We live in central London. So, when we fly, we tend to use Heathrow, Gatwick and City airports. The purpose of this piece is to fill in some of the gaps in the easily accessible information about usability for those who have to deal with the sort of constraints on mobility that we have, when getting to and from home to the departure gate.
Heathrow
If the flight is leaving before about 08.00 we would probably stay overnight at the hotel closest to the relevant terminal, given you need to be checking in at least two hours before your flight. It sounds crazy when we live relatively close to the airport but even relatively close means leaving at least an hour before we want to be at the airport. This is just in case trains are cancelled, booked taxis don’t show up, there are snarl-ups on the M4 or other hiatuses associated with moving around London happen just when you need to be somewhere on time and without anxiety. At Terminal 5 the Sofitel is the only one with direct access to the terminal; a bit pricey but very convenient, although still be prepared for a having to walk from the hotel through some corridors to reach the arrivals hall. As to the other terminals, we have not had to use a hotel when we have travelled from there in recent years, so no suggestions, I am afraid.
If we are flying from Terminal 5 we find the best route is taxi to Paddington then the Heathrow Express. It is more costly, but the difficulty with the alternatives is that the bus to Paddington is awkward with large cases and the Elizabeth Line has fewer seats than the Heathrow Express and can be incredibly busy at times. It is a shame that it is a bit of a walk from the taxi rank at Paddington to the Heathrow Express platforms (about four or five minutes) but at least there are lifts and escalators down to platform level. The huge advantage of this route is that the Heathrow Terminal 5 station has direct lifts to both the arrivals and departure halls.
Not so if you are travelling from Terminals 2 or 3. In early 2023 we were leaving from Terminal 2, which we had not done for a number of years. We had forgotten that the distances from Heathrow Central station to the arrivals hall are disconcertingly long, even with the aid of travelators in some sections, and joints were really suffering by the time we reached check-in and the possibility of wheelchair use. We resolved that, in future, if leaving from these terminals we would probably take a taxi all the way. It is not actually that much more expensive from Central London when you add up the costs of fares on the Heathrow Express and the taxi fare to Paddington, although it takes longer and is very traffic dependant. For cheaper options the Elizabeth line or the Piccadilly Line are there for the using, although the latter is quite a lengthy 50-60 minutes to reach the West End, but you still have the issue we faced of the distance between Heathrow Central station and the terminals.
City
Our favourite airport because it is small, closer to central London and generally less hectic than the other two. So, if our destination has flights from City, we try to use it. The distances from arrival point to gate are so short we can usually dispense with using the wheelchair facility. Okay, you will probably have to climb the steps up to the plane but that will be a one-off. You should, however, still book the wheelchair facility if your destination is at one of the larger airports, where you will need this facility on arrival. It does not seem possible to book this type of service for one part of your journey – it has to be for both departure and arrival, or neither.
Getting there is usually by taxi but, with the DLR station on top of the terminal, the Tube and the DLR would be an alternative at the right time of day, unless you are trying to lug unwieldy cases. There are no bus routes going direct to central London, but the 473 runs to Stratford which is a good public transport interchange for direct rail and Tube routes into the centre of the city.
P.S. I apologise to those who are all too familiar with London nomenclature but, for clarity, the Tube is the Londoner’s universally used name for the subway or metro network, believed to have become common parlance because the tunnels on deep parts of the network are tube-shaped. In the centre of the city almost all the lines, except the Circle, Hammersmith & City, District and Metropolitan, fall into this category. History nerds like me can enjoy this offering from the London Transport Museum as a simple introduction – https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/collections/stories/transport/very-short-history-underground.
Gatwick
We prefer not to travel from Gatwick because, for us, it is a longer journey from central London but when we do, we use the train. Trains to Gatwick are frequent taking 30-45 minutes, depending which station you set off from. Just because of our location in London we tend to use the Thameslink direct service that can be picked up at St Pancras, Blackfriars or London Bridge. All are pretty accessible stations these days, albeit you can be left with longer walks than you might want between Tube and train (e.g. St Pancras where the Thameslink platforms are a good ten minute walk from the Circle and Metropolitan line platforms).
Most will find the services from Victoria a better option with the faster, more costly Gatwick Express and the slower, less expensive Southern rail services to Brighton both available.
Except in an urgent situation (e.g. train strike days) train is far quicker and cheaper than taking a taxi. Buses run from central London but of these, as the caricature character, Sergeant Schulz, said so often in Hogan’s Heroes, “I know nothing” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HblPucwN-m0.
Here, even more so than at Heathrow, we go the evening before if we are taking an early flight. We have not had to do this for a while and, when we did, the Sofitel next to the North Terminal was the only option, again quite pricey, and with a 200 metre walkway to the arrivals hall. Others are now available at the North Terminal. Most recently we travelled from the South Terminal and tried out the Bloc Hotel. It is inside the terminal building so could not be better placed. We had a VIP room as all the other rooms seem to have the bed up against the wall which is not easy to deal with when there is a regular need to get up in the night.
It actually worked quite well for our overnight stay with plenty of space for suitcases to be opened but left unpacked and a good en-suite shower room. Décor tends towards the grey/black colour spectrum. Even though we looked out onto the airport taxiway with planes coming and going, no noise penetrated to disturb our sleep. Sod’s law inevitably meant the VIP rooms are furthest from the lift, which adds to the walking distances inside the terminal.
Using a Wheelchair/Buggies
Because standing (at security, passport control) and walking the lengthy corridors to reach departure gates tires joints and leads to considerable discomfort, we use the mobility assistance at Heathrow and Gatwick (indeed at most airports) after check-in. The service has generally worked well for us. The London airports service had, in the past, seemed occasionally under-resourced, which could mean delays waiting for wheelchairs at the mobility assistance counter on departure or for buggies or wheelchairs at the gates on return to London. Recent experience at both Gatwick and Heathrow suggests better resourcing has been applied. There are still wrinkles in the service, a recent return to Terminal 5 saw a wait at the seats at top of the jetway with no clarification of what was to happen next as the wait extended. However the same return meant we were introduced to a mobility buggy we had not seen before. This is a single person vehicle with forward-facing chair behind which stands the ‘driver’. Then there is a platform behind the ‘driver’ for luggage (not just carry-on luggage) so having taken us out through immigration, the vehicle was loaded up with our baggage in the reclaim hall and took us all the way down to the Heathrow Express platforms. Very helpful.
Also a quick shout-out for the Gatwick South Terminal team on a recent return. They cheerfully and carefully moved us on a wheelchair from plane to train station ticket hall through passport control, baggage claim and customs. Admittedly it was in October and the airport was preternaturally quiet on a Friday afternoon, but it was much appreciated.
If you can manage it, they are usually quite relaxed about you taking a wheelchair, one seated, one pushing, which gives so much more flexibility when you are moving around the terminal. You just leave the wheelchair at the departure gate or even at the plane door. Indeed, at the considerably improved facilities in the Heathrow Terminal 2, 3 and 5 check-in halls, you are offered self-propulsion as an option.