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The Thames at sunset with Tower Bridge and the City of London skyline behind it.
Layover guideLHR · United Kingdom

London

What crew need on the ground

Three rail routes out of Heathrow, a black cab meter with three tariffs, and a knife law that catches crew out more often than any other rule here.

Diliff / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0
LHRHeathrow
RegionEurope
CurrencyGBP
Based hereBritish AirwaysVirgin Atlantic
Getting out

Black cabs on the meter from ranks outside each terminal with a small Heathrow pick-up charge, or three rail routes into town, only one of which runs through the night and only at weekends.

Ride-hailing

Apps are legal but every ride is a pre-booked private hire job, the pick-up is in the short stay car park rather than the terminal kerb, and the app estimate replaces a meter.

Right now · London
Every figure from its publisher, none of them ours
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If you have

One area, and the Elizabeth line is what makes it possible at all.

  1. TfL puts Paddington to Heathrow at 28 minutes on the Elizabeth line, six trains an hour. Terminal 5 gets only two of the six, so every 30 minutes there.
  2. The Piccadilly line runs 05:00 to 23:30 with waits of no more than ten minutes. Outside those hours the Night Tube runs Friday and Saturday only and does not serve Terminal 4 at all.
  3. A black cab from the rank is metered with a £1.60 Heathrow charge on top, every cab must take contactless, and there is nothing to book in advance.

The Skylane’s read, built on the transfer times sourced above.

Crew mapHow London connects to the airport
  1. LHRHeathrow
  2. PaddingtonElizabeth line terminusSix trains an hour
Elizabeth line
28 min
To Paddington
City destinations
Closer options
Farther options
Last train back
Piccadilly line
23:30

Heathrow publishes the Piccadilly line as 05:00 to 23:30. Night Tube runs Friday and Saturday only and does not serve Terminal 4; the N9 bus covers the gap from Terminal 5 and Heathrow Central.

Schematic · not to scale
Neighbourhoods

  • South Bank and Borough

    The river walk and Borough Market, which is closed on Mondays.

  • The City

    The financial district: quiet at weekends, and walkable from the South Bank.

  • Soho and the West End

    Theatres, restaurants and the densest evening eating in the centre.

  • Shoreditch and Spitalfields

    Old Spitalfields Market, open seven days and later than Borough.

  • South Kensington

    The museum cluster, and the closest of the central areas to Heathrow on the Piccadilly line.

  • Camden

    Market and canal, north of the centre and a separate trip from the river.

What things costPublished rates only
  • Heathrow taxi rank charge£1.60Added by TfL to journeys starting from a Heathrow rank. Fares are otherwise regulated and metered, every taxi must have a working card device and accept contactless, and there is no surcharge for paying by card.Transport for London · Aug 2026
  • Terminal drop-off charge£7Every time a vehicle enters a terminal drop-off area, 24 hours a day, every day. All black cabs and private hire vehicles must pay it. Drop-off is free at the Park & Ride car parks, with a free bus transfer to the terminal.Heathrow · Aug 2026
  • Restaurant tip, if you want to10 to 15%Not expected: staff must be paid at least the National Minimum Wage regardless. Since 1 October 2024 employers must pass on 100% of tips and service charges with no deductions beyond tax and NI, so a card tip does reach the staff.VisitBritain · Aug 2026
  • Hotel porterAbout £2For a porter who carries bags. In taxis the custom is to round the fare up to the nearest pound rather than to work out a percentage.VisitBritain · Aug 2026
  • Gatwick wifi, paid tier£5 per 24 hoursFor 100Mbps, or free with a myGatwick account. The free tier runs at up to 50Mbps after an email sign-up form. Relevant if your slip puts you at the other airport.London Gatwick · Aug 2026

Only rates the operator or the authority publishes. Anything not listed is not published, so treat a figure from anywhere else as somebody’s estimate.

Reality checkThe full section

Local laws that catch crew out

The traps that catch crew here are blades, cannabis, and open alcohol on the transport network, and all of them come straight from UK government departments and TfL.

  1. Drug possession is charged by class and the maximum penalties are serious: up to seven years in prison, an unlimited fine or both for Class A, up to five years for Class B, and up to two years for Class C. Cannabis is Class B in the UK and is not decriminalised, whatever the position is where you are based.

  2. Carry any medicine containing a controlled drug in your hand luggage when entering or leaving the UK, and be able to prove it is yours with a prescription or a letter from your doctor. If you are not a UK resident you need a letter of proof giving your name, your travel dates, a list of your medicine with quantities, doses and strengths, and the signature of the person who prescribed it. You can bring up to three months' supply, and anything above that will be taken away.

  3. Knives are the law crew most often get wrong. It is illegal to carry most knives or any weapon in public without a good reason. The exception you can carry without one is a folding pocketknife with a cutting edge no longer than three inches that is not a lock knife, meaning it has no button, spring or catch you have to use to fold it. The maximum penalty for carrying a knife or weapon illegally is four years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.

  4. On TfL buses, trams and trains, in bus and rail stations and on tram platforms you must not consume alcohol or be in possession of an open container of alcohol. TfL states you may be prosecuted if you disobey these requirements.

Sources (5)

On the ground in London

A Heathrow Express train arriving at its platform under the airport.David Monniaux / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Getting out of the airport

Black cabs wait at ranks outside each Heathrow terminal and can be taken from a rank without booking. Fares are regulated and calculated by the taximeter. TfL adds an extra charge of £1.60 for journeys starting from a Heathrow taxi rank. There is no extra charge for paying by credit or debit card, and all taxis must have a working card device and accept contactless.

Getting out of the airport in full
Sources (9)
A London black cab parked on a street.Colin Smith / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0

Ride-hailing

Minicabs and ride-hailing cars are private hire vehicles. TfL requires them to be pre-booked through a TfL-licensed private hire operator, and they cannot ply for hire or use taxi ranks. TfL states that unbooked minicabs are illegal, not insured to carry passengers, and pose a serious risk to their passengers.

Ride-hailing in full
Sources (6)
Staying connected

Free wifi at Heathrow and Gatwick; PAYG SIMs and eSIMs sold with no contract or credit check.

Heathrow: free wifi across all terminals on the network "_Heathrow Wi-Fi" (note the leading underscore). Register once with an email address and it lasts the duration of your stay; free internet kiosks also in every terminal.

Staying connected in full
Sources (3)
People crossing Westminster Bridge under umbrellas in the rain.Lewis Clarke / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Weather

Mild maritime climate: pack for rain in any month, light layers year-round, and increasingly real summer heat with no monsoon or snow season to plan around.

Met Office Heathrow station data (recent complete years, 2020-2025): July-August mean daily maxima typically 23-26C; January mean daily maxima roughly 7-10C. Air frost is occasional in winter months, not the norm.

Weather in full
Sources (2)
Tipping

Tipping is optional, not expected: 10-15% in restaurants only if no service charge is on the bill, round up taxis, and by law staff now keep 100% of tips.

Tipping is not expected in Britain: staff must be paid at least the National Minimum Wage regardless. If service was good, a 10-15% tip in a restaurant is well received.

Tipping in full
Sources (3)
The entrance to Borough Market in London, busy with visitors.Jeremy Keith from Brighton & Hove, United Kingdom / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Out in London

Eating near the crew hotels

Food markets are the efficient layover feed: Borough Market by London Bridge (closed Mondays), Old Spitalfields open daily; carry a card, everything takes contactless but a few stalls do not.

Borough Market, beside London Bridge station (8 Southwark Street, SE1): Tue-Fri 10:00-17:00, Sat 09:00-17:00, Sun 10:00-16:00, closed Mondays. Busiest Saturday afternoons; entry free; hours change on bank holidays.

Eating near the crew hotels in full
Sources (3)
What to buy

No VAT refund on goods you carry home; street markets (vintage, food) are the distinctive buy, and cards work nearly everywhere.

There is no VAT refund for visitors on goods you take with you: in Great Britain tax-free purchase is only possible when the shop ships the goods directly to an address outside the UK, and retailer participation varies. Budget the sticker price as final.

What to buy in full
Sources (3)

Before your pickup

Keep London on your phone

Save the guide and its 8 sections now, and read them on the crew bus before you have a SIM.

Two guides side by side

Why you are here

London · Europe
Based here
What the job pays

Benchmarks for Europe, with the tax treatment and the allowances stated on every row.

Europe pay
RecruitingLondon
  • Fri, 16 OctoberEtihad Airways · London
The calendar
ReadingEurope
Sources & practical information31 sources · checked Aug 2026

Fares, timetables and rules change. Where a figure matters to your plan, the publisher above is the one to check.