Southampton Port Taxi recommendation

[Eliza10]

Has any one used a taxi service that they would recommend from Southampton to Heathrow Airport please. Also how long did it take you?

[2irisheyes]

If you search these boards you will find many suggestions.

[John Bull]

www.westquaycars.com and www.smithsforairports.com are the most-frequently recommended outfits on Cruise Critic.
Joiurney time a bare minimum of 75 minutes, but on weekdays (esp summer mondays) leaving 7.30 to 8.30am it's usually up to 2 hours.
Around £90 for a sedan

JB

[Eliza10]

Thank you so much for the information, I have made a booking with Smiths. I was a little concerned, as I thought we might have trouble getting to our flight on time, which is at midday, and we can disembark from 7am, so will arrange for the taxi at 7.15, which will give us time to make the 1200 flight. Thank you so much once again.

[John Bull]

Hi Eliza,

You need to find out your airline's latest check-in time at LHR. Recommended arrival times are 2 to 3 hours ahead of flight time, but for most the latest check-in 90 minutes. For some, like Qantas, it's only one hour but at LHR you really do need to allow at least 90 minutes in case of lines at security etc.

Yes, for most ships unassisted disembarkation (don't put your luggage out on the last night, instead carry it off yourselves) is at 7am, with general disembarkation starting from 7.30. Although unassisted is a bind, as well as gaining those few extra minutes it also puts you ahead of the herd, avoids a potential line at immigration, & avoids any risk of delay in locating your luggage. And on weekdays, every one minute before 8am is worth two minutes after 8am.
With a 7.15 departure you should be at LHR around 9am, giving you well over an hour leeway in case of unexpected delays on the road.
If it's a saturday or sunday, the road will be much much quieter & unless there's an exceptional delay (eg roadworks or accident) you'll be at Heathrow way before 9am.
All the established transfer businesses, including Smiths, have access to up-to-the-minute traffic information

No worries

JB

[Eliza10]

Thank you once again J. B. We are on British airways flying to Prague, so I will check how long we need to be there beforehand. Smiths are stating that we will be there by 9.15 at the latest, so I am happy with that. Unfortunately it is a weekday, so I expect the traffic will be congested.
Regards
Eliza

[John Bull]

Originally Posted by Eliza10

Thank you once again J. B. We are on British airways flying to Prague, so I will check how long we need to be there beforehand. Smiths are stating that we will be there by 9.15 at the latest, so I am happy with that. Unfortunately it is a weekday, so I expect the traffic will be congested.
Regards
Eliza

European flight, Eliza. And BA.
Even better.

For their European flights, latest check-in is something like 45 mins before flight time.
BA mainly fly from T5, the easiest to access from Southampton direction.
And their check-in for all flights I think is a single line for multiple desks, with staff patrolling the line, bumping forward those close to their check-in deadline.
Size limit, but no weight limit, on BA hand luggage - as long as you (or a friendly giant) can lift it into the overhead locker. So put heavy items in your hand luggage.

Prague is a super city, have a good one.

JB

[Cotswold Eagle]

BA moved the Prague service to T3 some time ago. So not so good, but still should be OK, I would think.

[Globaliser]

Originally Posted by Eliza10

We are on British airways flying to Prague, so I will check how long we need to be there beforehand.

Are you sure that you can disembark at 7 am? If that's the ship's arrival time, disembarkation often starts a significant amount of time later than that. That might be worth checking if you haven't already done so.

BA flights to Prague operate from Terminal 3. This is very important for you and the driver to know.

I don't know the hard cut-off time at T3, but I think you can safely assume that it will be no shorter than 60 minutes, so you would have a bit of margin on your timings. (But remember that a hard cut-off time is precisely that. If the computer hasn't checked you in by that precise second, it will refuse to do so.)

[John Bull]

Originally Posted by Globaliser

Are you sure that you can disembark at 7 am? If that's the ship's arrival time, disembarkation often starts a significant amount of time later than that. That might be worth checking if you haven't already done so.

BA flights to Prague operate from Terminal 3. This is very important for you and the driver to know.

I don't know the hard cut-off time at T3, but I think you can safely assume that it will be no shorter than 60 minutes, so you would have a bit of margin on your timings. (But remember that a hard cut-off time is precisely that. If the computer hasn't checked you in by that precise second, it will refuse to do so.)

Hi, G.

Ships generally berth at Southampton around 5am to 6am, and the first passenger is off the ship 7am or earlier.
BA's website quotes a hard cut-off time of 45 mins for check-in at LHR & LGW. But they also require arrival at the boarding gate 20 mins before departure - and as we all know, there can be a long line for security so cutting it fine for check-in isn't a great idea.
Will bow to your & the Eagle's more up-to-date info on which LHR terminal, but it only adds 5 to 10 mins. to the journey. Unless some wally breaks down in the tunnel .

JB

[Cotswold Eagle]

Yes, I'm surprised to see that BA quotes the same check-in (45 mins) and security (35 mins) cut-offs at both T5 and T3. I get close to those frequently at T5 and am very comfortable with it, T3 I'd definitely want more time. To be fair, I haven't used T3 for a while, as I try to avoid the building site functioning as an airport that is LHR central

But I still think the OP should be fine!

OP - the distinction is that T5 is the most modern terminal at LHR and in my experience very efficient, T3 is the oldest (I think)....

[Twickenham]

Originally Posted by John Bull

Unless some wally breaks down in the tunnel .

Oh, what memories you evoke...

Once, a rather long time ago, we had a flight home from LHR at 2pm. MamaTwick insisted that we arrange for our minicab to pick us up at our digs in Paddington at 10am, to give us plenty of time (this was pre-Heathrow Express). PapaTwick and I thought her ridiculously cautious, but didn't feel like arguing. About a mile from the tunnel, the traffic stopped. Completely. A double-decker bus had apparently crashed and toppled over in the tunnel, blocking both lanes completely. We finally got to the terminal at around 12:30.

We never argued about getting to the airport early again.

[Eliza10]

Since booking our flights October 2012 our cruise times for disembarkation has changed from 7am to 8am from Southampton.
Thank you for all your responses everyone you have been very helpful. Given we have to go to Terminal 3 for our flight to Prague, and our flight it at 12 Midday, its sounds like we will still make it, but obviously cutting it pretty fine. The next flight to Prague is around 4pm, however I am unable to change flights without 100% penalty. Do you genuinely think that this is doable, or should I look at booking a new flight, and cutting our losses? Thank you for your advice in advance.

[Globaliser]

Originally Posted by Eliza10

The next flight to Prague is around 4pm, however I am unable to change flights without 100% penalty.

Are you sure about this? I don't know how you've booked the London to Prague flight, which will determine what the costs are.

But if it had hypothetically been a standalone BA shorthaul economy ticket the cost to change it would be £60 change fee + fare difference (probably of £15 at the moment). A brand new economy ticket on the 1600 flight should be about £105.

My concern would remain whether you can actually expect to be able to disembark at 8 am. You were previously told 7 am, yet your cruise line's website says that arrival is at 7 am. So personally I would remain cautious about this - it's probably the biggest uncertainty that I have at the moment about the viability of your plans.

[John Bull]

With your time available, and Globaliser's costings for a switch, I'd still feel confident about making the noon flight.
On the many occasions that I've driven transfers, disembarkation has always started before 8am, except for the very very rare occasions when bad weather has seriously delayed an arrival. Departing the quayside at say 8.15am would put back your arrival at LHR T3 to something like 10 to 10.30am. Reduces your margin for delays, but you should still be fine.

You might not have made it today.
But if its still snowing in August, we'll all be heading for Heathrow

JB