One ticket links Glasgow Airport and Edinburgh in about 1 hour
Citylink Air is a dedicated coach service that runs between Glasgow Airport (GLA) and Edinburgh, plus other Scottish cities, without forcing a swap between local buses and trains. Coaches pick up directly outside the main terminal area at GLA, serving both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 passengers, so you roll your suitcase straight to the stand instead of hauling it into Glasgow city centre first.
Typical journey time from Glasgow Airport to Edinburgh city centre comes in around 60–75 minutes, depending on traffic at the M8. Citylink Air uses full-size coaches with underfloor luggage space, so your checked bag or 23 kg suitcase goes underneath and you just keep a small cabin bag with you. Seats feel closer to intercity than city-bus comfort, which matters if you are coming off a 4–8 hour flight and still have another hour by road.
Timetables vary by season, but you usually see multiple departures per day instead of a once-a-day gamble; still, treat late-night or very early-morning flights with care and confirm exact times before you land. Tickets typically sit in the low double digits in pounds for a one-way trip between Glasgow Airport and Edinburgh, cheaper than chaining a £16–£18 airport bus plus a separate rail ticket. You can buy online in advance or pay at the airport, but advance fares sometimes save a few pounds.
At GLA, Citylink Air stops are signposted among the other coach bays near the main forecourt, within a few minutes’ walk from both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 arrivals. From Edinburgh, coaches use central stops such as Edinburgh Bus Station in the EH1 area, which plugs directly into local Lothian Buses routes and is about a 10–15 minute walk from Waverley rail station. That makes it practical if you are continuing by train to places like Dundee, Inverness, or Aberdeen after flying into Glasgow.
Refund rules and change fees sit much closer to train-style policies than airline-style; flexible tickets cost more but let you move between departures on the same day, while the cheapest advance fares can be tied to a specific time. If your inbound flight to Glasgow runs tight, that small fare difference can be cheaper than eating the entire ticket. Build a 60–90 minute buffer between your scheduled landing time and coach departure to clear immigration, collect bags, and walk to the stop without stress.
Practical tip: if your airline changes your arrival time by more than 1 hour, re-check the Citylink Air timetable that same day; shifting to an earlier or later coach online usually beats trying to sort it after you walk out of arrivals at Terminal 1.