London Arrival Question

[DMaugle]

We'll arrive in London mid-July for a cruise leaving Dover. We can fly British Air into Heathrow arriving 6am or US Air into Gatwick arriving 9am. I know Gatwick is closer but I was wondering if anyone would have input in regards timing and getting through these airports? US Air is a poor performer here in Philly and I find it difficult to imagine that they would do better abroad. I've also heard of various nightmares regarding Heathrow in general. Will it help to arrive very early? The return trips both leave around noon and we'll be staying in London proper so I didn't think that would be a determining factor but... Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. DMaugle

[Globaliser]

Are you thinking of arriving in London on the day that the ship departs? If so, an earlier flight and an earlier arrival time obviously gives you more cushion and more margin. But any individual flight may be unlucky and hit a big delay for any number of unforeseeable reasons.

 

You also need to think about the overall picture. Which airline will provide you with the better travel experience? It's not just going to be about choosing an airport. And while Heathrow is big and busy, and sometimes snarls up a bit as a result, the problems are usually relatively small and most flights and most people still arrive and depart on time.

[DMaugle]

Globaliser; We are arriving a day early and heading to Canterbury for the evening. Also spending two nights in London at the tail end of the trip. I've seen various comments about Heathrow but thought that arriving on an early flight might provide some benefit. We've never flown BA and considering the low esteem in which I hold USAir we'll probably give BA a try.

Regards, DMaugle

[Globaliser]

I've seen various comments about Heathrow but thought that arriving on an early flight might provide some benefit.

A 6 am arrival will get you there at the beginning of Heathrow's busiest time of the day, which starts at exactly 6 am because that's when the night restrictions lift and there is a steady and continuous stream of 747-size aircraft landing. But by mid-July, British Airways should be well settled in to Terminal 5, and hopefully things will be reasonably smooth.

 

The benefit I had in mind was more that if you planned for three more hours for getting from the airport to the ship, you were less likely to have something go wrong. But if you're staying overnight that night, then this is of less importance.

[lord of the seas]

The planes do start to land an hour or so earlier than 06.00.

I think that the choice of Airline is more important in this case.

[Globaliser]

The planes do start to land an hour or so earlier than 06.00.

But until 0600 the number of flights is very tightly controlled. At 0600 the restrictions lift and Heathrow begins to operate on a normal basis. So that is when the real rush begins.

 

The rush can be particularly bad when there are strong westerly winds, and the flights from North America reach the UK earlier than scheduled. Because those that do not have quota slots for landing before 0600 simply cannot land before 0600, there is often a lot of stacking in these circumstances. (Often, aircraft are also held on the ground at their departure airports - provoking a lot of ignorant grumbling about a "late departure" from their passengers.) Then, from 0600 there is a big rush of landing aircraft - often using both runways to land rather than just the normal one.

 

However, I agree with you about choice of airline - very important always, and particularly important where BA would get the OP into T5 at Heathrow.

[DMaugle]

Thank you very much for the input. We've booked USAir, into Gatwick and out of Heathrow, based on several factors most importantly the scheduled flight times. DMaugle

[whogo]

(Often, aircraft are also held on the ground at their departure airports - provoking a lot of ignorant grumbling about a "late departure" from their passengers.)

The ignorant grumbling could be minimzed if the pilot would inform the passengers of the reason for the delay as clearly as you have, Globalizer.