DougH Posted July 24 #1 Share Posted July 24 How long should I allow after I land in Heathrow to clear customs and get to the Nationsl Express terminal for a ride to Southampton. I had allowed two hours but just got notice of a schedule change and now have only 1hour 10 minutes. Take into account I walk slow, is this makeable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gumshoe958 Posted July 25 #2 Share Posted July 25 3 hours ago, DougH said: How long should I allow after I land in Heathrow to clear customs and get to the Nationsl Express terminal for a ride to Southampton. I had allowed two hours but just got notice of a schedule change and now have only 1hour 10 minutes. Take into account I walk slow, is this makeable? It should be, but the big unknown is baggage reclaim which can be very hit or miss at LHR. On a bad day it’s not unknown to wait an hour for your luggage to appear. Border control is normally pretty quick as long as you have a biometric passport and are eligible to use the automated e-gates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sddsddean Posted July 25 #3 Share Posted July 25 Have you already got your NE ticket? Did you pay the extra £5 to allow you to change it at the airport?(All terminals have an NE office in them if you need help). As gumshoe says, your two bugbears are baggage and what is happening at border control that day...customs should not be an issue. Bear in mind, if you are arriving T4 or T5, the coach stop is just outside the building. If you are at T2or3, you have a good 10 minute walk to Central Bus station to get the coach. Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gumshoe958 Posted July 25 #4 Share Posted July 25 2 hours ago, sddsddean said: Have you already got your NE ticket? Did you pay the extra £5 to allow you to change it at the airport?(All terminals have an NE office in them if you need help). As gumshoe says, your two bugbears are baggage and what is happening at border control that day...customs should not be an issue. Bear in mind, if you are arriving T4 or T5, the coach stop is just outside the building. If you are at T2or3, you have a good 10 minute walk to Central Bus station to get the coach. Simon Sadly National Express closed all their ticket offices at Heathrow during the pandemic and never reopened them. All ticketing issues now have to be resolved by phone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sddsddean Posted July 25 #5 Share Posted July 25 Wow! Didin't know that gumshoe. Like everything else it seems, you have to sort stuff out on your phone!! Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougH Posted July 25 Author #6 Share Posted July 25 I went online and moved to a later bus. I now have about 2 1/2 hours after I land. I know they have no onsite offices from past experiences and I have the longer walk to the station. I did buy the ticket that allows changes and have an extra day in Southampton before my cruise so no rush. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sddsddean Posted July 25 #7 Share Posted July 25 Sounds like a plan…gives you a bit of wiggle room! Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bull Posted July 25 #8 Share Posted July 25 4 hours ago, DougH said: I went online and moved to a later bus. I now have about 2 1/2 hours after I land. I know they have no onsite offices from past experiences and I have the longer walk to the station. I did buy the ticket that allows changes and have an extra day in Southampton before my cruise so no rush. Much more sensible JB 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ombud Posted July 31 #9 Share Posted July 31 National Express Coach driver didn't check the ticket time last year. My ticket was correct but 2 others were just told to board the almost empty bus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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