Quote Originally Posted by Bham1982 View Post
I don't believe this. Why would folks on business commonly take a train to the airport?

There is no comfort, speed, cost, ease, or convenience to such an endeavor.

I used to travel to London on business a couple times a year. The Heathrow express rail is about as good as airport-based rail can get. Unlike painfully slow London subways, or regular commuter rail, Heathrow express is direct, nonstop service, and the high price keeps out the regular commuters.

But why would business travelers take it? The express goes to Paddington station, which isn't near the major business centers. You have to take a taxi from Paddington anyways, so what's the point? Why not take a one [[taxi) seat ride direct to your destination instead of dealing with transfers, and fighting your away through unfamiliar train terminals?

There's also the constant fight to reduce receipts. You're always trying to reduce the number of receipts for reimbursement, so don't want to toy with multiple transit modes if you don't have to.

Now, for leisure travelers, I totally agree. Airport rail is quite useful. But I have used airport rail in NYC, London, Paris, San Francisco, Frankurt and many other cities, and never noticed a large number of business travelers.
I know plenty of business travelers who use public transportation, but it depends on how well the airport is served by transit and whether the transit connects directly to your destination. Even in New York it varies by which airport you're using. At Newark or JFK, which are easily accessible by transit, you see plenty of business travelers on the trains. OTOH, at LaGuardia, which can be a pain in the ass to reach by transit -- since it's only accessible by bus -- it's rare to see business travelers using public transportation.

Plus, a lot of business travelers are reimbursed for ground transportation expenses, which puts extra incentive for using more inexpensive modes when convenient.

I also have seen plenty of business travelers going for the Heathrow Express in London after landing, though I've never used it myself.