Stansted to Heathrow...Advice

My boss is planning a trip in October to Friedrichshafen. Well, I should say, I'm planning it for him    He's anticipating flying into London, Stansted and traveling on with some friends to Germany. The only problem is I can't find a direct flight for him out of O'hare to Stansted. I can, however, find loads into Heathrow.

I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on traveling between Heathrow and Stansted. I saw this info and he could maybe manage it, but I was wondering if there is a better way or how hard/easy the switch between airports would be and if the timeline they state is realistic or not.

If anyone has any advice/experience I'd really appreciate it. Anything I can do to make it easy for him because if he gets lost, somehow from 4000 miles away it will be my fault

Not a trek I'd want to make if I could avoid it. Is it possible for him to fly to Germany from Heathrow instead of he's already firmly committed to Stenstead?

I think those are your options and the times sound right unless he is traveling by coach during rush hour. The M25 can be a disaster and I'd add extra time if he needs to travel then.

Mort's idea sounds good. Is it feasible?

Trying to lug a suitcase around the London underground it NOT something I would want to do especially after having just gotten off a longhaul flight.  If he insists on flying out of Stansted then it easiest but not the cheapest thing woudl be for him to take a taxi from Heathrow to Liverpool St station and from there he can catch the Stansted express.

 My guess is that his friends are going out of Stansted because those are the cheapest flights, but as your boss is flying internationally his cheaper bet would probably be to just fly directly to Germany and skip London altogether.  Is it really worth all that hassle to be with his friends for a 1 1/2 hour flight .

I was just thinking of this last night and it might just be less hassle to take a non-direct flight to Stenstead if that's absolutely where he needs to be, than to have a non-stop to Heathrow that requires him to transfer airports.

Thanks everyone! He has a friend that has booked some special flight from Stansted and that's why he's wanting t fly in there. I can get him connecting flights into Stansted with stops in NY but he just whinges about it. I tried to tell him it would be easier to fly into another city in Germany and then connect onto his final destination, but he has it in his head that dealing with a connection in Germany will somehow be more complicated than transferring planes in London or NY.

I'll just show him the options and see what he wants to do. I'll tell him about getting a cab to the Liverpool station too.  I hate making his travel plans. It always ends up with frantic phone calls from an airport somewhere when he can't find his connecting flight. I will never understand it as he travels internationally at least once a year and has been to Germany several times.

I'm also going to show him some other flight options and see what he says. The only blessing in this is that he asked me to start planning now instead of 2 weeks before he wants to fly like he normally does

 

Sounds like you have your hands full

Hmmm.  My guess is that he assumes Heathrow and Stanstead are both London and therefore near to each other and easy to get between 

I would say that the coach is going to be the least hassle for him, and probably just as quick as any other option.  In my experience, coach times are usually more accurate and predictable than train times as well.

If it we me, I would do all I can to ensure skipping switching airports in the UK, and do the O'Hare-NY-Stansted route.  It really will be so much easier, and there is much less risk of missing the connection.  With changing in London, all it takes is a wildcat tube strike or 'leaves on the line' and he's missed his flight!


Vicky

My guess is that he assumes Heathrow and Stanstead are both London and therefore near to each other and easy to get between 

It sure sounds like it.  I think a lot of people don't realize just how far apart they are.

It sure sounds like it.  I think a lot of people don't realize just how far apart they are.

Yeah - I didn't realise exactly how far apart they are until I had a look on Google Maps this morning... the driving directions (taking the M25) give a distance of about 60-65 miles.

It reminds me of people who think transferring between JFK and Newark is no big deal cause they're both New York area airports. (Yes, I know it's in NJ, but it's considered a NY airport. )

I've done it, once.  Never ever ever again.

I've never done the Stansted- Heathrow route, but I've done the Gatwick-Heathrow route 4 times now (both directions!) and man, its a long way and such a pain.  But when you live where I do, you don't really have a choice of a London airport- its either Stansted or Gatwick.   I think I'll just drive to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, or Glasgow- its easier than Gatwick-Heathrow!

DB's parents won't do pick up at Heathrow, and have us meet them at Stanstead.  I've done the trek three times, DB has done it at least once a year.

It isn't too bad if the bus is on time and if there is no traffic. I think it was either an hour or an hour and a half ride. On our Christmas trip it was a nightmare, there was fog, which caused a huge accident on the motorway and our bus was several hours late. I wouldn't want to chance it if I had another plane to catch.

Aside from that one time, it wasn't too bad. You catch the bus in the central bus terminal and there is only one stop (sometimes direct) between Heathrow and Stansted.

Also confusing is that Stansted airport is nowhere near Stansted the town!

Hmmm.  My guess is that he assumes Heathrow and Stanstead are both London and therefore near to each other and easy to get between 

I think that's it.

I don't understand why he just won't do the stop in NY either. It is just a change in planes and it was a decent amount of time, not enough to go nuts but enough that if his first flight is running late he shouldn't miss his connection. 

It isn't too bad if the bus is on time and if there is no traffic. I think it was either an hour or an hour and a half ride. On our Christmas trip it was a nightmare, there was fog, which caused a huge accident on the motorway and our bus was several hours late. I wouldn't want to chance it if I had another plane to catch.

That's just it. All it would take would be an accident or some other delay and he'd be lost. He can be a bit clueless about this sort of thing sometimes.

I'm going to look for some other flights later this week and see what I can find, maybe finding something great would change his mind, who knows

Thanks everyone for your advice!