CJB wrote:
Last weekend, actually on Sunday, the Underground Piccadilly Line
was closed between London and Heathrow. However the Heathrow
Express was supposed to be an alternative. Indeed throughout the
Underground system it was widely advertised that Zone 1-6
Travelcards WERE valid on the Heathrow Express to/from Paddington.

HOWEVER after a day in London, and arriving at Paddington to travel
back to Heathrow, we saw numerous displays clearly stating that
Travelcards were NOT valid on the Heathrow Express. The scam was
extended in that the HEX ticket machines had no warning notices on
them for that day, and they were only dispensing full fare tickets
at £14. I personally warned at least two intending passengers from
using these and sent them to get Travelcards from the FGWL ticket
office, thus saving each person more than £7.

In the full list of tickets accepted on HEx on Piccadilly closure
weekends at
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tube/travelinf...nd-closure.asp , it
specifically says *LU* Zone 1-6 Travelcards. I'm not sure if that means
that FGWL-issued Travelcards are not valid. I hope the people who took
your advice didn't get stung for a £14 fare on top of an FGWL
Travelcard.

[...]
Then we saw a HEX train arriving at Paddington and it was
unsurprisingly full. We wondered how many tourists, visitors to
rip-off Britain, had also been conned into paying for full fare
tickets into London? Probably most of them.

If they went to the HEx desk at Heathrow, they would be charged the HEx
fare. If they went to the LU station they would be advised to buy a
Z1-6 Travelcard there and then walk round the corner to the HEx station
and get on a HEx train (or HC to Ealing Broadway). At least that's what
happened last year at T123; I haven't experienced T4 on such weekends.

LU pay HEx so that LU's passengers can travel on HEx without further
charge. There's no reason why they should also subsidise people who
were going to buy a HEx ticket in the first place, nor are such people
being ripped off.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)