How much layover time is needed in London Heathrow

Hi All!

My husband and I are celebrating our 10 year anniversary by going on a Mediterranean cruise out of Barcelona. I have never been over seas, and he was 16 last time he went to Europe.

We are looking at flights from Denver, Colorado to Barcelona, and one flight in particular from British Airlines that would give us a 1 hr. 55 min. layover in London Heathrow. We will most certainly have a couple of checked bags. Having never flown internationally (I've travelled the Caribbean by cruise ship!), I have no idea what to expect and if 1 hr. 55 min. is enough of a layover. Our other option allows for about a 4 hr. layover, but then we don't get into Barcelona until 7:30.

From those of you familiar with London Heathrow, I would appreciate any first hand experience or advice!

Thanks so much!

That is not enough time in LHR. It is a HUGE airport, and you will probably need to change terminals. If it's 1:55 coming in from Denver there is no way you will make the connection. Take the longer connection, you will need it.

LHR is a zoo, specially during rush hour.

I've already spent 1.30hrs in line at security. And that was the "Priority" line.

For your bags it should be quite ok. But for yourselves, it might be a challenge. Because that 1.55hrs includes getting off the plane, walking and security. And the time your flight leaves is the departure time. In all fairness, I think you still need to substract about 10mins because that is when most airlines start their offloading procedure. So if your flight comes in on time, you'd have a connecting time of 1.45hrs, maximum.

I'd go for the 4 hours connecting time if you don't want any additional stress.

But on the other hand, things might just be fine as well. Just my personal experiences above.

I would go for the shorter connection. My experience changing in LHR from one BA flight to another is pretty good. I think you'll probably stay within the Terminal 5 complex. If so, the airport setup and staff is pretty efficient in getting you through the system. You also have the wind aiding you going east so you are less likely to be delayed going into London. Finally, if you do miss do to the short connection, BA will just reschedule you on a later flight.

I am sure you'll get more feedback from real LHR experts.

We connected in Heathrow last year, and it took us a little over an hour to deplane, visit the loo, take the shuttle from T? To T? (Can't recall the numbers), go back through security and get our departure gate. And that was with expedited security. DH's carry on bag was randomly chosen for a complete inspection, and there were a dozen bags ahead of his. We would have made the flight with 1:45 to connect, but also would have been sweating it and nervous. So we were happy to have the longer connection. I highly recommend it.

Not all Heathrow connections are identical, that's an important distinction here. Heathrow has 5 terminals. British Airways (BA) primarily use Terminals 3 and 5.

Your Denver flight will arrive into Terminal 5, your flight to Barcelona will go from Terminal 3.

You'll take a bus between the terminals and you'll reclear security at what's known as Flight Connections Centre and that's it.

You'll get your LHR-BCN boarding pass at DEN.

You'll clear immigration and customs in BCN.

Any checked bags will be sent to your BCN flight automatically.

http://www.britishairways.com/assets/pdfs/information/airport-information/lhr-connections/LHR-Flight-connections_Terminal-5-to-Terminal-3.pdf

I'd take the later flight if I were you. If you're flying Club World/Club Europe or First you can just go to one of the many lounges available to you in Terminal 3 during the layover.

Hi All!

 

My husband and I are celebrating our 10 year anniversary by going on a Mediterranean cruise out of Barcelona. I have never been over seas, and he was 16 last time he went to Europe.

 

We are looking at flights from Denver, Colorado to Barcelona, and one flight in particular from British Airlines that would give us a 1 hr. 55 min. layover in London Heathrow. We will most certainly have a couple of checked bags. Having never flown internationally (I've travelled the Caribbean by cruise ship!), I have no idea what to expect and if 1 hr. 55 min. is enough of a layover. Our other option allows for about a 4 hr. layover, but then we don't get into Barcelona until 7:30.

 

From those of you familiar with London Heathrow, I would appreciate any first hand experience or advice!

 

Thanks so much!

1 hr 55 min is normally enough. Most of the times I have flown from the US to Heathrow the flight has been early so you might get even more time. If you miss your flight, BA will put you on the next available flight.

1 hr 55 min is normally enough. Most of the times I have flown from the US to Heathrow the flight has been early so you might get even more time. If you miss your flight, BA will put you on the next available flight.

The catch is that no one knows when the next flight will be, that has two available seats, so if you miss the flight, you could easily end up arriving in BCN later than if you'd just taken the later connection to begin with.

Sure if all goes well, you could make a 1:50 connect at LHR. But LHR is well known for things NOT going well...super long security lines are but one example. This is your first European trip, and your husband's first as an adult. You don't want to be a nervous wreck, so my advice is to take the longer connection. So you get to Spain a few hours later. In the grand scheme of things... who cares?!

if you are on the same airline for both flights you will be fine with the short lay over . if not go for the longer one. I live in the UK and an all too familiar with LHR

if you are on the same airline for both flights you will be fine with the short lay over . if not go for the longer one. I live in the UK and an all too familiar with LHR

Have you factored in immigration? I think OP said two British Airways flights so luggage might be checked through; I am not sure. The other worry is that as transit passengers changing terminals could mean technically entering UK going through immigration and returning through security. This might add significantly to the process. I would find the longer layover a bit more comfortable particularly when trying to get off first aircraft and being blocked in by all those who were more casual because they have got there. The terminals issue does it for me.

Regards John

You aren't talking about an extra 12 hours. Two hours is not a long time in the big picture. If things take less time then have a meal or browse the duty free. If things take longer, you will be happy for those two hours. Personally I prefer the least amount of stress when I travel on an international holiday, even if it means a slightly longer journey, higher ticket cost, extra hotel night, etc.

Have you factored in immigration? I think OP said two British Airways flights so luggage might be checked through; I am not sure. The other worry is that as transit passengers changing terminals could mean technically entering UK going through immigration and returning through security. This might add significantly to the process. I would find the longer layover a bit more comfortable particularly when trying to get off first aircraft and being blocked in by all those who were more casual because they have got there. The terminals issue does it for me.

 

 

 

Regards John

dont think transit passengers need to clear immigration but I could be wrong -often am [emoji12]

dont think transit passengers need to clear immigration but I could be wrong -often am [emoji12]

I believe you are correct, but I do know they will need to re clear security. Those lines at LHR can be atrocious. If they are flying F or business they will have priority, although many report that line can be even longer. At least they would be first off the plane to give them a jump ahead of the 300 other passengers.

I recently flew out of LHR T5 and the security line on a Saturday morning in mid-March was over an hour long at 8:00 am when I left the CCR to drop some postcards in the box. People were very upset at the end of the lanes while putting themselves together saying they were going to miss flights. I can't imagine T3 was much better.

It's just not a risk I would want to take, particularly when there was an option that only added two hours to my travel time and removed 98% of the potential stress.

As someone who regularly travels to/from and through LHR, I think 1h55 can be enough, but just barely. I would take the longer one to be safe. In my experience, inbound flights to LHR are often a bit late because of the holding that is usually done in the mornings before being cleared to land. That is factored in to times to some extent, but I often still find my flights to be a bit late...and if you only have 115 minutes, a 15 minute delay is significant.

Changing terminals is easy. No immigration is necessary. But it does take some time.

I had forgotten about the holds due to air traffic congestion. My recent flight did circles over the lovely English countryside for a solid 20 minutes past our scheduled arrival time for this reason. I was glad I wasn't connecting. I am sure that those who were in tighter connections were going into panic mode.

dont think transit passengers need to clear immigration but I could be wrong -often am [emoji12]

The way I was cogitating was that if you land at a terminal and need to get to another, are you kept segregated as transit passengers? If not you could in theory book a flight requiring changes then abscond before going to the second terminal. I am not suggesting OP is trying to do this but it would be an easy way in for future residents instead of coming over concealed in trucks from Europe. There must be a system of segregation or immigration to deal with transit arrivals simply needing to change terminals.

Regards John

We travel to Europe every year. The one airport that we do our best to avoid if we have a connection is Heathrow. Especially bad if you are changing terminals and even more so if there is a security alert.

Unfortunately for us we had to connect in Heathrow on BA flights coming in from Barcelona and going out (different terminal) to Canada this past November. . It was a zoo from start to finish. About 1 1/2 hours from our arrival gate to the departure lounge for our second flight. Including a change of terminal. We considered this a fairly fast connect time based on previous experiences. Cannot comment on Terminal 5 to Terminal 5 connections but I assume that they would be much better and much easier.

The only reason we selected this route was price...our one way BA ticket was several hundred dollars less than the alternatives.

If we absolutely must go through LHR, we typically budget 2 1/2 -3 hours to be on the safe side-especially if we are flying home.

I would take the later time. For peace of mind if nothing else. It only takes a small delay and it'll have your heart racing. Start your holiday off aiming for as little stress as you can. That's what I would do (and I'm a flight attendsnt!)

Have a great trip.

I would take the later time. For peace of mind if nothing else. It only takes a small delay and it'll have your heart racing. Start your holiday off aiming for as little stress as you can. That's what I would do (and I'm a flight attendsnt!)

 

 

 

Have a great trip.

Love your user name given this tidbit! :)

Really amazed at the sentiment here. I have done the T3 - T5 connection going between American and BA in the past. Again for me, not that big a deal.

In terms of judging how much time I will permit between connections, I think about the alternatives for flights if I miss. I connect a lot of times in DFW for international flights. I know that my usual airline, AA, might only have one flight in the night to that destination. Therefore, I will often times take an earlier flight than what comes up as the shortest time due to the fact that if my inbound flight is late, I might be stuck until the next day.

A short flight between LHR and BCN is another matter. Flights are happening all day long - especially if I consider connections. I miss one and I get on the next.

Personally, I would think more about my flight over the Atlantic and what happens if that goes mechanical or somehow greatly delayed. Do you have enough time built-in or alternatives to still catch your ship?

Personally I wouldn't worry about the shorter connection time. I've done the T5 - T3 switch (in both directions) on numerous occasions and not missed a flight, but you may not share my comfort zone.

Some things to consider:

The Denver flight arrives at 12:35 PM, long after the early morning ATC delays are most often experienced. Depending on time of year flights can run early or late; over the past two weeks BA 218 (DEN-LHR) has been early as often as it's been late.

However, often BA 747s will gate at one of the T5 satellites (T5B or T5C) which can lengthen the time needed to get to the bus stop for the inter-terminal transfers.

Security at T3 can be a snap or it can be a pain, just luck of the draw.

BA flights out of T3 are usually gated close to the shopping mall/security zone, whereas American Airlines flights (the ones I normally am heading for) are located out at the end of the piers; sometimes it feels like you're walking to Windsor.

So pick 'em. If you're able to walk briskly I would not hesitate in taking the earlier BCN flight. If you want to be more relaxed, the additional time at T3 certainly won't hurt. You'll be exhausted by the time you get to Barcelona whether you take the first or the second flight. Remember there's an additional hour time change from LHR to BCN.

I would also strongly look at alternative routes, for example AA from Denver to Miami and nonstop to Barcelona, or AA/US to Philly or Charlotte then nonstop. It might take as long on the clock, but you won't be navigating Heathrow while you're rummy from an 9-hour overnight flight.

dont think transit passengers need to clear immigration but I could be wrong -often am [emoji12]

Although we didn't have to present ourselves to immigration, we did have a passport check of some sort as we entered T-3 (I think that was just the standard ID/boarding pass check before letting us go through to the scanners), then went up an escalator to security, which is where we had a bit of delay. And we were in business class, so had all of the expedited lines. I don't think we would have made a close connection without really booking it. We arrived at LHR around 2:30pm.

I just don't like having to move briskly in an unfamiliar terminal or country. Having said that, we'll probably have a 1:00 connection in Narita on our way home from an Asian cruise next spring. But since it's on the way home, I don't think I'll be as stressed as I would be at the start of my vacation - I'm sure that there are far worse things than being stranded in Japan until JAL can find us a flight home.:D

Thanks so much everyone! I really appreciate the advice.

I think we'll just take the later flight to Barcelona. I can see where, if we were familiar with London Heathrow, it could be done with the shorter connection, but I just don't want that stress!

We are flying in several days before the cruise, so we'll have time to enjoy Barcelona and the two hours I'm missing due to the flight won't seem like anything in the scheme of things.

Thanks again!

The big issue for us when changing terminals is going though security. It can be a breeze or it can be an absolute nightmare. Compounded by what seems like lots of staff standing around doing nothing.

The catch is that no one knows when the next flight will be, that has two available seats, so if you miss the flight, you could easily end up arriving in BCN later than if you'd just taken the later connection to begin with.

Sure if all goes well, you could make a 1:50 connect at LHR. But LHR is well known for things NOT going well...super long security lines are but one example. This is your first European trip, and your husband's first as an adult. You don't want to be a nervous wreck, so my advice is to take the longer connection. So you get to Spain a few hours later. In the grand scheme of things... who cares?!

My experience is that things normally go well on Heathrow but I know that's not always the case.

If there isn't something special causing lots of delays or cancellations, for example a major snowstorm, someone missing a flight will probably get a seat on the next flight but of course that can´t be guaranteed.