Boston to London is the shortest regular flight between the US mainland and the UK. The fastest nonstop takes about 6 hours 45 minutes, which is great for the budget but hard on sleep, because most departures leave Logan in the evening and land at Heathrow early the next morning. This guide covers who flies the route, which terminal you will land at, what you need before you board, and how to get from the airport to your hotel once you are through passport control.
We are Airports Taxi UK, a pre-booked airport transfer company, so the last part is what we do every day. We meet flights from Boston at Heathrow and Gatwick, track the flight, and drive you into London or wherever you are staying at a fixed price agreed when you book. A saloon from Heathrow to central London currently costs £67 one way, and the full price list is further down the page.
Who Flies Boston to London
Five airlines fly nonstop from Boston Logan to London Heathrow: British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines, Delta and JetBlue. Between them there are around four departures a day, with the first leaving in the morning and the last close to midnight. The daytime flight is worth a look if you hate overnight flying, because it lands in London in the evening and you can go more or less straight to bed at your hotel.
JetBlue also flies Boston to London Gatwick, but only in the summer season, from around May. Check which London airport is on your ticket before you book any onward transport. Heathrow and Gatwick are about 45 miles apart by road, and “London” on a booking site can mean either one. Getting it wrong on the day costs time and money, so it is worth a minute to check the airport code on your booking: LHR for Heathrow, LGW for Gatwick.
| Airline | London airport | Arrival terminal |
|---|---|---|
| British Airways | Heathrow | Terminal 5 |
| Virgin Atlantic | Heathrow | Terminal 3 |
| American Airlines | Heathrow | Terminal 3 |
| Delta | Heathrow | Terminal 3 |
| JetBlue | Heathrow, and Gatwick in summer | Terminal 2 at Heathrow |
Terminals can change, so check the latest information with your airline a day or two before you fly. When you book your taxi, the flight number is all we need; our system picks up the terminal and the live landing time from it.
Before You Fly: the UK ETA
US citizens need an Electronic Travel Authorisation, or ETA, to visit the UK. It costs £20, you apply through the official UK ETA app or the GOV.UK website, and most people get an answer within minutes. The Home Office still advises applying at least three working days before you travel in case your application needs a closer look. Airlines check for it at the gate, and without one you will not be allowed to board.
Once approved, the ETA lasts two years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first, and it covers any number of trips of up to six months each. Children need their own ETA too, including babies. If you hold a green card but not a US passport, check the rules for your nationality, because the ETA follows your passport and not where you live.
Landing at Heathrow After the Overnight Flight
Most Boston flights land between about 6am and 9am London time. London is five hours ahead of Boston for most of the year, so a 7am arrival feels like 2am to your body, and after a flight this short you may have slept for three hours at best. The good news is that US passport holders can use the eGates at UK passport control, which usually means a much shorter queue than the staffed desks.
After passport control you collect your bags and walk through customs into the arrivals hall. If you have booked with us, this is where your driver will be waiting with a name board. Because we follow the flight, it does not matter if you land half an hour early after a strong tailwind or an hour late after a slow departure from Logan. The driver adjusts to the real landing time and gives you time to clear passport control and baggage reclaim before the meeting time.
Heathrow to Central London: Your Options
The Heathrow Express reaches London Paddington in about 15 minutes, and the Elizabeth line and Piccadilly line are cheaper but slower, with the Tube taking around 50 minutes to the centre. All of them are good options if you are travelling light and your hotel is near a station. They are less good at 7am with two large cases, a jet-lagged family and a hotel on the far side of town from Paddington, which is where a car usually makes more sense.
A taxi from Heathrow to central London takes about 45 to 75 minutes depending on traffic. Early arrivals often hit the tail end of the morning rush on the M4 and the A4, so allow the longer end of that range if you land around 7am or 8am on a weekday. On a Sunday morning the same drive can be under 50 minutes.
Heathrow to Central London Taxi Prices
These are the fixed one-way fares our booking system quotes from Heathrow to central London (Trafalgar Square). Your exact fare depends on your hotel address and the date and time, and the booking form at the top of this page shows the price before you confirm. The fare is for the whole car, not per person, so it is often cheaper than the train for a family or group of four.
| Vehicle | Takes up to | One-way fare |
|---|---|---|
| Saloon | 4 passengers, 2 large cases | £67 |
| Estate | 4 passengers, 4 large cases | £74 |
| Executive | 3 passengers, 2 large cases | £87 |
| People carrier (MPV) | 6 passengers, 4 large cases | £86 |
| 8 Seater | 8 passengers, 8 large cases | £86 |
| Executive Minivan | 8 passengers, 8 large cases | £114 |
For hotels in Kensington or Earls Court, closer to Heathrow, a saloon is around £59. For the City and Liverpool Street it is around £79. Booking a return trip at the same time takes 5% off the return leg.
If You Land at Gatwick Instead
If you are on the summer JetBlue flight into Gatwick, the drive into central London is longer, usually 75 minutes to well over an hour and a half, and a saloon currently costs about £110. The Gatwick Express to Victoria takes around 30 minutes and is a good choice if your hotel is near Victoria. For anywhere else, or with a lot of luggage, the car saves you a change of trains at Victoria. See our Gatwick Airport taxi page for pickup details at the North and South Terminals.
Arrival-Day Tips for Boston Travellers
Hotel rooms in London are rarely ready before 2pm or 3pm, and your flight lands around breakfast time. Ask your hotel in advance whether early check-in is possible, and if not, whether they will hold your bags. Most will. That leaves you free to take a walk, have a proper breakfast and stay awake until the evening, which is the quickest way we know to get over the jet lag.
- Get some UK pounds or use a contactless card; almost everywhere in London, including buses and the Tube, takes card payments.
- The UK drives on the left. After a short night on a plane, it is not the day to pick up a rental car.
- Your US phone may charge heavy roaming fees. An eSIM bought before you leave is often much cheaper.
- Download the UK ETA app and apply before you book your flights, not the night before.
Groups, Families and Extra Luggage
A saloon takes four passengers with two large cases, which is tight for a family of four flying in for a two-week trip. An estate takes the same four people with four large cases, and a people carrier takes six passengers with four cases. For school trips, sports teams, wedding parties and families travelling together, our 8-seater takes eight people and eight cases for one fixed fare, and we also run 12-seater and 16-seater minibuses.
Child seats are available on request. Tell us the ages of the children when you book, as US and UK car seats are different and we need to fit the right one. Golf bags, strollers and ski bags are fine as long as we know about them, so we can send a car with enough room.
Flying Home to Boston
For the trip back, aim to be at Heathrow three hours before your flight. With a 45 to 75 minute drive from central London, that means leaving your hotel around four hours before departure, and a little earlier on a weekday afternoon. Most Boston flights leave Heathrow in the morning or around midday, so traffic is usually on your side. Tell us your flight time when you book and we will suggest a pickup time.
US travellers going home from Heathrow also go through security there, and Terminal 5 in particular can be busy in the mornings. If you are flying British Airways from Terminal 5 or with Virgin, Delta or American from Terminal 3, the driver will drop you right at your terminal’s departures entrance. See our British Airways and Virgin Atlantic terminal pages for more detail.
How to Book
- Enter Heathrow (or Gatwick) and your hotel address in the booking form at the top of the page.
- Pick the vehicle that fits your group and luggage.
- Add your flight number from Boston, so we can track it.
- Confirm, and you will get your booking confirmation by email.
On the day, your driver is waiting in arrivals with a name board. If anything goes wrong, for example a missed connection or a cancelled flight, just contact us with your new flight number and we will move the booking.
Questions From Boston Travellers
How long is the flight from Boston to London?
The fastest nonstop flights take about 6 hours 45 minutes to Heathrow. Flights back to Boston take longer, often around 7 hours 30 minutes or more, because they fly against the jet stream.
Which airport in London do Boston flights use?
Almost all of them use Heathrow. JetBlue also flies to Gatwick in the summer. Check the airport code on your ticket: LHR is Heathrow, LGW is Gatwick.
How much is a taxi from Heathrow to central London?
Our booking system currently quotes £67 one way for a saloon and £86 for an 8-seater. The price is fixed when you book.
Can the driver wait if my flight is late?
Yes. We track the flight, so the driver adjusts to the actual landing time rather than the scheduled one.