Glasgow Airport is situated around the same distance from Edinburgh as London Stansted is from London Heathrow. However, what’s the best way to get between the airports when connecting between the two? Simple Flying decided to find out!
When transiting between airports, there is usually a range of different offers available to passengers. Some airports have dedicated bus services, while others may be connected by trains. The gap between Edinburgh and Glasgow is no exception, with a vast range of transit options on offer.
Train connections
Unlike some other airports, taking the train between Edinburgh and Glasgow isn’t the most straight forward of affairs. While a vast majority of major airports have some form of integrated train station, neither Edinburgh nor Glasgow do. This means that passengers must take public transport from the terminal to the train station.
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In Edinburgh, the nearest train station is Edinburgh Gateway. The train station is adjacent to the tram route that runs from outside the terminal at the airport. Meanwhile, in Glasgow, the nearest train station is Paisley Gilmour Street, just over a mile away from the terminal and connected by the number 757 bus. Unfortunately, there are no direct trains from Edinburgh Gateway to Glasgow, let alone to Paisley Gilmour Street.
If travelers are intent on taking the train between the two airports, the route with the least changes will see passengers taking the following route (price per adult during peak travel times with no discount):
- Take the tram from Edinburgh Airport to Edinburgh’s Haymarket station (26 minutes) – £6.50
- Board a Scotrail train to Glasgow Queen Street (40 minutes – 1 hour 25 minutes) – £15.30
- Take the Glasgow Airport Express (500 bus) from Buchanan Bus Station to the airport (≈15 minutes) – £8.50
In summary, the journey will take between 1:21 and 2:06 hours (connections excluded), and will cost £30.30.
Long-distance bus
Another option to travel between the two airports would be via a long-distance bus. While busses will take you from airport to airport, an interchange in Glasgow will be required. CityLink offers a bus service that runs between Edinburgh Airport and Glasgow’s Buchanan Bus Station. The service runs 24/7 with departures up to every 30 minutes.
Once at Glasgow’s Buchanan Bus Station, passengers will be required to transfer onto the aforementioned Glasgow Airport Express. Without connections, the entire journey will take around one hour and 15 minutes, with a cost of £21.
Private hire vehicle
Of course, if you’re in a rush or would rather the comfort of a private vehicle, you could opt for a taxi or private hire vehicle. At the time of writing, Glasgow taxi company Caledonian Cabs quoted £81.80 for a four-seater car or £119.45 for a six-seater vehicle between the two destinations.
Meanwhile, Uber quotes £71.70 for a standard or accessible car, £110 for a large vehicle, or £112.67 for an executive car. According to Google Maps, it takes 50 minutes to drive the 48 miles between the two airports.
Those traveling in a group of more than three people may well find this works out to be a fairly cost-efficient option, particularly when the reduction in stress and hassle is factored in.
You could always fly
However, there’s still one more option for getting between Edinburgh and Glasgow airport, one that happens to be well tailored towards avgeeks. Loganair operates direct flights from Edinburgh to Glasgow. Unfortunately, according to the airline’s booking engine, it is not possible to book the route.
The flight, LM496, is a tag flight from the airline’s Southampton to Edinburgh service that runs every Saturday. According to scheduling information, it is due to depart from Edinburgh at 14:30 before touching down in Glasgow at 15:00. However, data from FlightRadar24.com show that the flight can take as little as 12 minutes. To complete the short 48-mile hop, the airlines utilizes an Embraer E145 aircraft.
While it isn’t possible to book direct flights with Loganair between the two airports, the airline does offer connecting flights. The cheapest flights start at just £130 for selected dates in August and see passengers flying to Southampton to change. The total journey time is 3-hours 20-minutes, including a 40-minute layover. Again, the flights will be operated by Loganair’s E145 aircraft. According to Google Flights, a passenger’s carbon footprint on the itinerary will equal around 278kg.
British Airways
British Airways seems to be the cheapest option for flying between the two airports. Indeed, if booked in advance, flying from Edinburgh to Glasgow via Heathrow could even be less expensive than taking a taxi between the two. This makes British Airways perfect for those who many be chasing air miles, or just a few points off of a new status level.
It would, however, not be the best choice from a sustainability standpoint, although British Airways does offset 100% of its carbon emissions from domestic bookings.
If a passenger chose to fly with British Airways, a sample itinerary could look as follows:
- BA 1453 departs Edinburgh at 15:15. Following a 1-hour 25-minute flight, the A319 touches down in London at 16:40
- One hour and 35-minute layover at London Heathrow
- BA 1492 departs Heathrow at 18:15. Following a 1-hour 30-minute flight, the A320neo is scheduled to touch down in Glasgow at 19:45.
According to Google flights, the itinerary above will set passengers back by just £56 (at the time of writing). The passenger would be responsible for around 181kg of CO2.
Summary
In summary, the cheapest option is the bus at £21, closely followed by taking the train at £30.30. Private hire vehicles cost the most starting at £71.70 but are the quickest and most personal form of transport. Meanwhile, flying will set you back £56 but could be the right choice for those in need of a few more tier points.
How would you get from Edinburgh Airport to Glasgow Airport? Let us know in the comments!
