Heathrow Express & Heathrow Connect

Don't know if anyone knows the answers, but just some questions.

Basically, my boyfriend & I are flying out of Heathrow & want to get there as cheaply as possible.  The Tube is out of the question, because we need to be at the airport by 6am (our flight leaves at 8am).  So, that really leaves us with an expensive taxi ride or less-expensive taxi ride to Paddington & then the Heathrow Express/Connect.

Heathrow Express website says you can get YP railcard discounts on their tickets.  Anyone know if it's the normal 1/3 off or what?  I refuse to pay £30 ea for a stupid train ticket.

Same for Heathrow Connect.  The service is a little slower, but MUCH cheaper.  I'm also curious if it works like normal trains & we could get a ticket from boundary of zone 2 (since we both have travelcards) AND get 1/3 off with YP railcards.  Anyone used Heathrow Connect?  Worth the savings?

Just wondering what people's best experiences are with early morning travel.  We live in SW London (zone 2), so there's no convenient buses going out to the airport.  TIA!

You say you are in SW London,Heathrow Airport is practically SW London, Take a mini cab,it cannot be more than the Heathrow express!

Have you priced a minicab yet? Between two people it might actually work out more cost effective than a cab to Paddington and then train tickets. Plus saving the aggravation of hauling luggage up, over and around that early in the morning.

I'd take a minicab.  I live in SE London and it costs £46.

Where do you live?  There is bound to be a cheaper and quicker way than going into Paddington.


Vicky

If you want cheap there's a night bus service to Heathrow from Trafalgar Sq. -- the N9.
Here's a link to a TFL map:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/maps/buses/pdf/trafalgarsquarenightbusessouthwestquad-10559.pdf

You may be able to connect with it somewhere along the route

As you live in SW London, you could try the South West Trains service from Waterloo/Vauxhall/Clapham Junction to Feltham, from where there is a regular bus to Heathrow. It's not a premium service, so you can use your travelcard/YP card.  It shouldn't cost much more than £4 (one way) in total.

There are regular trains from London to Feltham (in Zone 6), starting pretty early in the morning.  At Feltham, you catch the #285 bus from right in front of the station.  The bus goes every 10 mins or so, and even runs through the night.  It is very clearly signed.

The only downside is that it's not great for people with loads of luggage, 'cos it's just a regular London bus.

Have a look at www.tfl.gov.uk for more details on timings.