Layover timing question

[Lucinarei]

Quick question about international layovers: if I fly from BOS to FCO with a layover in LHR (for example), how much time should I make sure to have between flights at LHR? Do I need to go through any sort of Customs/Immigration process at the layover stop or is there just a walk from one gate to another? Thanks!

[CruiserBruce]

As discussed here frequently, you have to go thru Passport Check(Immigration) at your first stop in Europe, and a very simple and fast Customs at your final destination. You will not claim your bags at LHR unless you are connecting with a discount airline that doesn't "interline" bags. (If this is true, you will go thru Customs as well at LHR).

 

LHR is pretty busy. I would want 2 hours there to be comfortable.

[Lucinarei]

Great- thanks! I travel to LHR once a year, but as the final destination, not a layover- it's always super busy! Thanks for your help!! :)

[Zach1213]

As discussed here frequently, you have to go thru Passport Check(Immigration) at your first stop in Europe

 

 

Sorry but this isn't true. Italy is part of Schengen, UK is not. OP, you won't go through any immigration at Heathrow. Immigration AND customs will be done at Rome on this itinerary. Security will be done at Heathrow, though.

 

It helps to know what airlines you're flying so we can tell you if you need to change terminals. That will impact recommended layover times.

[Gardyloo]

As discussed here frequently, you have to go thru Passport Check(Immigration) at your first stop in Europe, and a very simple and fast Customs at your final destination. You will not claim your bags at LHR unless you are connecting with a discount airline that doesn't "interline" bags. (If this is true, you will go thru Customs as well at LHR).

 

LHR is pretty busy. I would want 2 hours there to be comfortable.

This is incorrect. The UK is not a member of the Schengen group hence your transit through LHR will be a "sterile transit" with no immigration. You will go through border controls (passports) at your first Schengen stop, which in your scenario would be Rome. You go through customs (basically walking through the door into the world) at your final destination, e.g. if you connected in Madrid to go to Rome, since Spain is a Schengen country, you'd go through passport control at MAD, but customs at Rome.

 

At Heathrow you'd go through a security check and would need to show ID and your onward boarding pass, but you wouldn't enter the UK.

 

As for time between flights, there are "minimum connection times" (MCTs) published by airlines in conjunction with major airports. These vary from airline to airline, airport to airport. In the case of most large airports, e.g. Heathrow, much depends on the airline you arrive on, the airline you depart on, and whether or not a terminal change is required. In the case of LHR I would never allow less than 90 min. on, say, a British Airways - British Airways connection, even though both flights would probably use the same terminal. For any connections requiring a change of terminal, I'd personally never agree to anything less than 2 hours.

 

Other airports are different. Munich, for example, advertises MCTs as low as 30 minutes. That would make me very jumpy.

[Amerryscot]

Quick question about international layovers: if I fly from BOS to FCO with a layover in LHR (for example), how much time should I make sure to have between flights at LHR? Do I need to go through any sort of Customs/Immigration process at the layover stop or is there just a walk from one gate to another? Thanks!

 

You would be a transfer passenger in LHR so no need for immigration and customs. You follow the "transfer" signs when you arrive rather than "baggage reclaim".

 

The time it takes depends on whether you have to change terminals or not.

[Lucinarei]

This is incorrect. The UK is not a member of the Schengen group hence your transit through LHR will be a "sterile transit" with no immigration. You will go through border controls (passports) at your first Schengen stop, which in your scenario would be Rome. You go through customs (basically walking through the door into the world) at your final destination, e.g. if you connected in Madrid to go to Rome, since Spain is a Schengen country, you'd go through passport control at MAD, but customs at Rome.

 

At Heathrow you'd go through a security check and would need to show ID and your onward boarding pass, but you wouldn't enter the UK.

 

Great- thanks for this info. This is what I expected, but I wasn't quite sure. I did a search on the site, but there were so many answers, I couldn't be sure which were accurate.

 

Just to be sure I understand, if I were to have a layover in MAD, there would be a passport check- so I should figure that into my time scenario for my layover, right?

 

It helps to know what airlines you're flying so we can tell you if you need to change terminals. That will impact recommended layover times.

 

I'm just starting to look at flights for July and August '15, so I haven't booked anything as of yet. I figured I needed to get a basic idea of how much time I should be thinking about when I'm looking at flights with connections- there are very few non-stop flights from Boston to Rome, at least at this time. That could change as more flights get published. :)

[Zach1213]

Great- thanks for this info. This is what I expected, but I wasn't quite sure. I did a search on the site, but there were so many answers, I couldn't be sure which were accurate.

 

Just to be sure I understand, if I were to have a layover in MAD, there would be a passport check- so I should figure that into my time scenario for my layover, right?

 

 

Correct. Basically, any SCHENGEN city will be your immigration check, even if it's in a completely separate country. Even if your final destination is in Italy, if you enter the Schengen zone in Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam...and Madrid (amongst many others), you'll do your immigration check there. This also means your legal stay starts there. So if you have, say, 90 days in "Italy" without needing a visa, it really means 90 days in Schengen - 30 in France, 30 in Italy and 31 in Germany puts you over.

 

Customs is still done country by country, so Spain has no control over customs if you're heading to Italy.

 

The same goes for your exit - if you are flying Rome-Madrid-New York, you will clear exit immigration in Madrid; if you are flying Rome-London-New York, you will clear exit immigration in Rome.

[Globaliser]

Quick question about international layovers: if I fly from BOS to FCO with a layover in LHR (for example), how much time should I make sure to have between flights at LHR?

The time it takes depends on whether you have to change terminals or not.

Back to this question, the time you need depends also on the airlines that you're flying, (sometimes) the flight numbers concerned, whether you need or want extra time to make the connection less stressful, and your own personal risk appetite.

 

If the airline will sell it as a through-journey, then it thinks that you will usually have enough time (as it's then contractually on the hook if you misconnect). But there are many people who don't want to deal with the hassle of a misconnection even if the airline remains contractually obliged to get you to your destination.

 

If you can post more details of the candidates, then we can give more specific advice on this.

[Lucinarei]

If you can post more details of the candidates, then we can give more specific advice on this.

 

No actual candidates yet. I'll likely end up doing multi-flight city searches, but I can't find anything heading out yet, so I have no possibilities there. Most of the one-way flights (BOS-FCO) I'm finding have between 1 hour 45 minutes and 2 hour layovers in LHR, which seem to be enough time, based on the advice I'm getting here. Once the flights start becoming readily available, I'll definitely be back for advice. Thanks! :D

 

Correct. Basically, any SCHENGEN city will be your immigration check, even if it's in a completely separate country. Even if your final destination is in Italy, if you enter the Schengen zone in Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam...and Madrid (amongst many others), you'll do your immigration check there. This also means your legal stay starts there. So if you have, say, 90 days in "Italy" without needing a visa, it really means 90 days in Schengen - 30 in France, 30 in Italy and 31 in Germany puts you over.

 

The same goes for your exit - if you are flying Rome-Madrid-New York, you will clear exit immigration in Madrid; if you are flying Rome-London-New York, you will clear exit immigration in Rome.

 

Thank you!! :D

[FlyerTalker]

And remember that even though an airline may offer you one possible connection, you may very well be able to "force" your own connection using a later flight. On international itineraries, you have up to 24 hours for each connection (or the first flight out, whichever is longer). Thus, even though XYZ Airline wants to give you a 90 minute connect, you can still have a legal connection up to 24 hours.

 

Now, depending on fare bucket availability, the price may be higher or lower than what is offered. But know that you have the flexibility, as long as there is more than one flight per day to your next destination.

 

An example where this would and wouldn't be true. You want to fly to Barcelona on AF. You have 8 possible CDG-BCN flights per day, so you can construct your own connect using any of them. OTOH, you want to fly to Buenos Aires on Delta. They only have one flight per day via ATL, so you have only that one connecting option.

 

Don't be a slave to the airline computer system. ITA can be a great tool for those who want more than just point and click.