 to£80 Train is roughly 50 mins Much better!!
BritishAirways fly to Gatwick or Heathrow at a ridiculously high cost for similar miles.Gatwick can be $110 plus and Heathhrow between £200 to £300 Time of travel matters. Trains from Gatwick 40 mins and Heathrow 1hr.Train fares a rip off because of captive travelers. Good trick at Heathrow is to book to/from station prior/past the airport. Amazingly cheap!!!
Ryanair fly from Prestwick which is a 35 mile train ride or about 1 hr with another train ride from wherever they land, I would either take a sleeping bag or never use them!!! Another joke!!
Glasgow to city airport can be £200 plus but ou are actually in London and save time!!!
I would consider city airport but probably take Easyjet.
By car.
It takes 6 to 7 hours drive time to cover the 400 miles say google maps. At 50 mpg in my new diesel van at £1.32 a litre which is 1.78 pints or 0.22 of a gallon roughly £6 a gallon say £40 to £55 fuel. No check-in, no train no crap and you can stop for a meal, not a jam croissant!! You also have a saving on London transport costs. Taxis are just black money boxes!
By coach.
For those who cannot work cruise control on motorways, there are coaches, which are comfortable and go city centre to city centre. You can travel from £13 one way. They stop for 2 hours for driver change and food break and take about 10 hours. Big btl of coca cola, topped up with half btl of vodka plus laptop/headphones, watching Discovery ch documentaries or movies and you arrive mellow and happy!!! Great choice. What else do you do all night with £13 quid????
By rail.
Takes 5 hours with no check-in time, centre to centre. Cost about£150 Again vodka and movies as you whizz along.
Sum up.
The above is just back of an envelope stuff. You can rockup and fly standby very cheaply. You can reduce rail fares with various cards student disabled. You can even use cooking oil mixed in with diesel which is a new wheeze!! Many use'red' diesel which is illegal.
I would go coach, on a budget or fly Easyjet to Luton. NONE of the others!! However, I love driving, at night, with good sounds and control of when and where that I want to stop, not the driver, who normally gets a freebie.. Cheap at £55 to £60. and you have transport with you.No lugging bags about.
A really tricky one is to phone Glasgow Flying Club and ask for a quote to Bigginhill. Members must do a number of hours to keep their license and will fly anywhere. Okay, it is a small plane, outside toilet and no bar. But in a family emergency, it is well worth considering. No check-in just pay and board the plane.
Flying.
Loganair to Southend is roughly £85 with a further train ride of roughly 1 hour 45mins depending on fast or slow train. I did not waste time getting train fares as with check-in time, travel and train time this is just a bad joke!!! To be nice say 6 hours.
Easyjet fly to Tommy Robinson land in Luton which again is miles outside London. Plane fare is better at roughly £65 to£80 Train is roughly 50 mins Much better!!
BritishAirways fly to Gatwick or Heathrow at a ridiculously high cost for similar miles.Gatwick can be $110 plus and Heathhrow between £200 to £300 Time of travel matters. Trains from Gatwick 40 mins and Heathrow 1hr.Train fares a rip off because of captive travelers. Good trick at Heathrow is to book to/from station prior/past the airport. Amazingly cheap!!!
Ryanair fly from Prestwick which is a 35 mile train ride or about 1 hr with another train ride from wherever they land, I would either take a sleeping bag or never use them!!! Another joke!!
Glasgow to city airport can be £200 plus but ou are actually in London and save time!!!
I would consider city airport but probably take Easyjet.
By car.
It takes 6 to 7 hours drive time to cover the 400 miles say google maps. At 50 mpg in my new diesel van at £1.32 a litre which is 1.78 pints or 0.22 of a gallon roughly £6 a gallon say £40 to £55 fuel. No check-in, no train no crap and you can stop for a meal, not a jam croissant!! You also have a saving on London transport costs. Taxis are just black money boxes!
By coach.
For those who cannot work cruise control on motorways, there are coaches, which are comfortable and go city centre to city centre. You can travel from £13 one way. They stop for 2 hours for driver change and food break and take about 10 hours. Big btl of coca cola, topped up with half btl of vodka plus laptop/headphones, watching Discovery ch documentaries or movies and you arrive mellow and happy!!! Great choice. What else do you do all night with £13 quid????
By rail.
Takes 5 hours with no check-in time, centre to centre. Cost about£150 Again vodka and movies as you whizz along.
Sum up.
The above is just back of an envelope stuff. You can rockup and fly standby very cheaply. You can reduce rail fares with various cards student disabled. You can even use cooking oil mixed in with diesel which is a new wheeze!! Many use'red' diesel which is illegal.
I would go coach, on a budget or fly Easyjet to Luton. NONE of the others!! However, I love driving, at night, with good sounds and control of when and where that I want to stop, not the driver, who normally gets a freebie.. Cheap at £55 to £60. and you have transport with you.No lugging bags about.
A really tricky one is to phone Glasgow Flying Club and ask for a quote to Bigginhill. Members must do a number of hours to keep their license and will fly anywhere. Okay, it is a small plane, outside toilet and no bar. But in a family emergency, it is well worth considering. No check-in just pay and board the plane.
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