flarmip

That's not the question being posed here. It's a question of whether the airline is obliged to point out the necessity of paying the airport (or some other party) for access.

There are airports where you literally have to pay a fee to buy a ticket to access security; in that case it's obvious that this has to be pointed out during purchase; I don't really see that this would be any different but obviously in the case of LHR it's a moot point.

KARFA

I think this is getting ridiculously off topic now.

aks120

Like most threads do on FT these days ..... It is getting ridiculous now people - stop it!

aks120

davidcamp6

[QUOTE=flarmip;35698899]That's not the question being posed here. It's a question of whether the airline is obliged to point out the necessity of paying the airport (or some other party) for access.

There are airports where you literally have to pay a fee to buy a ticket to access security; in that case it's obvious that this has to be pointed out during purchase; I don't really see that this would be any different but obviously in the case of LHR it's a moot point.[/QUOT

A moron in a hurry would know or understand that getting to the airport is on them. Don't get me on to the nonsense of warning people that hot coffee is hot, or milk contains dairy or the such like.

ratechaser

I cracked and went Sofitel for our next trip. Expensive but a 6:55am flight, a couple of inexperienced travellers in tow, and lots of baggage. Worth the outlay for the convenience in the morning...

Crampedin13A

I used to stay at the Sofitel but unless I had a stupidly early morning flight it's not for me anymore. For me having a good sleep is the most important and the last few times I found their beds just terrible whereas my go to hotels HGI T2/T3 and Hilton T4 work very well for me. If the HGI T2/T3 rates are silly I use points. Only time I would stay at the Sofitel would be to use an Amex Travel Credit. I don't find the slog to T5 that bad from either of the other two.

Caerbannog

We think the Thistle is OK - the rooms are spacious and tidy; public areas not so enticing. Often the hotel + breakfast + 15d parking costs about the same as T5 Long Stay. Add 2x �7 ppax for the pod which is more fun than a bus or taxi.
But we are HBO on our next trip so contemplating walking along the Karfa route. Streetview confirms that there are 'no pedestrian' signs at the bus bridge - just a crossed-out picture in a red circle with no words. I have searched the highway code and road traffic legislation and cannot find such a sign. They are widely available in different designs for health-and-safety purposes. Does anyone know for sure whether these signs have any statutory force? Obviously, if you were squashed by a bus then the driver would have a reasonable defence.

corporate-wage-slave

I suspect it's an offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988 or similar, it's a requirement for all road users, including pedestrians, to comply with signs, and this sign does appear in my printed copy of the Highway Code. I further suspect it's a breach of the Heathrow by-laws, a breach of which won't be a criminal offence. If you want a cast iron insurance against something bad happening then you're not going to get it here. Risk management, on the other hand, is an entirely personal matter. Basically the bridge wasn't built wide enough for a full pedestrian pavement so HAL presumably covered themselves by the sign. It's narrow but to my mind safe, if going single file.

KARFA

It�s clearly marked as not being for pedestrians, no dispute from me on that. However I have walked over many times, sometimes in view of police or Heathrow Security, and have never been challenged. So the risk is virtually zero.

Caerbannog

Thanks for the reassuring replies. I have found it now as 'know your traffic signs on gov.uk

catkin78

Is the parking very close to the hotel and how are the stairs?
Edit: Thistle T5 - The Purple parking 'hotels with parking' deal

corporate-wage-slave

Welcome to Flyertalk, and welcome to the BA forum. The Thistle has car parking all around (and in between) the buildings. There are several hundreds of parking places, over 400 I would say. The hotel doesn't have a lift, but it's a low rise set of buildings, Half the bedrooms are on the ground floor, and most of the buildings have only a second floor. But the restaurant and bar are a bit higher up, almost like a third floor, and as far as I can tell you need to be able to handle those stairs to get there.

CharlotteC

I stayed at the Sofitel last month having not stayed there since 2020, it is tired and ridiculously expensive. They have certainly made Club Millesime access much more expensive- I think the minimum you could spend to get access was �330, so I went for the basic room at c �200. Food was expensive and poor in the restaurant and the service was scrappy and the room had chewing gum on the floor and in the bathroom which hadn�t been cleaned properly. I couldn�t be bothered to change rooms but complained on check out and in the review! But you pay for convenience! Looking forward to the day the Taj Vivanta finally opens if it ever does, it will be Terminal 2/3 but should make the Sofitel up it�s game

westmidlandsguy

I always choose Premier Inn over any hotel at Heathrow. I normally go to the hotel straight after work and my flight leaves early the following morning so I don�t see the point in splashing out more money!

xenole

As I've said, it's price dependent for me. Used to book PIs more often when they were sub-�40 on say Bath Road.
Quite often they're hitting �90 now, and sometimes not that much difference from other chains I may have status with, or could earn with.

�200+ for the Sofitel has never been value for me even if it does save 5-10 mins travel time on a short overnight stay.

Added:
Trying out the MAN HI at present. �145/night (blew some points rather than cash), so not cheap especially as the HIX on Thorley Lane was around �89 (Premier Inns next door just under �60). Very similar to the LHR Bath Road HI.
LHR may be cheaper on average....