How much luggage can I bring?

For every ticket on our airport transfer services you are allowed to bring the following luggage:

• one suitcase/large bag per ticket (your airline's standard checked/hold baggage size and weight)
• one small item of hand luggage per ticket (your airline's standard carry-on bag size and weight)
• one small handheld item/handbag/laptop-sized object per ticket

Please note that your luggage is your responsibility and although there are helpers to assist you at the airport and the University, you will be required to carry your own luggage once you reach the UK.

Extra Luggage

If you need to bring additional luggage, you will need to buy an additional ticket.

If you have not paid in advance, you will be able to purchase additional space for luggage on boarding the coach. However, we cannot guarantee that space will be available, and you may need to use the Excess Baggage Facility at the Airport.*

Please also note that items deemed to be "oversized baggage" by your airline, or that are otherwise beyond the size and weight limits imposed by your airline upon hold luggage, will not be able to be transported unless you seek approval by contacting us in advance. Most importantly, remember that there are several shops near campus so you can always buy anything you need.

*If you bring more luggage than the luggage allowance, you will need to use the Excess Baggage facility at the airport, doing so before the departure time you are allocated. The Excess Baggage facility is not a University service, and there will be an additional charge for this. If you are using an alternative transport service, please check your details with the service provider directly.

Why do tickets cost the amount they do?

Tickets are £19.50 from London Heathrow Airport and £5 from Birmingham International. We hire our coaches through a reputable provider, Johnson's Coaches, and set our coach prices as low as we possibly can in order to cover the operational costs of the service based on usage levels from previous years. The vehicles that Johnson's Coaches use have a luggage hold with the same suitcase capacity as the number of seats on the coach, so the ticket price is the same whether you're buying an extra seat or an extra suitcase/bag in the hold.

If you're travelling from London you may be able to find cheaper travel from other, larger providers, such as National Express, but our service should provide a smoother experience, especially for first time travellers. Our team will meet you at the airport, travel with you on the coach, ensure your keys are brought to you on the coach and then advise you where to get off as the coach stops at accommodation drop-off points on campus.

For more information on alternative options, please visit our travelling independently pages.

I have a disability or impairment, will the airport transfer service be accessible?

If you have a mobility impairment that will prevent you from boarding a standard coach, please contact us before making a booking so that we can advise you further. The standard airport transfer vehicles used may be unsuitable for your needs, but we will try to accommodate you, or advise you on the best alternative way to reach the university campus.

Unfortunately, it is unlikely that we will be able to accommodate students with mobility impairments on the day without an advanced booking, so please do contact us as soon as you can. If you have another disability or impairment you would like to make us aware of, but that will not prevent you boarding the coach, please provide details in the accessibility section of the online booking form, and this will be passed on to the Welcome Team members at the airport.

Where will I be dropped off on campus?

The coach will travel directly to campus.

Your first stop will be the on-campus bus interchange to allow any non-campus residents to get off and take onward travel.

It will then stop at our accommodation key collection hub, and staff will board the coach with keys for campus residents.

The coach will then travel around campus and make multiple stops near different on-campus accommodation blocks. A member of our team will be on the coach to advise when to get off.

I've never travelled to the UK before - do you have any advice?

Visit the UK Council for International Student Affairs websiteLink opens in a new window for general onward-travel advice for international students arriving in the UKLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window.

Please consider your luggage when planning onward travel - there is limited space on trains, and particularly on buses, for suitcases and bags. Coaches and taxis provide the most amount of space.