Rail strike: How can you reach the airport by practice?

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As the first strikes by practice drivers in 2024 take impact, airline passengers are dealing with widespread issues attending to and from airports by rail.

The lengthy and bitter dispute between the practice drivers’ union, Aslef, and 14 practice operators in England is into its third calendar 12 months. With no settlement in sight to the lengthy and bitter row over pay and dealing preparations, Aslef are stopping work region-by-region over the course of every week between Tuesday 30 January and Monday 5 February.

The impact is exacerbated by a nine-day ban on extra time operating from 29 January to six February.

The UK’s busiest airport, London Heathrow, will stay accessible always on the Heathrow Express, the Elizabeth Line and the Tube. But different main airports might be badly affected – with most trains cancelled on strike days. The extra time ban will even trigger some cancellations till Tuesday 6 February.

Passengers utilizing London Gatwick might be considerably affected on the first day of strikes, Tuesday 30 January, when no Gatwick Express nor Thameslink trains will run. But passengers between London and Gatwick will have the ability to journey on a Southern shuttle service, nonstop between Victoria and the airport. The GWR hyperlink from Gatwick to Redhill, Guildford and Reading will run usually on 30 January however not on 5 February.

London Stansted may have an hourly skeleton service to and from the capital on Friday 2 February, with “service alterations” on all the different days of the extra time ban. The hyperlink to Norwich might be axed on 2 February, however CrossCountry trains to Cambridge (and on to Birmingham) will nonetheless run. On 5 February, although, no CrossCountry trains will run to Stansted airport or anyplace else.

Luton airport will stay accessible by rail, no less than from London, on all days: on the Thameslink strike day, 30 January, Thameslink may have a diminished service from London St Pancras to Luton Airport Parkway. In addition, the East Midlands Railway hyperlink might be operating. On 3 February, when no East Midlands Railway providers are prone to run, Thameslink might be connecting Luton airport with London, Bedford and Brighton.

Southend airport: hourly trains on Friday 2 February with restricted hours.

Southampton airport is not going to be served by South Western Railway on Tuesday 30 January nor by CrossCountry on Monday 5 February.

Manchester airport may have a drastically diminished rail service on Wednesday 31 January. With Northern and TransPennine Express drivers on strike, there might be solely an hourly hyperlink on Transport for Wales to and from central Manchester, Chester and North Wales.

Birmingham airport is prone to be inaccessible by rail on Saturday 3 February, aside from Transport for Wales from Birmingham New Street.

Airports in Scotland and Wales with rail hyperlinks are unaffected by the industrial motion.