London City is the smallest of the six London airports and the most undervalued. Single runway, eight gates, ninety airlines combined. What it lacks in network breadth it makes up for in turnaround speed — which is the only thing that matters when you're flying for a meeting.
Why LCY beats Heathrow for same-day business
Three reasons.
Walking distance to the gate. LCY's check-in to security to gate is typically under 10 minutes off-peak. Heathrow Terminal 5 alone is a 20-minute walk on top of security. For a 90-minute Frankfurt flight, gate proximity saves an hour each way.
No connection nonsense. LCY runs only point-to-point — there's nothing transiting. That means thinner queues, less luggage drama, and turn-up-90-minutes-out is realistic rather than risky.
Restricted runway = shorter flights. The 4.5° glide-slope approach means smaller aircraft only. Embraer 190s, A220s, occasional ATRs. Less cargo, less ground handling, faster boarding-to-takeoff sequences.
The catch: the route network is short. LCY serves about 40 European destinations and that's it. If you're flying intercontinental, Heathrow is your option.
The Southampton run
LCY sits in the eastern Docklands. From Southampton the route runs via the M3 / M25 (Junction 13 northbound) into the A13 — total ~95 miles. Typical chauffeur time is 130-150 minutes off-peak, 150-180 in rush hour.
The route is on our fixed-fare schedule at £190 in a standard saloon. Executive saloon and minibus prices are quoted at the per-mile rate (typically £230-260 executive, £280-320 minibus).
For business travellers we'd usually recommend executive class for the LCY run — extra legroom and quiet matters when you're working in the car en route, and the price difference is moderate over the distance.
Timing notes
LCY's location near London City Airport DLR station means it's possible to combine a chauffeur drop with public transport on the return. The other way works too — chauffeur back from LCY to Southampton if you're returning late and the trains have shut.
If you're booking the round trip, the return discount knocks 5% off the inbound leg automatically — see volume and return discounts for the mechanics.
What we time the pickup against
For outbound flights from LCY, we recommend the chauffeur pickup time to land you at the airport ~90 minutes before your scheduled departure. The 90-minute window covers:
- 10-15 minutes from car drop-off to inside the terminal
- 15-20 minutes for bag drop (if any)
- 15-20 minutes for security
- 15-20 minutes at the gate before boarding starts
That leaves a 20-30 minute buffer for unexpected delays. Tighter than the Heathrow 2-hour rule, but LCY is built for it.
For inbound flights, we track the flight number and adjust pickup to your actual landing time. The included 60 minutes of waiting starts when wheels touch the runway, not at your booked time.
Booking
The LCY landing page is at /airports/london-city with the full fixed-fare contract for new bookings. Or get a quote directly.
For pre-flight questions or schedule changes, reach us at hello@fare1.co.uk — including a contact number on the booking helps us reach you if your flight changes.