Oyster Card for the London Tube

Sign for the London tube
The London Underground

If you’re visiting London and planning to take the tube (officially called the London Underground), you can save money by getting an Oyster Card for the London tube.

The Oyster Card is available online (for UK delivery only), in all tube stations in London, and in select train stations in London for a cost of 5.00 GBP. This cost is refundable if you return your card at the end of your time in the city.

Once you purchase an Oyster Card for the London tube, you can add money to it using the machines in the tube stations and use it to enter and exit any tube station or overground station in London. It can also be used on some train routes between the capital and nearby cities.

The fare you pay is much lower when you use an Oyster Card for the London tube than when you pay for a ticket outright. It’s a great way to save money in London, so make sure to get one when you arrive.

Airlines That Fly to London

London is one of the busiest cities in the world as far as air traffic is concerned. All of the world’s major international airlines fly through London’s five airports, and there are smaller regional airlines that fly to London as well.

Below is a list of airlines that fly to London:

Aer Lingus
Aeroflot
Aerolineas Argentinas
Air China
Air France
Alitalia
American Airlines
Austrian Airline
British Airways
British European
British Midland
Cathay Pacific
China Airlines
CSA Czech Airlines
Delta Airlines
Egypt Air
Emirates Airlines
Garuda Indonesia
Iberia Airlines
Iceland Air
Japan Airlines
Kenya Airways
KLM
Korean Air
Kuwait Airways
Lufthansa
Malev Hungarian Airlines
Malaysia Airlines
Olympic Airways
Philippine Airlines
Qantas Airlines
Royal Nepal Airlines
Ryanair
SAS Scandinavian Airlines
Singapore Airlines
South African Airways
Sterling Airlines A/S
Tarom Romanian Airline
Thai Airways International
Tunis Air
Turkish Airlines
United Airlines
Varig Brazilian Airlines
Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Nigeria
Yemenia Yemen Airways
JAT Yugoslav Airlines
Air Zimbabwe

The list of airlines that fly to London changes as new airlines are created and existing airlines merge.

London Airport Guide

There are five major London airports, making air travel to and from London easy. The airports and their locations in the city are as follows:

London Heathrow Airport – Heathrow is located to the west of London. It is the major international airport in the city and is served by both short-haul and long-haul flights. To get from the airport to the city center, you can take the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground; the Heathrow Express or another train; a bus, a taxi, or a car service. More details can be found here.

London Gatwick Airport – Gatwick is located to the south of London. It is served by both short-haul and long-haul flights, and low-cost airlines like easyJet have flights to and from the airport. To get to the city from Gatwick, you can take the Gatwick Express or another train, bus, taxi, or car service.

London Stansted Airport – Stansted is located to the northeast of London, and is mostly served by low-cost airlines like Ryanair that travel on short-haul routes. You can get to the city by taking the Stansted Express train, a bus, a taxi, or a car service.

London City Airport – City Airport is the closest airport to the London city center. Located in east London, it mainly serves popular business routes. To get from City Airport to central London, you can take the DLR train, which connects to the London Underground. Alternately, you can take a bus, taxi, or car service.

London Luton Airport – Luton is located to the north of London. The airport is mainly served by low-cost airlines like easyJet, which is headquartered there. Most flights from Luton serve Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. To get from Luton to central London, you can take a shuttle to the train station at Luton Airport Parkway, where there are trains to the city center. Otherwise you can take a bus, taxi, or car service to get to London.

Transfer services are available between the London airports, either by bus, car service, train, or taxi. If you need to transfer from one airport to another, make sure you leave yourself a lot of extra time. Flight delays, train delays, and road traffic are all common in London, so it is always best to opt for a long layover if you have to change airports.