Huge discounts on Heathrow Connect to encourage commuting

Airport staff are being offered huge 75 per cent discounts on season tickets with the Heathrow Connect service in a bid to get more of them to use it for commuting.

The discount applies to weekly, monthly or annual season tickets compared to the normal price and is available from 1 September.

Heathrow Connect, operated jointly by BAA and First Great Western, runs every 30 minutes from London Paddington via Ealing Broadway, West Ealing, Hanwell, Southall and Hayes & Harlington to Heathrow Central for Terminals 1 and 3. The air-conditioned trains take 25 minutes from London Paddington to Heathrow Central, from where there are free connections every 15 minutes to both Terminals 4 and 5.

In 2009 over 600,000 journeys were made on Heathrow Connect and the new discount is being introduced to encourage more of the 77,000 staff based at the airport to use the service. British Airways staff based at Waterside are also eligible.

In order to benefit from the discount, airport staff need to take a passport sized photograph to their local First Great Western ticket office and show a valid company or Heathrow Airport ID card. A Heathrow Connect photocard will be made at the station and can be used immediately to buy a season ticket, which from 1st September will be half of the current staff fare and 75% less than a normal fare.

“We hope these fantastic new discounts will persuade more staff to consider leaving the car at home and getting the train to work. Heathrow Connect offers a regular, reliable service to the airport and is now cheaper than ever before for airport workers.” said Theo Panayi, Heathrow’s Transport Strategy Manager.

For further information on services and times staff can call Heathrow Connect on 0845 678 6975 or visit www.heathrowconnect.com. The website www.heathrow.com/commuter helps airport staff to make better travel choices and improve their journey to work and save money, time and help the environment.

New staff fares are as follows:

- Paddington to Heathrow weekly/monthly/annual ticket is now £12.05/£46.28/£482.00 (was £24.10/£92.55/£964.00)

- Ealing Broadway, West Ealing, Hanwell to Heathrow ticket is now £8.85/£34.28/£354.00 (was £17.70/£68.55/£708.00)

- Southall and West Drayton to Heathrow ticket is now £7.80/£29.98/£312.00 (was £15.60/£59.95/£624.00)

- Hayes & Harlington to Heathrow ticket is now £4.90/£18.83/196.00 (was £9.80/£37.65/£392.00)

- The discount can also be offered as part of a rail season ticket from stations between Hayes & Harlington to Reading, including connecting branch lines from Henley, Marlow, Windsor and Greenford.