Your tickets are booked, your bags are packed, and you’re getting stoked for your next holiday. There’s one problem, getting from Watford to Heathrow isn’t the most stress-free experience – something I came to realise as I prepared for my journey to Australia.
Luckily, a new bus service, RailAir, helped me get to Heathrow from Watford in the most easy, stress-free, and cheapest way I’ve experienced. Getting from Watford to Heathrow Terminal 2/3 in as little as 30 minutes, for as little as £9!
It’s worth mentioning at this point that RailAir has agreed to work with me on this post, however, this only came about after I’d already used them for my trips to and from Heathrow…so these aren’t their words and is based on my experience.
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Where else do the RailAir coaches operate?
RailAir 1 (RA1) – Reading and Heathrow
RailAir 2 (RA2) – Guildford-Woking and Heathrow
RailAir 3 (RA3) – Watford and Heathrow
Using RailAir to travel between Watford and Heathrow
Travelling from Heathrow back to Watford with RailAir
Overall summary of using RailAir
Where else do the RailAir coaches operate?
To give you a little bit of context on who RailAir are and where they operate I’ve created a quick summary of the three services, however, I have to be honest that I’ve only used the RA3 service so far.
RailAir 1 (RA1) – Reading and Heathrow
The RA1 one service between Reading and Heathrow is the ideal entry point for those travelling to Heathrow from the West of England and Wales, and avoiding needing to pay extra rail fares once you enter TFL territory or the uber-pricey Heathrow Express.
The RA1…
- Runs once every 30 minutes (ish)
- Costs from £22 for a single adult fare
- Travels between Reading Station and Heathrow Terminals 2, 3 & 5
RailAir 2 (RA2) – Guildford-Woking and Heathrow
Unlike the other services, the RA2 stops off at two rail stations between its journey to and from Heathrow. Depart Guildford once every hour and Woking every half hour, the RA2 is a fantastic entry point for those travelling to Heathrow from the South of England, such as Hampshire or even Gatwick Airport.
The RA2…
- Travels between Guildford & Woking and Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3
- Runs between Guildford Station and Heathrow once per hour
- Runs between Woking Station and Heathrow every 30 minutes (ish)
- Costs from £9.50 for an adult single fare
RailAir 3 (RA3) – Watford and Heathrow
For those travelling to Heathrow from Birmingham, the West Midlands and the North West, the RA3 runs between Watford Junction and the airport once per hour. With regular trains coming down from Birmingham New Street, hopping off at Watford can save a pretty penny and avoid paying for going into London’s Zone 1.
The RA3…
- Travels between Watford Junction and Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3
- Runs once between Watford and Heathrow once per hour
- Costs £9 for an adult single fare
- Allows children under 16 to travel free with an adult
Using RailAir to travel from Watford to Heathrow
Living in Watford, getting to Heathrow can be something of a nightmare. Between the stress of the road networks, the cost to park, the premium rates of taxis to the airport, and the introduction of the ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) around Heathrow, it’s not the nicest way of starting a holiday.
So, when I was looking at how to get from Watford to Heathrow to start my journey to Australia, I was keen to find something that didn’t require me to pay an arm-or-a-leg or take forever and day to arrive at Heathrow.
Checking the RailAir website, I spotted that the hourly service was incredibly convenient. The earliest service leaving Watford Junction at 3:55am – way earlier than the first trains/tubes that leave Watford – and (at £9 for a single ticket) far cheaper than booking a taxi.
Check out the rough estimates table I created to weigh up my options…
| Transport | Ticket Type | Journey Time | Journey Cost | Parking Cost | ULEZ Fee | Total cost(from) |
| RailAir | Single | 30 – 45 minutes | From £9 | n/a | n/a | £9 |
| Car | n/a | 30 – 45 minutes | n/a | From £7.50(short stay) | £12.50 | £20 |
| Train/Tube | Single | 1 hour 52 minutes | From £24 | n/a | n/a | £24 |
| Taxi | Single | 30 – 45 minutes | From £35 | n/a | n/a | £35 |
On the day of travelling, I met the bus at the Grove Mill Lane bus stop. The boarding was easy and to my surprise there were actually a few of us on the first bus of the day.
To board, all you need is the QR code that is emailed to you after booking. The driver simply scans the code, checks if you need a hand with bags/to store them in the hold compartment, and you’re off on your way to Heathrow.
A couple of tips when it comes to boarding from Watford:
- It’s worth being at the stop slightly before the bus arrives, so you’re not in a rush and can be sure you won’t miss it.
- While the driver is notified that they need to stop at the ‘optional’ stops, it’s always worth putting your hand out when you see the RA3 – or alternatively, checking with the driver that they need to stop one of the optional ones.
- Instead of using the booking site and using your email to get the code, you can also use the First Bus app (First Bus being the parent company of RailAir) to book and board the coaches.
Travelling back from Heathrow to Watford with RailAir
Returning back to the UK after 4 months away and having travelled for about 36 hours in total, on a day of strike action, I knew I wanted the most stress-free way to get from Heathrow back to Watford.
Some of the biggest stresses about landing and passing through Heathrow are obviously: “will my plane land on time?”, “how long will it take to get through border control?”, “how long will my bags take?”, and “how long does it take to reach the exit I need”.
With all the questions in my head, it reassuring to read that RailAir’s tickets “guarantee your seat on your specific bus journey”, however, if you’re delayed or plans change at short notice “tickets will be accepted on any journey on the day of travel (subject to available space)”.
Unsurprisingly, my flight tickets were a couple of those boxes. It was delayed landing and the baggage was equally delayed and took a while to arrive. So, obviously, I missed my planned coach but just 5-10 minutes.
Thankfully, after using Heathrow’s free rail ticket to ride from Terminal 4 to Terminal 2, I was glad to find that the coach stops (stop numbers 11 and 12) are super close to the Terminal 2 lifts (elevators); meaning A) I didn’t need to walk much more, and B) I could get a coffee in the Terminal while I waited.
After a short wait, the RA3 arrived and the driver simply scanned my QR after I explained the delay, and on I hopped. The leather seats felt like a dream after spending the better part of 30 hours on economy airliner seats, with the world passing by as made our way back from Heathrow to Watford.
In all, the return journey took less than 45 minutes, and, given this was at about 8:40am on strike action day, I was super impressed by the timeliness.
Some quick tips for catching the RA3 from Heathrow:
- Double-check with the driver if you’re hopping off at an ‘optional’ stop along the route, and if they switch drivers, recheck.
- Be sure to check the front of the bus before trying to board, the RA1 and RA2 also arrive and depart from the same stops.
- Leave time to get to the bus stations at Terminal 2 and/or 3. I travelled from Terminal 4, which took roughly 15-20 minutes to catch the Elizabeth line and use the travelators etc.
Overall summary of using RailAir
Overall, I found the service by RailAir super impressive, and considering the extortionate rates and hassle that come from using other modes of transport to Heathrow, it’s a breath of fresh air to be able to use a reliable and affordable…especially when you’ve got a long haul flight or have just come from one.
Running hourly and costing from just £9, the service is easy to time and certainly doesn’t break the bank.
The service also offers under 16s with free coach travel and for £18 a 30-day flexible return ticket, meaning if you’re a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids) you could get to and from Heathrow for just £36!
For more information about RailAir, visit their website.
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