Warning re airport security

[Boytjie]

Not unbelievable at all. Sounds like you were the beneficiary of TSA's PreCheck program. TSA has been "marketing" this expedited security clearance program for awhile with hopes of getting people to pony up the $85 for a 5-year enrollment. Airlines, in cooperation and coordination with TSA, have been giving PreCheck to first/business class and higher tier frequent flier program members for some time now. Additional DoD military and civilian personnel get PreCheck with their Known Traveler Number that's on the back of their ID cards. It's a great program and I actually enrolled in the Global Entry program for our overseas travel and that comes with the added benefit of PreCheck for domestic travel. Here's a link with all the details: http://www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck

 

On our last flight on jetBlue I was indeed given TSA PreCheck privileges (frequent flyer related, I am sure) while my partner had to go through teh regula screening procedure. We just enrolled in the Global Entry program too and are looking forward to both having TSA PreCheck for our ext flight.

[Randyk47]

On our last flight on jetBlue I was indeed given TSA PreCheck privileges (frequent flyer related, I am sure) while my partner had to go through teh regula screening procedure. We just enrolled in the Global Entry program too and are looking forward to both having TSA PreCheck for our ext flight.

 

I understand the arguments against programs like PreCheck, Global Entry, NEXUS, etc., but I kind of go to the bottom line for me and that's travel, particularly air travel, is not all that pleasant nowadays. Anything I can do to make my travel quicker, less complicated, and hopefully less stressful works for me. Now if I were just flying once or twice a year for a cruise then maybe I'd skip the various trusted traveler programs but with new found consulting work I'm back on the road again so $15-$20 a year is worthwhile to me.

[Nghthawke]

I get reminders from our travel agency and they recommended having spare batteries for cell/smartphones in case one cannot recharge their electronic devices.

 

Here at the Ottawa Airport you can ship anything home you cannot bring on board. Hubby had forgotten his Swiss pocketknife in his backpack and it was spotted on the scanner. It cost $5 to ship it home and was waiting for us in the mail when we returned. Not sure if it is open 24 hours.

[highland cruiser]

Just went thru security at London Heathrow.

We are enroute from Chicago to Frankfurt.

Took at the most 20 minutes.

Was just like in the US. Put electronics in the basket. Didn't have to turn anything on.

Now going back to,the US maybe a different story but it sure was easy today.

Some people didn't even remove shoes. :D

[Globaliser]

Some people didn't even remove shoes.

Normally you don't have to take your shoes off at Heathrow.

[Traveling Dot]

On our last trip from Amsterdam back to Boston I was on the "chosen one" list and had to go through an extra screening after going through the regular one. After we went through the security line we had to show our passports to two "screeners" at a desk before we could go down to our plane. I guess my name was on the list they check your passport against and I had to go into another room and wait to be called. Then they went through my carryon bag which luckily I was only carrying my pocketbook (all the other bags where with my husband on the wheelchair). :D Then I had to go through another pat down (I had just gone through one at the security area).:eek: After I was patted down the woman who did it had her gloves tested by another person with some kind of wand. It was fast but the first time I had to go through that.

 

Oh another thought. Don't forget that a Kindle is considered like a tablet or computer and has to be put out in a separate bin when going through security. I didn't know about the cellphone but mine is a old flip phone and not an I-phone so maybe that makes a difference, because that was in my pocketbook and I didn't have to take it out. I also always forget to take out the plastic bag with my liquids in it but it seems they very rarely question me about it. But I don't carry a lot of liquid maybe only hand sanitizer and those really little bottles of shampoo or lotion.

Edited September 1, 2014 by Traveling Dot

[ger_77]

Not feeling good. Scheduled to leave in 9 days. We transit through LHR and only have 2 hours or so to switch terminals, and we do carry on instead of checked bags. No phones or prescriptions, but Ipads, an electric razor and a Garmin GPS.

 

Will you please report back here on your return? We will be travelling near the end of October and have a 3 hour window to switch terminals, Gatwick to Heathrow, and are worried about the time it will take to get through enhanced security. I would like to hear your experience.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[3rdGenCunarder]

Will you please report back here on your return? We will be travelling near the end of October and have a 3 hour window to switch terminals, Gatwick to Heathrow, and are worried about the time it will take to get through enhanced security. I would like to hear your experience.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

 

That sounds awfully tight. I would be more worried about the time between airports. I don't think that can be done in under an hour. Add customs and border control at Gatwick and a security check at Heathrow, and I think that could eat up more than three hours.

Edited September 1, 2014 by 3rdGenCunarder

[LindaM]

Not unbelievable at all. Sounds like you were the beneficiary of TSA's PreCheck program. TSA has been "marketing" this expedited security clearance program for awhile with hopes of getting people to pony up the $85 for a 5-year enrollment. Airlines, in cooperation and coordination with TSA, have been giving PreCheck to first/business class and higher tier frequent flier program members for some time now. Additional DoD military and civilian personnel get PreCheck with their Known Traveler Number that's on the back of their ID cards. It's a great program and I actually enrolled in the Global Entry program for our overseas travel and that comes with the added benefit of PreCheck for domestic travel. Here's a link with all the details: http://www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck

 

I am familiar with the program. Nope...we were flying in steerage. They never looked at a list---just told us to not do anything---just go on through!

[3rdGenCunarder]

I am familiar with the program. Nope...we were flying in steerage. They never looked at a list---just told us to not do anything---just go on through!

 

Did your boarding pass have the green check mark on it? We were surprised to be the lucky recipients of the magic green check mark when we flew to Seattle a few months ago, and we are not members of any security pre-clearing program. I thought it might be because I entered our personal info right away after we bought the tickets, so there was time for a computer to verify us.

[Lizzie68]

Will you please report back here on your return? We will be travelling near the end of October and have a 3 hour window to switch terminals, Gatwick to Heathrow, and are worried about the time it will take to get through enhanced security. I would like to hear your experience.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

 

That should be plenty of time. There are excellent links between Gatwick and Heathrow. However, changing terminals is one thing, but changing airports in such a wide area is another - is that your only option? But be assured it can be done though don't be dawdling.;)

[Randyk47]

I am familiar with the program. Nope...we were flying in steerage. They never looked at a list---just told us to not do anything---just go on through!

 

Did your boarding pass have the green check mark on it? We were surprised to be the lucky recipients of the magic green check mark when we flew to Seattle a few months ago, and we are not members of any security pre-clearing program. I thought it might be because I entered our personal info right away after we bought the tickets, so there was time for a computer to verify us.

 

To make it more fun, in a confusing kind of way, TSA agents sorting the security lines can and do randomly send people without PreCheck marked on their boarding passes into the PreCheck line. Some airports it's completely on the whim of the agent while at others, like Charlotte, they actually have an electronic randomizer they can use to divert people to one line or the other. Bottom line has been getting or not getting PreCheck, outside of being enrolled in one of the pre-clearance programs, has been hit or miss. They "spoiled" me enough, and I fly frequently enough, to enroll in one of the qualifying programs. Their ploy worked. :o

[iancal]

Last time we went through the agent was counting. I was lucky number 20 and was waived over to the side for further inspection. I heard him start at number one again.

 

No issue. Not really certain how effective these measures are or whether they are mostly in place for 'show'. But these people are only doing their job and there is absolutely no joy in working with the public-especially the harried ones late for a flight.

[summersigh]

Good info here - I'll be sure the next time we fly international that we get adapters to even be able to charge the tablet & phones. We never leave for any trip without being fully charged but in Europe the plugs don't work :)

[chrispb]

Will you please report back here on your return? We will be travelling near the end of October and have a 3 hour window to switch terminals, Gatwick to Heathrow, and are worried about the time it will take to get through enhanced security. I would like to hear your experience.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

 

That's pretty tight. In fact, three hrs is the minimum that should be allowed to switch terminals. What time of day are you travelling?

[Not-My-Real-Name]

Last time we flew to San Francisco, we were both also lucky recipients of the magic mark, but on the way back, I received it again, and DH didn't.

 

Guess I will have to do plenty of research before our next domestic flight to see what the rules of the hour are. I travel with 4 IPOD Touch's an IPAD and my cell phone if we are staying in the US.

 

Can't wait for the day that we all have to fly only wearing hospital gowns. :eek:

[iancal]

That is a tight Gatwick/Heathrow time. We have done it in about that time BUT it was at night, ie light traffic, and the National Express Bus was ready to go as soon as we boarded. The challenge is not the time between flight but rather the time between when you exit the terminal until the time you need to be at the next terminal in order to check in, clear security, etc. So a three hour elapsed window can really translate into 90 or less minutes after accounting for the other requirements. Especially if the bus/taxi gets stuck in traffic. Not sure if the train/tube would be faster in rush hour.

 

It might be tight in rush hour or if you had to wait for the next bus.

Edited September 1, 2014 by iancal

[BeagleOne]

We will be travelling near the end of October and have a 3 hour window to switch terminals, Gatwick to Heathrow, and are worried about the time it will take to get through enhanced security. I would like to hear your experience.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

 

You're not just switching terminals, you're switching airports, and they are not all that close together. It usually takes AT LEAST one hour to drive between them, and that's if (IF) the M25 ring road is not all jammed up. There are shuttle, bus, taxi, and chauffeur services, but there is no direct rail connection between the two airports; you have to take the train from Gatwick into London and then the Tube to Heathrow.

 

I think I'd look into the chauffeur and taxi services, which would be more flexible than a bus or shuttle. The National Express bus service says UP TO six departures per hour, but who knows if that's always true, and it says the bus takes 75 minutes. Plus it might not go to your terminal first, and considering there are five terminals at LHR...

 

I flew out of LHR on July 12th, just after the enhanced security went into effect, and did NOT have to turn on my electronic devices. My carry-on got thoroughly searched by a very nice lady, who told me the many souvenir magnets I'd bought had set the machine off. There was also an extra, quick passport check in the concourse.

 

This was before all of the ISIS atrocities and threats became so public, though, so I'm not sure what else LHR might be doing now.

[ger_77]

Okay, now I'm starting to feel my blood pressure rising - we are arriving in London on a Saturday at 6:40AM and have an 11:10 departure from Gatwick. I thought it was 3 hours; it is actually 4. We have a car service booked who will be waiting for us when we emerge from immigration and will be driven directly to Gatwick. Hopefully we'll get our luggage quickly (first off the aircraft does not necessarily mean your luggage comes off first), and will be able to get through all checkpoints without a problem. The more I think about it, maybe we shouldn't be the first to register for the flight, because that luggage will likely be loaded first and come off last. Oh, all the things to consider !!!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[kazu]

Okay, now I'm starting to feel my blood pressure rising - we are arriving in London on a Saturday at 6:40AM and have an 11:10 departure from Gatwick. I thought it was 3 hours; it is actually 4. We have a car service booked who will be waiting for us when we emerge from immigration and will be driven directly to Gatwick. Hopefully we'll get our luggage quickly (first off the aircraft does not necessarily mean your luggage comes off first), and will be able to get through all checkpoints without a problem. The more I think about it, maybe we shouldn't be the first to register for the flight, because that luggage will likely be loaded first and come off last. Oh, all the things to consider !!!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

 

Worry pas. not worth the loss of sleep.

 

you should be fine

[3rdGenCunarder]

Okay, now I'm starting to feel my blood pressure rising - we are arriving in London on a Saturday at 6:40AM and have an 11:10 departure from Gatwick. I thought it was 3 hours; it is actually 4. We have a car service booked who will be waiting for us when we emerge from immigration and will be driven directly to Gatwick. Hopefully we'll get our luggage quickly (first off the aircraft does not necessarily mean your luggage comes off first), and will be able to get through all checkpoints without a problem. The more I think about it, maybe we shouldn't be the first to register for the flight, because that luggage will likely be loaded first and come off last. Oh, all the things to consider !!!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

 

In a situation like yours, 4 hours (actually, four and a half) is SO much better than 3 hours. At Heathrow, I plan on an hour from plane to leaving the terminal. So, guessing that you'll be an hour from plane to limo, then allow an hour and a half to get to Gatwick (maybe less, as it's early on a Saturday), and you could be at GAtwick2 hours ahead of your flight, maybe sooner.

 

If check in and security at Gatwick take an hour, that still leaves an hour "cushion." And remember, some of my time estimates might be long. I've never checked in at Gatwick that early in the day, so I have no idea what it would be like.

 

Will you be able to complete check-in online for both flights? Check with the airline to see what the luggage drop cut-off time is at Gatwick.

Edited September 2, 2014 by 3rdGenCunarder

[Globaliser]

Okay, now I'm starting to feel my blood pressure rising - we are arriving in London on a Saturday at 6:40AM and have an 11:10 departure from Gatwick. I thought it was 3 hours; it is actually 4.

Well, this is rather better on two fronts than your original post (3 hours from Gatwick to Heathrow, you'd said earlier).

 

I assume that you're flying from Toronto to Heathrow on Fri 24 October, arriving on Sat morning at 0640, and then flying from Gatwick to Barcelona on Sat 25 October, departing at 1110?

 

If so, the first thing you should do is stop worrying. 4½ hours should be enough time on a Saturday morning. And if you miss your Gatwick to Barcelona flight, BA should put you on another one. It may involve sending you back to Heathrow, but there are four more flights that afternoon/evening (the latest at 1900). And you'll have your bags with you, so you should only be dropping them at the airport from which you fly, tagged to Barcelona only.

 

But the main question is what on earth possessed you to book an onward flight from Gatwick? With your arrival at Heathrow, you could have flown from Heathrow to Barcelona on a flight at 0750, another at 0830, and another at 1120, without having to change airports - in fact, you wouldn't even have had to change terminals at Heathrow if you were doing the connection on Sat 25 October. (Things change the next morning.) That ease would have been worth spending some money for, instead of putting yourself in the stressful position that you're now in.

[ger_77]

Thanks for the reassurances; I feel better now. Originally I thought we only had 3 hours between flights, but yes, the 4 hour window makes it much more acceptable.

 

Kazu, regarding the loss of sleep, I don't usually lose sleep because of stress, it's because of excitement. Every time we travel, I begin losing sleep incrementally starting about 6 weeks prior to our departure. By the last night, I'm usually on .5 to 1 hour of sleep and as soon as I buckle into my seat on the aircraft and have listened to the safety talk, I'm well into dreamland. DH usually fills me in on the first few hours of the flight later.

 

The "Quote" feature is not working, so I will also respond to Globaliser:

Yes, those are the flights we are taking from YYZ to BCN.

 

What would have possibly possessed us to book such flights? We booked using airmiles.ca and that was the only option open to us. I have since checked with airmiles.ca and we aren't able to make any changes to our flights, without incurring major $$$, so it isn't worth it. We will make the best of it - and if we miss the flight, so be it; it will just be another of the many adventures we've had while travelling. We take things in stride and don't let too much bother us; there's always a pub nearby where we can sit and absorb the local culture for a bit no matter where we are.;)

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[Lizzie68]

Thanks for the reassurances; I feel better now. Originally I thought we only had 3 hours between flights, but yes, the 4 hour window makes it much more acceptable.

 

Kazu, regarding the loss of sleep, I don't usually lose sleep because of stress, it's because of excitement. Every time we travel, I begin losing sleep incrementally starting about 6 weeks prior to our departure. By the last night, I'm usually on .5 to 1 hour of sleep and as soon as I buckle into my seat on the aircraft and have listened to the safety talk, I'm well into dreamland. DH usually fills me in on the first few hours of the flight later.

 

The "Quote" feature is not working, so I will also respond to Globaliser:

Yes, those are the flights we are taking from YYZ to BCN.

 

What would have possibly possessed us to book such flights? We booked using airmiles.ca and that was the only option open to us. I have since checked with airmiles.ca and we aren't able to make any changes to our flights, without incurring major $$$, so it isn't worth it. We will make the best of it - and if we miss the flight, so be it; it will just be another of the many adventures we've had while travelling. We take things in stride and don't let too much bother us; there's always a pub nearby where we can sit and absorb the local culture for a bit no matter where we are.;)

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

 

I like your attitude - and I'm sure everything will go well.:)

[Globaliser]

What would have possibly possessed us to book such flights? We booked using airmiles.ca and that was the only option open to us. I have since checked with airmiles.ca and we aren't able to make any changes to our flights, without incurring major $$$, so it isn't worth it. We will make the best of it - and if we miss the flight, so be it; it will just be another of the many adventures we've had while travelling. We take things in stride and don't let too much bother us; there's always a pub nearby where we can sit and absorb the local culture for a bit no matter where we are.;)

I agree with Lizzie68 - a great attitude!

 

If you come across the situation again, you might want to bear this in mind: I would have suggested that you redeemed only as far as Heathrow, and bought a separate cash ticket for a Heathrow-Barcelona flight. If this had been BA-BA, you wouldn't have incurred any real disadvantage from this being two tickets; you could probably then have got the separate cash tickets for relatively little money; and you would have saved yourself the inter-airport transfer.