Where's Johnny Jet: North of London & Across the Atlantic

Cheers from an undisclosed location (I'll tell you soon where I am). Last week we left off in Cologne, Germany (here's the link to the archives). This week we travel back to the States via England. The highlight -- besides taking Eos Airlines across the pond -- was a side trip to a little historic town north of London. If you want to come for the ride and learn about Bishops Stortford and a great low-fare carrier in Germany, what are you waiting for? Jump on board -- our jet is leaving.

Germany to England

I needed to get back to London for the return portion of my Eos Airlines flight. It turns out the cheapest ($51) way there was on Germanwings (one of Germany's low-fare carriers). Germanwings flies new Airbus (A319/320) aircraft to over 50 European destinations from Germany. As with all low-fare carriers, to get the lowest deals it's best to buy as far in advance as possible, or jump on a sale (they offer email alerts). Germanwings offers three flights from Cologne into Stansted Airport, 30 miles north of central London. Stansted is very popular with low-fare carriers, because landing fees are much cheaper. It was perfect: My Eos flight departed from the same airport, so I wouldn't have to trek from either Gatwick or Heathrow (London's major airports). Rather than cut it close, I took the early morning flight (7:10 a.m.).

Germanwings

Check-in took just two minutes; after another two to clear security, boarding was similar to Southwest Airlines. Germanwings does not assign seats -- the earlier you check in (starting two hours before departure), the sooner you can board to get the seat you want. We took off at 7:18. Flight time was only one hour, so I didn't need to purchase any of their food or drinks. More low-fare carrier advice: Be sure to find out which airport you're departing from and arriving at (it may be an alternate airport like Stansted). And be sure not to pack too much -- low-fare carriers tend to be strict about baggage allowance. Each Germanwings passenger (except those under 2 years old) can check baggage up to a combined weight of 20 kg (44 lbs). If you're over, be prepared to pay 7€ ($8.88) per kg (2.2 lbs), up to a maximum of 50 kg (110lbs). For more information, click on GermanWings.com.

Stansted Airport Hotel

I arrived in London at 7:25 a.m. (England is an hour behind Germany), and my Eos flight would not depart until 4 p.m. What would I do for nine hours? Instead of hanging out at the airport or schlepping my bags, I walked with a free luggage cart (which most international airports provide -- but usually not in the U.S.) two minutes from the airport to the SAS Radisson Hotel. Eos provides its passengers with free showers or discounts for rooms there. Normal rates are £99 ($185) a night, £65 ($122) for 6 hours and £45 ($85) for a 4-hour day room. The 500-room hotel is very chic, especially for an airport. Rooms are decorated in three styles: "Ocean," "Chili" or "Urban." My "Urban" room featured sensual red furniture and dark wood. My favorite part was the bathroom, with oversized fluffy towels, scented liquid soaps and a heated floor that made my cold bare feet warm and cozy. The hotel lobby is open, with views of the four individually designed restaurants -- including the Wine Tower Bar in the center, with a wine tower similar to Aureole in Las Vegas. You can see waitresses "fly" up the tower when someone orders a bottle. Filini offers a fantastic breakfast buffet, which turned out not to be cheap. £12.95 sounded reasonable at the time -- but I was tired, and forget to convert pounds to US dollars. When I snapped out of it I realized I had spent $24 for a buffet. Ouch! At least it was fantastic, and the hotel has an extensive health and fitness club to work it off. Radisson SAS Hotel London Stansted Airport, Waltham Close, London Stansted Airport, Essex, England; tel. 44-(0)-1279-66-1012.

Stansted Airport Hotel

After checking my email (wireless internet is free at the hotel) I decided to explore. The concierge said there was nothing within walking distance to see. He suggested I walk back to the airport and take the Stansted Express to either central London (47 minutes away) or to Bishops Stortford (eight minutes). I didn't feel like going all the way to London, so I jumped on one of the trains (they depart every 15 minutes). A same day roundtrip fare to Bishops Stortford was only £3.65 ($6.87). Be sure to get the same day round trip, because a one-way ticket costs just as much.

Bishops Stortford

The town of Bishops Stortford took its funny name from the ford over the river, now known as the Stort. Archaeological evidence suggests the Romans had several roads across the area. When you arrive at Bishops Stortford, use the bridge and cross over the tracks to the other side. Don't make the same mistake I did, which is to just walk outside onto the street and take a long, depressing walk into town. The other route -- which I discovered on the way back -- is an easy and lovely two-minute stroll. The town is charming, with thatched cottages, parish churches, village greens and forests. There are plenty of shops and grocery stores -- even a tourist center near a historic church. It was a fun two-hour side trip. It could have lasted longer had I bought one of the tourist center's walking guides (£3 = $5.65), with info on pub strolls and jaunts to waterside walks and rambles.

Eos Airlines

If you missed my unbelievable outbound flight to London on Eos, here is the direct link to the story (a link to the 2-minute video can be found at the bottom of this story). As you can see, I fell in love with the airline. Who wouldn't? Escorts to the front of the line at security, then a 757 that can hold up to 231 economy seats -- yet is outfitted with just 48 seats, all of which turn into flat beds. Come on! However, I found a couple of flaws on my 7-hour, 31-minute return flight. One: Eos' airport lounge in London is not nearly as nice as the one in New York. Two: The flight attendants on this flight weren't as amazing as the others. Don't get me wrong -- they were still good, but they did not bring the mid-flight snack through the cabin, or come by often with bottles of water. I know, I'm a freak, but at $3,250 one-way walk-up fares they gotta step up. It was probably just an oversight, and I'll be sure to let you know the next time I fly them (which I hope is soon). For more information on Eos, visit EosAirlines.com, or call 888/357-3677.

Getting to Connecticut

I landed at JFK around 7 p.m. There was no line at customs and this new terminal (4) was so much better than my last international arrival (Terminal 8). Instead of flying right back home to Los Angeles, I decided to visit my family in Connecticut (where I grew up) for a few days. Getting between New York's major airport and Connecticut is more difficult, and possibly more time-consuming, than some flights. I have no idea why Connecticut doesn't have easy, affordable access to the airport. Maybe it's because there are too many rich people who don't care about public transportation. I didn't take Connecticut Limo (which is far from a limo). I swore to myself I would never use them again, after repeated rudeness. Besides, they're not cheap: It costs $67 for one-way trip to Norwalk (only a 42-mile drive). At the ground transportation desk at JFK I asked about any options besides CT limo. The agent said "Prime Time Shuttle." They showed up in the quoted 30-minutes time. Unfortunately, the driver kept going to other terminals to get passengers until he filled up the van. Luckily, at the second stop a whole family jumped in. The first destination was a hotel out of the way in White Plains, NY. On top of that, the driver got lost. He made us all nervous as he read the map speeding down the thruway. I started to get angry like the others, and asked him to slow down. I asked why he didn't have a GPS system. "Too expensive." Of course! Two hours of a drive that should have taken half that set me back $63 (without tip -- which he didn't get). Next time I'll save time and money by taking AirTrain (I'll write about it next week).

Connecticut

When I unpacked my bag in Connecticut I discovered I had a little hand sanitzer gel in my carry-on. At the time this liquid item was considered dangerous, and banned from all airlines. Well, I took three flights and cleared three different security checks in three countries -- including Britain -- and nobody stopped me. So much for security. My trip to Connecticut was relaxing, as my family, friends and I took in the sun of the year's last summer days.

Video

Here's a 2-minute Johnny Jet Video of my original flight over on Eos Airlines. Here's a link to all JohnnyJet Videos ever made. With high-speed the video loads in about one minute; with dial-up, it could be three weeks.

Next Week

Next week we fly back to California for my TV screening, a trip to Santa Barbara, and an international flight to… Stay tuned.

Happy Travels,

Johnny Jet

Please tell us what you think of this week's newsletter!

Web Resources

• Bishops Stortford
• Days Out
• Eos Airlines
• GermanWings.com
• Local Today
• London Tourist Board
• Prime Time Shuttle
• Radisson SAS Stansted
• Rhodes Bishops Stortford
• Stortford History
• Visit Britain
• Visit East of England

John E. DiScala (aka Johnny Jet), is the founder of www.johnnyjet.com, the ultimate travel website and weekly newsletter. He logs over 150,000 miles a year, has been featured in over 850 articles (including Frommers.com, USA Today, Time, Fortune, the New York Times, CNBC and MSNBC), and has published the book, You Are Here Traveling With JohnnyJet.com.