London City is the businessperson's airport with a single point of failure: the DLR is its only railway. When it strikes, there is no rail plan B — just buses, a near-miss Elizabeth line station, and the door-to-door option that never read the ballot.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup
Heathrow has three rail routes, Gatwick has a main line — London City has the DLR, full stop. A DLR strike doesn't reduce LCY's rail service; it deletes it.
The Elizabeth line passes tantalisingly close — Custom House is about a mile and a half away. Close enough to matter on strike days, far enough with a cabin bag to need a bus or cab hop to finish.
LCY's schedule is built around morning-out, evening-back business flying. Strike-day evening arrivals hit exactly when displaced Docklands traffic peaks — the pre-booked pickup earns its keep.
The strike-proof route. The Square Mile is 20–35 minutes, Canary Wharf 15–25, strike traffic buffered into the pickup time rather than your nerves. LCY's compact terminal means kerb-to-gate is minutes once you arrive — the car restores the whole time advantage the airport was chosen for. Arrivals get a name board, not a bus queue.
Running, slow, rammed. Routes 473 and 474 serve the airport and keep operating — while absorbing every displaced DLR passenger in Docklands. Fine with time to burn; brutal with a departure board ticking.
The hybrid. Ride to Custom House, then a bus or short cab for the last stretch. It works — book the hop rather than trusting a strike-day rank, and add buffer for the connection. Message us the train time; a car can be waiting.
Honourable mentions only. The Dangleway, river services and long walks all technically exist on the map. With luggage and a check-in deadline, they're anecdotes, not plans.
City, Docklands, the West End, Essex and Kent approaches — fixed quotes, buffer included.
Pickup point and flight time in — fixed quote, strike buffer, name board out.