Flying out of Southampton

[stpointer]

Rather than returning to London and flying our of Heathrow, I am considering flying out of Southampton. Flying out of Heathrow requires an overnight stay in London.  Flying out of Southampton requires a connection.   Do you think it's possible to make a 9:15 am flight if my ship supposedly docks at 6:00??  Good idea of not??

[John Bull]

That would be a little tight. 

A bit risky.

 

Unassisted disembarkation at Southampton is normally around  7am

At that time delays in the terminal are normally minimal, you can probably be in a taxi from the line on the pier by 7.20.

The drive to the airport is about 20 minutes.

For  a FlyBe international (European) flight with luggage you need to arrive a minimum of 60 minutes before flight time  - I think this is regardless of whether you previously check-in on-line.

So you have wiggle-room of only about 30 minutes for any delays ranging from late docking to a traffic accident near the airport. 

 

Other airlines may have different check-in times.

 

Would a later flight to a different European hub be possible?

 

Even allowing for the much higher car transfer costs, direct trans-Atlantic  flights from LHR or LGW tend to be cheaper than flights from SOU via a connection in Paris, Amsterdam etc. (bear in mind that standard fares for Southampton flights include a minimal cabin bag, & luggage is charged extra. 

 

I'm torn on whether I'd risk it.

But it's your conundrum, not mine 😏

 

JB 🙂

 

Edited January 25, 2023 by John Bull

[stpointer]

Thank you for your advice!  Guess I better give this some more thought!!!

[John Bull]

Important news today - FlyBe has ceased trading, flights cancelled,

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64436500

 

JB 😟

[stpointer]

Oh boy!!!  Definitely must rethink our plans to return home to the USA. At the. moment, we plan to fly into Edinburgh and spend 3 days pre cruise.  (We've never been and there seems to be so much to see and do there.) Then fly to Southampton a day or 2 before our cruise.  Perhaps we should look into the train from Edinburgh??

[John Bull]

30 minutes ago, stpointer said:

Oh boy!!!  Definitely must rethink our plans to return home to the USA. At the. moment, we plan to fly into Edinburgh and spend 3 days pre cruise.  (We've never been and there seems to be so much to see and do there.) Then fly to Southampton a day or 2 before our cruise.  Perhaps we should look into the train from Edinburgh??

 

Edinburgh is def. well worth a visit.

Loganaiir and British Airways fly Edinburgh to Southampton 🙂

 

JB 🙂

[stpointer]

I've been busy researching Edinburgh and day trips from there (although our cruise does stop there, I. don't think 12 hours is enough!!!).  You wouldn't happen to have a recommendation for a hotel in Edinburgh...would you?  So many choices!!!

[gnome12]

1 hour ago, stpointer said:

I've been busy researching Edinburgh and day trips from there (although our cruise does stop there, I. don't think 12 hours is enough!!!).  You wouldn't happen to have a recommendation for a hotel in Edinburgh...would you?  So many choices!!!

I stayed at the Motel One Edinburgh-Royal in 2019. It is kitty-corner from Waverley railroad station. It is one long uphill block (or a long flight of stairs) to the Royal Mile. Right there were stops for the Airlink bus, the HoHo buses (all 3 lines) as well as some regular buses. Just across Waverley bridge is the new town. It was a fairly basic hotel, but I found it quite acceptable for 4 days. They also held a suitcase for me when I did a tour of the Scottish Highlands.

[John Bull]

Cant help with Edinburgh hotels - because we were on a road-trip and parking in Edinburgh is difficult we had a couple of nights at a hotel by a tram stop near the airport (city centre about 30 mins., trams every 7 mins.

We research hotels using https://www.booking.com/ because they provide the most comprehensive info and photos. Best location would be around the Royal Mile (aka High Street) or Waverley train station. 

 

You could make a decent fist of the city centre & castle on a port-of-call visit, but you'd need a day or three for day trips.

Quite close are

- Falkirk - or more accurately near Falkirk, the Falkirk Wheel and The Kelpies)

- Stirling - was the lowest point to cross the Forth.  Its castle is greatly more important historically and more dramatic than Edinburgh castle, if two castles in one vacation isn't overkill  Just outside Stirling are  Stirling Bridge (very inaccurate battle depiction in Braveheart), and  Bannockburn, site of another battle.

 

The Highlands (Glencoe, Fort William etc) or the Cairngorms (Braemar, Balmoral, the Speyside distilleries, etc) are both 3 hours from Edinburgh, but if you lodged somewhere like Stirling that'd knock off an hour.

 

JB 🙂

[fruitmachine]

1 hour ago, stpointer said:

I've been busy researching Edinburgh and day trips from there (although our cruise does stop there, I. don't think 12 hours is enough!!!).  You wouldn't happen to have a recommendation for a hotel in Edinburgh...would you?  So many choices!!!

You're right.  There are a huge number and at almost every price point.

 

The local buses are fantastic and frequent, and a day ticket is currently £4.40 for all you can use, so don't feel that you have to stay right in the centre where nightly rates are inevitably higher.  The city is very walkable for anyone with normal mobility.

 

If you do a bit of research, I'd  be happy to add a bit of local knowledge to a shortlist if you select a few candidates in your budget.

[nini]

Why would an overnight stay in London be required for flying out of Heathrow? We disembarked in Southampton in a timely manner and then shared a Blackberry cab to the airport and had several hours before boarding our plane.

[Cotswold Eagle]

7 hours ago, John Bull said:

Loganaiir and British Airways fly Edinburgh to Southampton

Strictly speaking, doesn't only Loganair fly the route and BA has codeshares on those flights? 😀

Edited January 28, 2023 by Cotswold Eagle

[John Bull]

31 minutes ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

Strictly speaking, doesn't only Loganair fly the route and BA has codeshares on those flights? 😀

 

 

That's kinda what I thought too, my feathered friend .

But I couldn't see any reference to it  - so I chickened-out of mentioning it 😏

 

JB 🙂

[Cotswold Eagle]

5 minutes ago, John Bull said:

 

 

That's kinda what I thought too, my feathered friend .

But I couldn't see any reference to it  - so I chickened-out of mentioning it 😏

 

JB 🙂

😂 Still, the key point is there are non-FlyBe options, whoever actually flies the planes...

[gumshoe958]

BA does fly Southampton to Edinburgh - but only once a week, early on a Sunday morning, and not year-round.
 

So for all intents and purposes that route is operated by Loganair, who codeshare with BA, up to five times a day (but fewer at weekends).

 

For cruise passengers, there’s usually a flight somewhere between noon and 2pm Monday to Saturday. Sundays are trickier as there’s a big gap in departures in the middle of the day.

 

[stpointer]

• JB.....you didn't mention St. Andrews. This seems to be a must for hubby!

[John Bull]

4 hours ago, stpointer said:

• JB.....you didn't mention St. Andrews. This seems to be a must for hubby!

 

Golf isn't my scene - I tried a few times but struggled to get past the windmill, the giant mushroom  & the dragon's teeth 😏

 

Googlemaps tell me that the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is about 60 miles / 75 minutes north-east of Edinburgh via the Queensferry Crossing (no toll charge) over the Firth of Forth.

Or direct half-hourly train to Leuchers then a local 10-minute bus ride.

 

Sorry,  know nothing about the course or bookings.

 

JB 🙂

 

Edited January 29, 2023 by John Bull