izzley

Hi! I am travelling London Heathrow to Copenhagen (just a 2h25m layover) to Los Angeles. The two legs of my journey are with 2 different airlines who won't carry my checked baggage over from each other. Travelling without a checked in bag is not an option for me.

My question is: is 2.5hrs enough to collect baggage and re-check in CPH airport? I also have a British Passport but I am not sure if travelling within EU countries is of any benefit when checked in bags are involved? How much time is recommend for this? I have endlessly googled this but all minimum times are only if you travel with the same airline and dont need to collect bags

I usually travel all legs of my journeys with the same airline so haven't ever faced this issue.

Any help will be much appreciated!

Thanks!

Odin

Which airline are you flying from CPH to LAX? Can you do online check-in for the 2nd flight so at least all you need to do is bag drop?
Why are you not flying direct, price I guess.

fmpden

The best answer is who knows? There are a lot of variables that you cannot control. First flight on time, no deal in luggage claim, etc.

The general recommendations for international check-in is around the three hour mark but have cut it to two without any problems. Also have found that checkin counter will close 45 minutes prior to departure. In that case you may have only an hour and 45 minutes between flights. My sense is that you probably could make it, but it could be tight. What is your downsize risk if you miss the second flight?

J62

what is the check-in and baggage cut off times for your flight the LAX?

That will tell you how much time you have to get to the front of the line and complete the check-in & baggage drop off.

If it is Norwegian, then check-in & baggage drop close at 1hr before departure. That time may be dictated by US government so that means 1hr. Not 59min, not 55min, not "but I was in line..."

If you can check-in online before you leave London then all you have to do is drop off the bags (& likely passport check by agent) - I don't know if they have a separate line for that.

http://www.norwegian.com/us/travel-i...-in-deadlines/

Check-in closes (including bag drop):
Dubai, Thailand, Israel, Caribbean and U.S.: 1 hour before departure

J62

Personally, I'd be ok with the risk.. ymmv

Kathie

Usually the risk in these circumstances is that you'd have to buy a new (full-price) ticket if you miss your flight back to LAX. And that would be quite expensive.

izzley

Thanks guys! Yes, I chose this itinerary based on price mostly. Initially I automatically assumed immigration wont take long due to EU countries but then remembered about my checked-in bag! ugh :/

The airlines are: London - Copenhagen = SAS and then CPH to LAX = Norwegian. I haven't traveled on either of these 2 airlines before either (too many 'first times' for one trip?) but I hear CPH is a relatively small airport so that good....right?

And yes! online check in would be available 24hours prior to flying.

janisj

It is never a great idea to book same-day unlinked flights internationally -- though I have done it a couple of times because plans changed after my initial booking.

Will you make it - most likely. Might you miss is - possible. If your flight is delayed out of LHR you are SOL. The question is -- can you afford to buy a full fare, walk up ticket to LAX.

But since you've already booked - there is not much you can do about it now.

Odin

SAS arrives at Terminal 3 and Norwegian depart from Terminal 2. Arrival immigration takes no time at all and if you have done online check-in for both flights, then you will only need to get yourself to T2 and then drop your bag. I've not used Norwegian for US flights, but have for European flights, it is self service ie you print and tag your own bag then drop it. If you can use the kiosk for bag tagging, it is a quick process unless there is a queue.

If the flight from the UK is on time, you should be fine. I've booked and travelled on several unlinked flights over the years without any major incident (some close shaves however.)

thursdaysd

"But since you've already booked - there is not much you can do about it now."

She could eat the London-Copenhagen flight and re-book with a safer time gap. It would certainly be cheaper than buying a walk-up ticket for the flight to LAX, always assuming there is space available. The time would probably be OK if the flights were on one ticket, but I would want longer in these circumstances. In fact, I'd probably spend the night in Copenhagen, but I'm not short of time.

Since she will have to reclaim her bag, that means passport line, baggage claim, check in line, passport line and security line.

Norwegian says that check in for flights to the US closes one hour before departure.

Since she is flying Norwegian, I can't imagine why she isn't flying Norwegian LGW-LAX, looks cheap enough.

izzley

EDIT: Online check in is NOT available for flights to the US from CPH for Norwegian Airlines. I just checked with them for my specific flight and airport check-in closes 1hr before flight which means I still have 1.5hrs to get off the first plane, collect my bags and complete immigration. I dont recall ever spending more than 1hr (if that, even) trying to get out of an airport which does give me enough time I guess. IF everything happens promptly that is.

And yes, plan B for buying another ticket is in place.

izzley

Im not flying LGW as its almost a 3 hr drive (not to mention taxi costs and/or coach travel times) whereas LHR is barely 20mins drive from home.

Odin

How can you live within 20 mins of LHR but 3 hours from LGW? Anywhere within a 20 min radius of LHR is only about 30 miles to LGW.

You should be ok if there are no delays BUT I have been stuck in CPH airport trying to get through long security lines on more than one occasion.

Dukey1

Please do not overplan this. You know what's involved and you know how to move fast. IMO this whole you might want to ditch the first flight because you have an "unsafe" time interval is, frankly, ABSURD but considering the source, not unexpected.

It will WORK so stop worrying.

thursdaysd

"Im not flying LGW as its almost a 3 hr drive (not to mention taxi costs and/or coach travel times) whereas LHR is barely 20mins drive from home."

So you'd rather pay to fly to Copenhagen instead of taking a coach from LHR to LGW. Depending on the time of day, it's 1 hr 5 min to 1 hr 25 min by National Express coach. The flight to Copenhagen takes longer than that, and that doesn't account for time in lines at the airport.

J62

Why the need to interrogate or beat up izzley about the choice of flying to Copenhagen vs flying out of LGW?

Does it make the rest of you feel good?

greg

I presume your CPH-LAX is direct. It would be kind of silly if you are actually flying CPH-LGW-LAX. Understand that SAS can change your LHR-CPH schedule in a major way if your trip is well in the future. That is, by hours.

janisj

>>Understand that SAS can change your LHR-CPH schedule in a major way if your trip is well in the future<<

or even not that far out. I'm flying SMF >LAX >LHR/return in August and various parts of my itinerary have changed 4 times in the last 6 weeks. one was very minor, one was quite substantial.

I'm sweating this because this is the one in a million where I did book a non-linked connection. EDI >LHR the morning of my flight home. So far so good - my LHR > LAX flight is the ONLY one w/o a a schedule change. Knock on wood.