I am flying from Birmingham international at 1.30 PM
Ryanair suggest we should arrive 2 hours before.
Google maps says it should take around 2 hours door to door via the M6.
I was thinking of leaving at around 8AM, allowing 3 hours to get there and 30 mins to park and get to the terminal.
Is this realistic/safe?
Thanks
Ian
|
If you can, go by train... Piccadilly to International is 1 3/4 hrs.
Far less hassle as well.
Drive down the busiest part of the M6 on a weekday at that time you have to be mad...
|
I think you'll arrive well early but i'm like you and leave some time in hand for problems.
Goes against the grain but i would advise using the M6 toll if you are running late for any reason.
nips off to wash mouth out with soap and water in self disgust...;)
|
|
If you're thinking of doing the journey in the week and leaving at that time there is a good chance you'll be late. I'd certainly look into the train.
|
|
Thanks for the replies. I should have said that this is for tomorrow!
|
Monday morning is the busiest time of the week for motorways. Likely to be hold ups even with holidays reducing overall traffic volume.
B'ham Intl rail station is next to the airport.
Where in North Manchester are you? It might make the difference between driving and taking the train,
|
Barring a complete disaster I think you should be fine, especially with it being school holidays.
The trouble with going at 8AM though, is that you'll be right in the thick of the "rush-hour" so it's likely to be a nerve-racking journey.
|
|
Prob a bit late now but sometimes a stay in a hotel with parking included is only just a bit more than the parking fee alone. Would have saved a lot of worrying about traffic!
|
|
|
|
If you can go by train... Piccadilly to International is 1 3/4 hrs.
100% agree, the best solution by far.
|
There are direct trains tomorrow morning (Monday) from Piccadilly to Birmingham International, according to the Network Rail website, at 5am, 6-27am, 7-26am, 8-27am and 9-27am.
The 5am train takes two hours, 13 minutes and the others around one hour, 50 minutes.
See: ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/en/pj/tt
|
|
|
We will be driving. It's just a case of when to leave.
This is a trip we take once or twice a year to visit the inlaws in northern Denmark.
The easiest option is Manchester to Billund with BA but very expensive.
The budget option is usually Stanstead to Aarhus leaving Manchester (Prestwich since you asked Espada) at 2 or 3 in the morning to fly out at around 7.
We even did Manchester to Hamburg and hired a car.
Birmingham seemed great, being closer than Stanstead. I just didn't think about the timing.
On the return journey, we land in Brum around midnight on the Saturday, so hopefully no concerns about traffic.
Should I leave now? :-)
|
I note RyanAir suggest 2hrs, but what's their cut-off time? In reality you've probably got at least another hour.
It's the 8AM start that would make me nervous - I drive down South a lot and that's an awful time to leave.
I used to regularly work in our Oxford office and would leave home near Chester at 5AM and be sitting in the office at 7.30AM. Any later than 5AM and the journey would stretch by multiples of the number of minutes later that I left.
|
What a load of drama queeners on here!!
I make that journey regularly and it's rarely an issue even during Monday morning rush hour. If you go the M6 toll route, chances are you'll not dip below 60 the whole way (apart from at the toll booth of course!). If you go the regular M6 route, allow 60 mins extre, though it's rarely more than 30 mins delay.
M6 J19 to BHX I would say 90 minutes to 2 hours. Allow 2 and a half hours for good measure.
|
|
|
Stuartli, I was in the middle of typing when you posted.
My comment that we are driving looks a bit rude after you have kindly taken the time to look up train times.
The 2 hours is a suggestion by Ryanair if there are bags to check in. Check-in is upto 40 mins before departure.
|
The problem is often J17 - J14 southbound. There are often hold ups and it can be busy. The fact it is holidays might help. I'd certainly have a plan B route if there are hold ups on route.
Also worth checking traffic situation before leaving and via mobile (a little costly) whilst travelling - get the passenger to do this of course.
|
Drama queens or not, if they do it "regularly" then the train could be the easier option - on the basis that they are booking ahead on Ryanair to get the cheapest flights and that would also enable them to book ahead on the train to get cheapest tickets...
Ok, so not door to door, but at 50p a mile minimum in a car, sometimes the train can be cheaper...
Though not in this case as its last minute!
|
An early booked train probably would have been the best option for getting to Birmingham for 11AM on a Monday.
Thanks for all the replies. We are going to leave at 7AM
I'll let you know how we get on.
50p/mile? How do you get to that figure?
I can comfortably get 35mpg, so obviously some other things to factor in.
|
>>50p/mile? How do you get to that figure?<<
Annual cost of depreciation, insurance, repairs, road tax + petrol divided by annual mileage.
Safe journey and happy holidays.
|
Re the train v car costs viewpoint.
It depends, I would suspect, on how many people are involved as to whether the car is the cheapest option in comparison to the total amount in rail fares.
|
Taking into account hundreds missed flights with Ryanair because they didn't open enough check-in desks (11 for 255 flights) at Stanstead yesterday... I'd get there early. I do know the OP is going to Birmingham.
And some luggage went without passengers which I didn't think was allowed.
|
Why anyone flies with Ryanair is beyond my comprehension..:-)
|
Apart from absolute chaos in Stanstead one Easter, we have never had any problems.
£170 with Ryanair against £500+ with BA.
The BA option is a very comfortable 30 seater turbo prop with free food and drinks.
Not sure it's worth the extra £300 on a 1.5 hour flight.
|
£170 with Ryanair plus drinks, food and toilet fees...
£1200
:-D
|
Why anyone flies with Ryanair is beyond my comprehension..:-)
We nearly did once - but had to cancel. Actually you cannot cancel. Told them forget the money but let someone else have the seat. But no you cannot cancel. They treat you as a no-show.
Looked at it again and then realise you often fly to somewhere far away from your real destination and arrive in the middle of the night.... how do people cope.
But this is thread drift... lets home Primera97 gets to the airport in time.
|
my daughter and her husband flew from Heathrow to Venice last year on a "cheap" airline - she worked out afterwards that, with all the add-ons, they could have paid only a slightly larger sum and gone with BA.
There would have been no hassle with luggage, food, drinks etc and been better value for money.
|
We left at 7AM and arrived at the airport around 9.15.
The only heavy traffic was between J11 and J9 on the M6. We had enough time not to use the toll.
A good holiday with good weather.
Back to work tomorrow :-(
|
Thanks for the feedback.
I bet if you'd left at 8AM as originally intended then the busier traffic would have made the journey much more stressful.
|
|
|
|
|
|
