Passengers on the Heathrow Express service from London Paddington to the airport may have been just a little surprised when a Fairy Godmother and a team of elf helpers boarded the service.

Between Monday 11 and Sunday 17 December, travellers were given limited-edition Heathrow Express branded teddy bears as an early Christmas present.  The teddies are expected to travel right across the world and Heathrow Express organisers are asking travellers to photograph their bears in their holiday destinations and then post the picture on social media.

The gift-giving campaign was kicked off on Monday by a sparkling Gemma Collins, the popular British TV star. She and her team of helpers jumped aboard one of the trains to launch the Heathrow Express Elf Concierge Service.

But, along with Gemma’s dazzling Fairy Godmother gown, the team of elves were spreading more than festive cheer.  They were on hand to help passengers with their luggage and to give onward travel advice. However, the magical, interactive service was further enhanced by a huge Christmas tree with giant baubles, each of which was worthy of a posting on Instagram.  Passengers were encouraged to take ‘s-elfies’ before departing Paddington.

More than 500,000 people are expected to use the Heathrow Express over the festive period, with many people taking the first Christmas break since the end of the pandemic.

Gemma Collins said: “It’s been great to help Heathrow Express launch their Christmas Elf Concierge service. I love this time of year and getting to spend it with family and friends. Hopping on board your train, safe in the knowledge that you’ve got a very cute teddy to gift a loved one at the other end is a really fun and lovely thing to do, and I’m delighted to be helping launch this magical experience and seeing these bears go global!”

Mark Eastwood, from Heathrow Express, added: “We’re very excited to launch our first Elf Concierge Service, which we hope will assist passengers jetting off on their winter breaks. Our team is expecting a record number of passengers to travel between Heathrow and central London over the coming few weeks and, with the help of our dedicated team of elf helpers, we hope we can make their journeys a little more magical.”