Heathrow questions

[ducklite]

On 7/9/2019 at 9:50 AM, Highpeaklad said:

We usually aim for 1.5 - 2 hours before. Others may be more cautious- we turned up at Manchester 2 hours before the flight closed and we were in the last half dozen with the terminal being like a ghost town. 

Manchester serves 1/3 the number of passengers each year.  Apples to Oranges.

[Host Bonjour]

On 7/3/2019 at 1:50 AM, Cotswold Eagle said:

 

Neither of which appear to be particularly relevant to the OP’s question about flying from Heathrow...

 

OP, if you are still following, Google Maps is currently (0645 UK time) showing a 37 minute journey time by car from Victoria Street (its default ‘Westminster’ location) to T3 at Heathrow. 

 

On 7/9/2019 at 10:21 AM, wowzz said:

 

Surely, anecdotal information has not lost all relevance, nor the interest in sharing or attempting to be kind among fellow travelers. Experiences traveling in high season through busy airports, or following suggested guidelines simply don't always go as planned, and sometimes they do.

 

Seemed like maybe it might be helpful, more than a few of us here thought, to different accounts of the best laid plans....going right and going wrong, i.e., there's no exact science to this get to the airport thing. Of course, maybe it's not helpful to share stories but it didn't seem to be a question with an exact answer–get to the airport in 3 hours 35 minutes. Unless maybe arriving by helicopter or something, I don't know, but even that would be weather-dependent. Sometimes a bit of extra information helps when sorting things out in the planning stages, especially if international travel is new, the airport or destination is new etc. 

 

Does this help–I doubt it? Arriving at Gatwick for an eight A.M. flight only to discover there is no plane available and won't be until....oh, later. It turned out to be about six or seven hours later. No, it wasn't easy jet or ryanair or Monarch (since defunct). Things just happen. We got meal vouchers for food.

 

The bottom line is, everyone has different comfort levels and ultimately, very little control over a vast system that for the most part, operates fairly well. One can only do their best and do so with good intentions. 

 

 

[Milhouse]

On 7/9/2019 at 9:20 AM, gnome12 said:

Is there a non-peak departure time for Heathrow? I'm departing on AC to Toronto (from T2) on Sunday August 4. Any suggestions on how early I should get there? Also, I will take the Piccadilly line from King's Cross/St. Pancras to the airport. I have checked that there are no planned works on that line, so it is a single (long) trip out. How long should I give myself for the tube ride? Ultimately, what time should I leave my hotel (Premier Inn St. Pancras) to get to Heathrow? I'm grateful that I don't have to rush; I don't plan on doing anything Sunday morning. I'll probably give myself extra time to have some lunch before departure, since I don't know when we will be fed. I'd just like to know the parameters.

 

We flew out of Terminal 2 on AC869 to Toronto on Tuesday two weeks ago.  Departure time was 8:30am (but delayed).  We were able to shortcut via J class but check in and security lines did not look long at all.  The walk to the B gates was kind of a trek though.  And IIRC, our initial boarding time seemed fairly early too; like 7:40am.

[bluesea777]

On ‎7‎/‎9‎/‎2019 at 11:34 AM, Highpeaklad said:

I would still be happy aiming for 1.5-2 hours. 

 

Have you ever flown out of Heathrow???? No way would you be able to reach your AA flight gate in time as they are 20-25 mins walk from the departure lobby!!

 

Please do not mislead the OP.

 

 

Edited July 13, 2019 by bluesea777

[bluesea777]

On ‎7‎/‎9‎/‎2019 at 12:20 PM, wowzz said:

So,  allowing for 15 minutes to get through security, and another 15 minutes to get to some of the furthest gates, with the flight closing 15 minutes or so before departure time, with 1.5 hours you actually just have 45 minutes to check in. 

Too tight for me. 

 

Boarding the plane now starts approx. 40 mins before. Also the AA gates are a long (20 mins) trek from the departure lounge.

 

Yeah, far too tight for us also.

 

[bluesea777]

On ‎7‎/‎9‎/‎2019 at 1:47 PM, Cotswold Eagle said:

Your hotel is a few minutes walk from the tube station, the Kings X to Heathrow T2-3 journey takes a tick under an hour (frequency every ten minutes or so) and there’s a bit of a walk from the station to the terminal at Heathrow. In total from exiting hotel to arriving in terminal it will take somewhere between 75 and 90 minutes. 

 

How early you should arrive at check-in is a very personal thing as you can see from above - varies from 90 minutes to 4 hours 😧 T2 has many self service machines to check in (if you didn’t already do so) and print your luggage tags, and then a shared bag drop zone. 

 

OP is flying out of Heathrow T3, not T2. 

 

LHR T2 is a brand new terminal - rebuilt about 2 years ago so there are many self-service.

 

Remember, the OP is flying to the USA, so the security is much higher in T3, and the AA's security is also beefed up. So allow extra time. It's summertime.

 

[Cotswold Eagle]

14 minutes ago, bluesea777 said:

 

OP is flying out of Heathrow T3, not T2. 

 

LHR T2 is a brand new terminal - rebuilt about 2 years ago so there are many self-service.

 

Remember, the OP is flying to the USA, so the security is much higher in T3, and the AA's security is also beefed up. So allow extra time. It's summertime.

 

That’s true, but I was clearly responding to the poster immediately before the post of mine that you quoted, who is flying from T2 to Canada. 

Edited July 13, 2019 by Cotswold Eagle

[feathersandnananose]

On 7/1/2019 at 12:08 PM, ducklite said:

Heathrow is known for very long lines for everything.  I am connecting there later this year from an EU country with my bag checked all the way through to the US and am still rather uncomfortable with my two hour connection time and no terminal change.  I wouldn't want to have less than three hours on arrival to check bags and clear security.  My experience is that lines for security are a bit shorter in T3 than T5, but lines to check bags can be a full 45 minutes plus.

I second this.  We had a connecting flight (Copenhagen to Heathrow/ Heathrow to LAX) witha full  3 hours to get from one gate to the other.  In the same terminal.  We were on our feet in line for most of that time.  Maybe it was just BA, but it was AWFUL.  Multiple security / passport/ gate checks.  Long lines.  No time to grab a snack or...visit the facilities.  It was awful.  I will NEVER connect through Heathrow again.  EVER.

[Highpeaklad]

On 7/11/2019 at 4:56 PM, ducklite said:

Manchester serves 1/3 the number of passengers each year.  Apples to Oranges.

 

No. It was to show when people show up for checkin. For that flight 100% of people had checked in at 2 hours before the flight. 

The minimum check in time was 1 hour before. 

[Highpeaklad]

9 hours ago, bluesea777 said:

 

Have you ever flown out of Heathrow???? No way would you be able to reach your AA flight gate in time as they are 20-25 mins walk from the departure lobby!!

 

Please do not mislead the OP.

 

 

 

Yes. I have flown out of Heathrow many times and I stand by that. AA check in closes 60 mins before flight time so yes I would be happy arriving 30mins to 1 hour before that. Some people need/want longer which is fine. I’m simply giving my opinion. 

Edited July 14, 2019 by Highpeaklad

[gnome12]

12 hours ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

That’s true, but I was clearly responding to the poster immediately before the post of mine that you quoted, who is flying from T2 to Canada. 

Yes, and I understood exactly. Thanks. 

[ducklite]

On 7/13/2019 at 9:21 PM, Highpeaklad said:

 

No. It was to show when people show up for checkin. For that flight 100% of people had checked in at 2 hours before the flight. 

The minimum check in time was 1 hour before. 

Again, it's apples to oranges.  Have you ever even been to LHR?  I'm guessing not. Check in might close an hour before, but if there are another 20 people still waiting in line ahead of you to check in at that point, it's irrelevant as to when it closes in relation to the flight.

Edited July 16, 2019 by ducklite

[Highpeaklad]

1 hour ago, ducklite said:

Again, it's apples to oranges.  Have you ever even been to LHR?  I'm guessing not. Check in might close an hour before, but if there are another 20 people still waiting in line ahead of you to check in at that point, it's irrelevant as to when it closes in relation to the flight.

 

That was a general example to show how early people tend to show up for check in.

 

I’ve flown from Heathrow loads of times and never had to hurry or run or nearly miss a flight yet. 

[Ergates The Ant]

Check with your airline advice. If they say allow 3 hours, arrive 3 hours before. If you get held up by queues at check in / bag drop, and then through security, and risk missing your plane, at least you didn’t contribute to the problem. 

Check your travel insurance, what does it cover for missed flights because of airport delays or delays en route caused by traffic, public transport failures etc.

A lot depends on your financial circumstances. If you are happy to pay on-the -day prices for a later flight, assuming there are seats available on one, because you missed your booked one, then take your chances. 

I always plan to arrive at least three hours before any flight at Heathrow, especially transatlantic ones where there may be additional security checks. If the worst happens, I can at least prove that I followed the airlines advice and hopefully get rebooked onto a later flight. If the best happens, and I am through security smoothly and quickly, and managed to get my shoes on, and my belt back on before my trousers fall down, I can relax with a wander round the shops, or a snack. 

Ask your car service to allow you to arrive three hours before. They will also know local rat runs to avoid the inevitable traffic jams at that time of the morning.

Good Luck