London City Airport: Let’s Fly

I think I’ve fallen in love. Not with another man, or a pair of shoes, or even a dazzling summer shade of nail colour. No, I’m in love with London City Airport.

Sitting just a few miles from Canary Wharf and Docklands, it’s the only airport actually in London, and primarily serves the business community. For these reasons it’s not very large, sophisticated or glitzy. You can’t dine in style at a choice of 20 different restaurants, or stroll through a vast array of shops as you would in the West End. Hell, it doesn’t even have a fancy website.

But it feels local and laid back, and boasts the lowest check-in times compared to any other airport in our city. Gone are the hideous queues of families and befuddled tourists. The security checks are hassle-free and there are none of the usual treks to distant departure gates. It’s all plain sailing – or flying – here, and it’s this simplicity that is so alluring.

Only last week I flew to Brive in France, with CityJet, from my new love, and it was one of the most enjoyable flights I’ve had in a while. For starters, when booking the flight, the price you see is the price you pay. No hidden taxes or fares – we know whose those culprits are. Not even a credit card fee in sight. All bags, even golf equipment, can go in the hold for no extra costs (unheard of for budget short haul flights these days). Drinks and on board snacks are also gratis. Incroyable! I can’t remember the last time I paid so little, and got so much.

Granted the planes aren’t state of the art, but mine stayed in the air long enough to get me to the new Brive airport. And with the super-fab 15-minute check-in time it all makes sense. How many hours of my life have I wasted at an infuriatingly long check-in desk?

Being so easily accessible means City Airport is also cheap and easy to get to. At an hour’s tube and DLR ride, door to door, the commute is painless and only costs £2.40. A far cry from the Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted express trains that come in at around £15 a pop, one way. Or the dreaded coaches that crawl down the motorway and leave you feeling nauseous before you’ve even stepped into the airport.

My only worry is that once everyone clocks on to this east London gem it’ll just become another giant aero-mall; another giant headache. Surely Stansted and Luton started off life as unassuming local landing strips? And now look at them. I can’t stand the thought of letting my new love go down the pan. So, shhh, let’s keep this one a secret.

London City Airport
Hartmann Road
E16 2PX