Airport Bus Services

In this guide, we take a look at Airport bus services and hopefully answer any questions you may have.

Airport BusIn this Guide:

Why Use One

Types Of Bus Services

Bus Prices

Purchasing Your Ticket

Finding The Right Service

 

 

No matter which airport you are flying from or flying to in the world, they generally have an airport bus. These bus services are in operation to transfer passengers to and from the airport. Most airports and local bus companies, usually work together regarding timetables and schedules. This is simply to ensure that there are regular airport bus services running throughout the day to and from the airport.

Why Use The Airport Bus

Airport bus services are usually one of the cheapest forms of transfer for passengers getting to and from the airport. If you are travelling on a limited budget or alone, it is one form of transfer you should consider.

Most bus services are scheduled to coincide with all the flight arrivals and departures. Due to this fact, it means that there is normally a bus service available upon your arrival and for your departure. The buses will get you to the airport in good time prior to your departure time. Also there will be a bus service waiting at the airport upon your arrival, to take you to your chosen destination.

Different Types Of Airport Bus Service:

Most airports will have a local public bus service in operation at the airport. These services are usually operated and managed by a local bus company and run at regular intervals throughout the day. Depending on which airport you are arriving at or departing from, will obviously determine which type of airport bus services are available. It will also determine how regular they operate.

There are many different types of airport bus services in operation at all the airports around the world. These can vary depending on the size of the airport and how busy the airport is. If the airport is a major International airport such as Heathrow Airport or LAX airport in Los Angeles, you will find that there are a larger choice. More so than if you were to fly into a smaller airport such as Reus Airport in Spain.

 

Major Airports:

The major airports such as Heathrow Airport have flights arriving and departing literally every few minutes. As a result, they have a large number of passengers arriving on flights at the airport requiring transport for transfers to their final destinations, hotels, car parking or even to different terminals if they have connecting flights. There are also a large number of passengers departing from the airport on flights and this means a large number of passengers requiring transport to the airport from a number of different locations. This then means that the bus services to and from the airport need to be very frequent to handle the large number of passengers getting to and from the airport. The airport bus services that run to and from the major airports usually every few minutes throughout the day.

Due to the sheer volume of passenger traffic at these major International airports and so many passengers needing to get to so many different destinations, you will normally find a number of different airport bus services in operation such as:

  • Local airport bus services
  • Airport shuttle bus services
  • Courtesy hotel airport bus service that are operated by hotels close to the airport,
  • Terminals Transfer buses

Car parking airport bus services and airport bus services that are operated by major coach companies such as National Express, Terravision, Greyhound and many more.

However, the many smaller airports such as Reus Airport in Spain have a less frequent number of flight arrivals and departures and as a result, do not need as many airport bus services in operation. Most of the bus services in these smaller airports are designed to coincide with the flight arrivals and departures of certain flights and are therefore scheduled at much more specific times rather than every 10 minutes throughout the day.

Price Of The Airport Bus Service

All airport bus services are different and the price will vary depending on the airport, destination and distance of the journey. The majority of airport bus services will have a set fee from the airport to specific destinations and the tickets can either be purchased by pre-booking in advance, at the airport or on the bus from the driver.

 

Purchasing Your Ticket

generally, the local buses from the airport will allow you to purchase your ticket on the bus but if you are not sure, it is always best to ask at the information desk upon arrival at the airport. If you need to purchase your ticket in advance at the airport before you board te bus, then a member of staff at the information desk will inform as to where you can purchase your ticket. Sometimes you will be able to purchase them from the information desk and sometimes there will be a designated kiosk to purchase your tickets from. Some airports have machines where you will need to purchase your ticket but if you have any doubts, ask at the Information desk.

Most major coach companies such as National Express and Terravision who provide airport bus transfers allow you to book online and if you have this option, it is always recommended. Booking your seat in advance ensure you have a seat and provides you with peace of mind.

 

Finding Airport Bus Services:

As we mentioned previously, most airports have a local bus service that operates to and from the airport. Obviously we cannot list all the local bus services for each individual airport throughout the world on this website. If you want to find out the times of the local airport buses from a specific airport, then the best way is to simply visit the airports own website. Most airports websites list the times of the local bus services that run to and from the airport.

However, if you are wanting to find alternative airport bus services that provide connections to the neighbouring towns, resorts and major cities close to the airport, then using one of the reputable airport shuttle bus services is advisable.

There are a large number of companies that provide bus services to and from the airport around the world and they provide a cheap and efficient form of transport to and from the airport. There are several different types of airport shuttle bus services that are available and you can choose from, shared bus services, private mini bus services and coach transfers.

 

Shared Airport Bus Services:

If you do not want to wait for the local bus service, then a shuttle bus service may be worth considering. You can pre-book your transfer on one of the shared airport shuttle bus services in advance. These are usually smaller mini buses that operate a door to door service to your hotel.

 

Private Mini Bus Services:

If there are a larger number of people travelling in your group, it can sometimes work out a cheaper option to pre-book a private mini bus.

 

Coach Transfers:

Many coach companies now offer coach shuttle services that run from the airport to a large number of destinations. They also have services that run from major cities and towns to the airport. Many of these coach operators provide services that coincide with the flight arrivals and departures (especially ones from the smaller airports that the low cost airlines fly into).

UK Airport Bus And Coach Services:

There are several companies that provide airport bus services in the UK. These services connect passengers to and from the airports throughout the United Kingdom. Some of the largest operators that provide airport bus transfers in the UK are:

  • National Express
  • Megabus
  • Stage Coach
  • Terravision

All these provides services from major airports in the UK including:

  • Belfast Airport
  • Birmingham Airport
  • Bristol Airport
  • Cardiff Airport
  • East Midlands Airport
  • Edinburgh Airport
  • Glasgow Airport
  • Leeds Bradford Airport
  • Liverpool Airport
  • London Heathrow
  • London Gatwick
  • London Stansted
  • Luton Airport
  • Manchester Airport

The services all connect passengers from the airports to major towns and cities in the UK.

 

Airport Bus Routes In The UK:

As we have previously mentioned, there are a large number of bus services available throughout the UK. These services all connect major cities and towns with the International airports throughout the UK.

Below, are just a few of the most popular airport bus routes in the UK.

  • Bath to Bristol Airport
  • Belfast Airport to city centre
  • Belfast International Airport to Derry
  • Birmingham Airport to city centre
  • Bristol to Gatwick Airport
  • Cardiff to Bristol Airport
  • Cardiff to Gatwick Airport
  • Derby to East Midlands
  • Dublin Airport to Belfast
  • Dundee to Edinburgh Airport
  • Edinburgh Airport to Glasgow
  • Harrogate to Leeds Bradford Airport
  • Heathrow Airport to London
  • Leeds city centre to Leeds Bradford Airport
  • Liverpool Airport to city centre
  • Liverpool to Manchester Airport
  • London to Gatwick Airport
  • Luton Airport to London
  • Manchester to Liverpool Airport
  • Nottingham to Birmingham Airport
  • Stansted Airport to Gatwick Airport