BACK ROADS GREAT BRITAIN
Getting to Great Britain
Great Britain is an international travel hub. As the gateway to
Europe and beyond for North American travellers, Britain’s
major airports enjoy direct transatlantic flights as well as a
direct service from most of the rest of the world. London is the
western terminus of Eurostar, the high-speed rail line from
Paris, Lille and Brussels, while other rail services connect with
ferries across the English Channel and Irish Sea. Many ferry
services link Britain to Europe and Ireland, and the Channel
Tunnel provides road access from Europe via Calais, France.
There is also low-cost coach service from Europe on Eurolines.Arriving by Air
Great Britain is served by most
international airlines. Its own major
carriers, British Airways and Virgin
Atlantic, have direct flights from cities
worldwide. In addition to the full
service airlines, budget carriers such
as EasyJet and Ryanair fly from
Ireland and continental Europe to
London, Glasgow and regional
airports throughout the country,
often with several flights a day in peak
season. From the United States and
Canada, there are direct flights to
London, Glasgow and Manchester
from major cities on international
carriers, with internal connections to
regional airports. From Australia and
New Zealand there are connecting
flights via Bangkok and Singapore.
London is served by five airports.
Most long-haul international flights
arrive at Heathrow, 24 km (15 miles)
west of the city centre, or Gatwick, 43
km (27 miles) to the south. Heathrow
is Britain’s largest airport, serving
around 90 airlines. It has five terminals.
The newest, Terminal 5, is dedicated
to British Airways. Most other long-
haul and many European flights arrive
at Terminals 3 and 4. Terminal 2 deals
with mainly European flights, while alldomestic as well as some European
and long-haul flights go through
Terminal 1. London Underground
trains and the Heathrow Express train
connect the airport to the city centre.
Gatwick has two terminals. The
North Terminal serves British Airways
and charter flights, while the South
Terminal is home to around 50 airlines.
The Gatwick Express to Victoria Station
is the fastest way into the city centre.
Luton Airport, 48 km (30 miles)
north of London, and Stansted Airport,
56 km (35 miles) northeast, have many
flights to/from Ireland, Europe and
beyond, on full service and budget
airlines. Both have good connections
to central London. London City Airport
in East London serves domestic and
European destinations.
Glasgow International Airport, is 13
km (8 miles) from the city centre, and
Manchester International Airport, 16
km (10 miles) south of its city, also
handle international flights. Bristol,
Cardiff, Birmingham, Liverpool,
Newcastle and Edinburgh are among
Britain’s many regional airports.
Flight times to London are: Paris 1
hour, Dublin 1¼ hours, Montreal 7
hours, New York 6½ hours, Los
Angeles 10 hours, Sydney 21½ hours.Above Colourful flower displays at Dovedale, in
the Derbyshire Peak DistrictDIRECTORYARRIVING BY AIR
British Airways
0844 493 0 787 (UK);
http://www.britishairways.com
EasyJet
0905 821 0905 (calls cost 65p per minute;
calls from mobiles and other networks
may cost more); http://www.easyjet.com
Gatwick Airport
http://www.gatwickairport.com
Glasgow Airport
http://www.glasgowairport.com
Heathrow Airport
http://www.heathrowairport.com
London City Airport
http://www.londoncityairport.com
Luton Airport
http://www.london-luton.co.uk
Manchester Airport
http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk
Ryanair
0871 246 0000 (UK: calls cost 10p per
minute); 0818 30 30 30 (Ireland: calls
cost national rate); http://www.ryanair.com
Stansted Airport
http://www.stanstedairport.com
Virgin Atlantic
0870 5747 747; http://www.virgin-atlantic.com10