[pjmorris]

I've flown through Heathrow a dozen or so times, and have spent maybe $200 in various shops and restaurants. Outside the airport, I spent months working on projects, and both I and the projects involved much more than $200. An analysis that includes only direct spending misses the overall impact.

[AnimalMuppet]

All right, but if Heathrow was down for a day, what would you do? Cancel the trip, and never go at all? Or would you go a day later, or through a different airport, or fly to Manchester and take the train?

[seabass-labrax]

Even if the airline let you, why would you travel to Manchester? That's half a day and a £100 train fare away from London. There's still Gatwick, Stansted and Luton in 'London', plus Cardiff, Birmingham and Bristol as alternatives.

If money were no object even Amsterdam Schiphol or Brussels would make for a faster journey than Manchester!

[AnimalMuppet]

Hey, clueless American here. I confess I have no idea how far apart things are in the UK. "Closer than in the US" is all I've got.

[seabass-labrax]

Ah, right! Here's an approximate comparison then, measuring from one of the terminus stations serving central London, according to railway timetable data:

0h 30m - Heathrow

1h 00m - Gatwick

1h 00m - Luton

1h 30m - Stansted

2h 30m - Manchester

3h 00m - Birmingham

3h 00m - Bristol

4h 00m - Cardiff

Plus Channel Tunnel trains:

2h 00m - Brussels

4h 00m - Amsterdam

Looks like I was wrong about Manchester being further than Cardiff though!!

[masfuerte]

Birmingham airport to London is 1h 10m though there are slower services.

[Symbiote]

It's very reasonable, and I wouldn't hesitate to do this if it was a business trip.

Many flights have been diverted to Manchester, partly because airlines with flights to Heathrow also have flights from Manchester, but are less likely to have flights from the other London airports.

Manchester Airport railway station is 2 minutes walk from the airport's main entrance, I think using a covered walkway, or maybe it was underground. Going to London takes 2¾ hours with one change, trains run every 20 minutes.

It would be more convenient to be diverted somewhere a bit closer, but on the scale of an intercontinental flight it's not a big deal.

> Cardiff, Birmingham and Bristol as alternatives ... even Amsterdam Schiphol or Brussels would make for a faster journey than Manchester!

Cardiff Airport to London takes 3 hours by train, Bristol Airport about 2½ hours, both are less frequent. Amsterdam is four hours by train, Brussels is around 3 hours.

Birmingham (BHX) and East Midlands (EMA) are the only airports closer to London in travel time than Manchester.

[leoedin]

By what basis are Brussels or Amsterdam closer to London from Manchester? Manchester is a 2 hour train ride from London. Brussels is similar, but there’s at least an hour of mandatory security and waiting. Amsterdam is much further away.