I'm trying to get from London Heathrow to Edinburgh with my family (4 people), and can't figure out which option is the best trade-off between time and money - We arrive at LHR at 12:15.

Option 1: Fly from LHR to EDI - this is the easiest option, in that we're already IN LHR airport. It's more expensive, but there is a flight to EDI @ 2:15. I'm a little worried that we might not be able to get through customs in time to board, or we might get delayed, etc. The next flight out would be at 21:00, so We'd end up spending an entire day in the airport.

Option 2: Fly from Stansted to EDI - this is the cheapest option, since we can fly Ryanair, but the earliest flight is at 16:30, and I'm not sure if we can get from LHR to STN in time, plus there's the cost of the travel between the two airports as well.

Option 3: Rail from King's Cross to Edinburgh. If I get an advance ticket, and can get to KGX by 4:30, a one way set of tickets will cost me about as much as the round-trip in option 1, plus I still have to pay to get there.

closed as primarily opinion-based by Gagravarr, JoErNanO, JonathanReez, Karlson, Gayot Fow Mar 7 '16 at 2:55


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    Eh? BA has LHR-EDI flights daily at 16:30, 17:30, 18:35... – Michael Hampton Mar 6 '16 at 2:37
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    There are also trains out of either King's Cross or Euston to Edinburgh about every half hour, some with tickets for around 60 pounds. – DJClayworth Mar 6 '16 at 4:29
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    Also the trade-off will depend on which is more important to you - time or money. – DJClayworth Mar 6 '16 at 4:29
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    Just take option 1 and forget about the others. There are many BA flights in the afternoon because a lot of people commute between Edinburgh and London by plane, so they travel home in the evening. It may even be possible to change your existing flight tickets to include the London-Edinburgh sector for nothing more than the change fee. Then you would be protected by the airline against misconnections at Heathrow. – Calchas Mar 6 '16 at 16:11

1 option.

1) Find another flight at British Airlines. Usually they have around 12 flight per day from LHR to EDI. Price £44 - £145 depends what day and what time. http://www.britishairways.com/

If you can't find a better flight, try to book tickets right to Edinburgh. (Better with an option to transfer your baggage right to the final destination.) Two hours is probably not really enough, if you need to go through migration control, if you have children, if you need to claim your baggage before the second flight.

2 option

It takes at least 1 hour 45 minutes, or 2 hours to go to another airport. and cost would be like £27 for each.

Some prices here: http://coach.nationalexpress.com Buses are going each 1-3 hours usually, check if this time is convenient for you. In this option you will also need to take a transport from Edinburgh airport as well.

3 option

Take a tube from Heathrow to King's Cross, Piccadilly line (no changes). Must cost you £5.70 per person (if you don't have oyster).

From Kings Cross get a train to Edinburgh which brings you to city center of Edinburgh. King's Cross is a pretty big station, might be is not so easy to transfer there if you have lots of luggage.

  1. Try to find a better connection in Heathrow.
  2. Check prices/waiting time/how much you will spend for food/how tired you will be if you choose one or another way/ and choose the most pleasant way :)
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    1. The OP has to go through UK immigration at LHR whether he flies to Edinburgh or goes on the train. Edinburgh is in the United Kingdom, and London-Edinburgh is a domestic flight. His bag, however can be through-checked to Edinburgh if he is flying into LHR on oneworld, so he can skip the collection. 2. I agree is a silly idea. 3. Advance train tickets are non flex, but flex train tickets are more expensive than flexible flight tickets. He'll be struggling with his luggage into London with his family, it's not going to be comfortable. I don't see what advantage this has over flying. – Calchas Mar 6 '16 at 16:21
