FCO/LHR question - Slider Girl, Flyertalk or anyone else

[cwtravel]

Hello-

Heading to Rome in late September for the Celebrity Silhouette. Since I am flying back to BWI and will do premium economy I will be on BA. I have two departure options from FCO, an 11:45am or 1:15pm. Given the issues with T-3 (and apparently BA cancellations) I am leaning towards the 11:45 departure but, how early would I need to be at the airport for this departure? The ship arrives into Civitavecchia on a Saturday.

 

If I do the 1:15 departure the connection time @ LHR is 1 hour 35 minutes, is that too tight for LHR? I have flown through LHR a few times but never made a connection back to the US.

 

Finally, heading to FCO I am considering taking the A380 flight from Dulles, which has an hour 25 minute connection to the FCO flight. Gets me to Rome a few hour earlier than the BWI flight & I could fly the A380. Would also be in WT+. Are the WT+ passengers off before economy and is an hour 25 minute connection, all most likely in T-5, too tight?

 

Thanks for your help,

Chris

[CruiserBruce]

If you look on the Italy board, you will see the common recommendation is no flights before 11am. Also, suggest private transport, not ship's transfers.

[tgmtgm]

Be aware that you will have to go through security screening again once you arrive in Heathrow from FCO, and most likely a change in terminal. Two years ago I had a 1 hr 20 min connecting time on BA returning from sailing on the Equinox. In a nutshell, we were delayed 35 minutes leaving FCO, and I was the second to the last passenger to board the fully packed 747 bound for LAX. Slightly unnerving to say the least.

 

Tony

[Globaliser]

Be aware that you will have to go through security screening again once you arrive in Heathrow from FCO, and most likely a change in terminal.

I'm not sure there's much likelihood of a change in terminals at Heathrow. FCO is operated to/from T5, as are both BWI and IAD.

 

95 minutes is OK for a T5-T5 connection, but the longer connection time would obviously tend to reduce the risks and the stress.

[Globaliser]

Would also be in WT+. Are the WT+ passengers off before economy ...

Not necessarily, but at IAD this probably matters less anyway if you're thinking about immigration queues.

 

WT+ is on the upper deck, so WT+ will usually disembark after upper deck Club and before upper deck economy. However, if upper deck disembarkation starts later than main deck disembarkation, then you could find that First and main deck Club have all disembarked before upper deck Club have finished. In that event, WT+ would be disembarking at the same time as main deck economy.

 

However, at IAD you still have to get a mobile lounge over to the international arrivals facility. The people who get into the queue first are those who get off the mobile lounge first, and if everyone obeyed the instructions those would be the last people to board the mobile lounge. It's always been funny to see the experienced jockeying for position on board the mobile lounge, although I haven't been to IAD since the change from when the mobile lounges connected directly to the aircraft (when the last person off the aircraft was frequently the first person into immigration).

[slidergirl]

I'm not going to be much help with the LHR transfers - I've only been through LHR twice (to/from Kenya), with American Airlines and Kenya Air.

Hopefully, some of the others on the board will be helpful.

[wrp96]

I agree with Globaliser. There won't be a change of terminals at LHR. If possible, I do recommend a longer connection time at LHR due to the fun that can be T5 transit security (I always seem to get the total jobsworth of a security guy but that's probably my bad travel luck), but 95 minutes should be okay - MCT on a T5-T5 itinerary is 60 minutes.

[cwtravel]

Thanks so much for the responses. One last question...is the World Traveler + cabin better/significantly better on the A380 vs. 767 on BA? The only premium economy cabin I have flown is with Qantas on one of their 747-400ER last year from Dallas to Sydney and thought for the price it was great! No way I would do a flight that long in economy.

 

I am definitely flying back from Europe to BWI so that leg will be on the 767, just wondering if the A380 IAD-LHR, which does cost a bit more, would be a better choice for the overnight flight & sleeping.

 

Chris

[Globaliser]

One last question...is the World Traveler + cabin better/significantly better on the A380 vs. 767 on BA?

There are pros and cons.

 

Off the top of my head, one advantage of the 380 is that the new version of the seat is fitted, with the best in-flight entertainment system that BA currently has.

 

However, the 767 has one big advantage: WT+ is configured 2-2-2. This means that the pair in the middle are both aisle seats. For me, that would be worth a lot - although funnily enough the only two times that I've booked WT+ in a 767 I didn't get to fly it. (Once, I was upgraded; the other time, I cancelled the flight.)