Blast, I saw this ages ago and meant to post it here but then promptly
managed to fail to do so. It's remotely possible that someone out there
might still find it useful though - do note however that purchase needs to
be made by midnight tonight (Friday).

Heathrow Express are offering 50% off return fares London-Heathrow journeys
or v.v. - so the rather extortionate £32 return becomes £16.

To access this offer go he
http://www.heathrowexpress.com/october1?affiliatecode=HEXB3P

These promo tickets are issued by HEx as 'e-tickets' - I understand this
means they are issued as barcode style tickets either for printing at home
or for else for delivery and display on an internet-connected mobile.

I'm not an expert on HEx's ticketing arrangements but their FAQ suggests a
couple of things:
http://www.heathrowexpress.com/faqs

(1) Bookings are held on their system for six months, and so the tickets
don't actually have to be used on the date specified when booking, they can
be used up to six months afterwards.

(2) That tickets can actually be used in either direction - so a 'return
journey' is actually just two journeys, the second of which must be
completed within a month of the first.


Note that if you were to select two or more passengers when booking a
journey, I think you'd only get issued with one barcode style e-ticket - in
other words you'd have to travel together. If you want to purchase multiple
tickets for single travelers in one transaction, you can go on to book
additional tickets after confirming you're first journey.

I realise that communicating this offer on a Friday evening, five hours
before it expires, isn't really all that helpful, but I'm an unhelpful kind
of guy so I'll do it anyway.

Of course, the Tube is rather cheaper still - from Heathrow into central
London (zone 1) it's £4.50 for a printed/paper single ticket; on Oyster PAYG
it's £4.20 peak (M-F 0630-0930 and 1600-1900) and £2.40 off-peak (all other
times); or it's £7.50 for a zones 1-6 off-peak Day Travelcard (for travel
after 0930 M-F).

Then there's Heathrow Connect too. Oh, and the Grand Union Canal, etc etc.

In message , at 19:09:59 on
Fri, 12 Nov 2010, Mizter T remarked:

Then there's Heathrow Connect too. Oh, and the Grand Union Canal, etc
etc.

HEx is designed to compete with a taxi, not the tube or any of those
others.
--
Roland Perry

In message
Roland Perry wrote:

In message , at 19:09:59 on
Fri, 12 Nov 2010, Mizter T remarked:

Then there's Heathrow Connect too. Oh, and the Grand Union Canal, etc
etc.

HEx is designed to compete with a taxi, not the tube or any of those
others.

You mean they don't even try to compete with the Grand Union?

--
Graeme Wall

This address not read, substitute trains for rail
Transport Miscellany at www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail
Photo galleries at http://graeme-wall.fotopic.net/

On Nov 13, 8:18*am, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 19:09:59 on
Fri, 12 Nov 2010, Mizter T remarked:

Then there's Heathrow Connect too. Oh, and the Grand Union Canal, etc
etc.

HEx is designed to compete with a taxi, not the tube or any of those
others.
--
Roland Perry

But unlike taking a cab or Underground - HEx doesn't actually take
pax. into Central London. They end up at the building site dump of
Paddington. Then they have to take a cab from there into London - at
extra cost. Or lummox heavy luggage on the Bakerloo LIne. Welcome to
rip-off Britain.

In message
, at
03:40:41 on Sun, 14 Nov 2010, CJB remarked:
HEx is designed to compete with a taxi, not the tube or any of those
others.

But unlike taking a cab or Underground - HEx doesn't actually take
pax. into Central London. They end up at the building site dump of
Paddington. Then they have to take a cab from there into London - at
extra cost. Or lummox heavy luggage on the Bakerloo LIne. Welcome to
rip-off Britain.

In your opinion it may not be a very useful competitor, but plenty of
people do seem to use it.
--
Roland Perry

In article , (Roland
Perry) wrote:

In message
,
at 03:40:41 on Sun, 14 Nov 2010, CJB remarked:
HEx is designed to compete with a taxi, not the tube or any of those
others.

But unlike taking a cab or Underground - HEx doesn't actually take
pax. into Central London. They end up at the building site dump of
Paddington. Then they have to take a cab from there into London - at
extra cost. Or lummox heavy luggage on the Bakerloo LIne. Welcome to
rip-off Britain.

In your opinion it may not be a very useful competitor, but plenty
of people do seem to use it.

How many are under the mistaken impression that Paddington is close to
where they want to go?

--
Colin Rosenstiel

On Nov 14, 1:10*pm, wrote:
In article , (Roland

Perry) wrote:
In message
,
at 03:40:41 on Sun, 14 Nov 2010, CJB remarked:
HEx is designed to compete with a taxi, not the tube or any of those
others.

But unlike taking a cab or Underground - HEx doesn't actually take
pax. into Central London. They end up at the building site dump of
Paddington. Then they have to take a cab from there into London - at
extra cost. Or lummox heavy luggage on the Bakerloo LIne. Welcome to
rip-off Britain.

In your opinion it may not be a very useful competitor, but plenty
of people do seem to use it.

How many are under the mistaken impression that Paddington is close to
where they want to go?

There's a lot of hotels in walking distance of Paddington, not to
mention the homes of diplomats etc.

Even more hotels are in reach of the Piccadilly line of course, but
you'd think CJB was talking about Ealing Broadway or something.

In message , at 07:10:41
on Sun, 14 Nov 2010, remarked:
HEx is designed to compete with a taxi, not the tube or any of those
others.

But unlike taking a cab or Underground - HEx doesn't actually take
pax. into Central London. They end up at the building site dump of
Paddington. Then they have to take a cab from there into London - at
extra cost. Or lummox heavy luggage on the Bakerloo LIne. Welcome to
rip-off Britain.

In your opinion it may not be a very useful competitor, but plenty
of people do seem to use it.

How many are under the mistaken impression that Paddington is close to
where they want to go?

Looking at the bigger picture, it's a lot closer than Heathrow.
--
Roland Perry

In message , at
19:01:29 on Sun, 14 Nov 2010, Arthur Figgis
remarked:
The sort of visitor who would have previously caught a cab all the way,
will now catch a cab from Paddington.

They wouldn't be seen dead on a subway train (even if, unknown to them,
the London Underground might be safer than the average metro) or would
be fearful of the consequences of dragging luggage up and down stairs
(have you ever been on the Paris Metro: step-free it ain't!!)

Do the sort of people who use HEx take much luggage?

I do! (A few times I've had two large bags each at the maximum weight).

--
Roland Perry

In message , tim....
writes

Many other Airport links work this way too

Much though I enjoy going there on holiday, a water taxi from Marco Polo
airport into the centre of Venice is now an eye-watering 100 pounds.

As in London, there are much cheaper (albeit slower) alternatives.
--
Paul Terry