noalynne

Im flying in from the US on Norwegian at 12:25 on a Tuesday. My flight to Athens is in the same terminal at 1:45 -- only 1 hour and 20 minutes after I land, if my flight lands on time ... and its on EasyJet. I realize the connection is pretty close to impossible to make. That being said, the only other flight to Athens that makes sense is at 4:45 pm from Heathrow which would mean a transfer from Gatwick to Heathrow.

It is my first time traveling in Europe. All i care about is getting to Athens in one piece without completely freaking out! I am open to any advice at all from knowledgable travelers -- I'm just a bit lost on making a smooth transition.

lincasanova

Remember easyjet closes checking in about 30 minute before flight. Best to spend the night. neither of those will work for you IMO.

Odin

It is the boarding gate that closes 30 mins before departure, not check-in. Check-in can only be done online, you can print your boarding pass at home or send it to the Easyjet app, if you have it. There are no Easyjet check in desks at Gatwick and check in closes 2 hours before departure but you can check in up to 1 month before departure.

I'd transfer to LHR or overnight at Gatwick. Aegean Airlines also flight from Gatwick to Athens but unsure if their flight times are any better.

janisj

Pay the extra for an easyJet flexifare ticket. That let's you bypass the often looooooong line to check bags plus you get an allocated seat.

flanneruk

Easyjet is a point to point airline. It provides passengers who understand how it operates with outstanding value: but this means it doesn't squander its resources pandering to people who don't.

It has no interest in pandering to connecting passengers. You need to come through immigration, collect your bags, make your way to the Easyjet checkin desk and get those bags dropped off <b> 40 minutes before the scheduled departure of your ongoing flight </b> (http://support.easyjet.com/case-5897)

When (not if) you fail to do that, your booking's cancelled and your fare's forfeit. If you want to rebook on the next flight, you do so at the rate prevailing then. Easyjet doesn't inconvenience or penalise its real customers by allowing passengers who don't honour its terms to take excess bags on board.

Your chances of getting to that check in clerk by 1305 (1306 is too late, and there'll be people in front of you) are remote. You've got a slightly better chance of getting to LHR by 1530, though only you know which terminal, and you're going to have even more to worry about.

I'd start off by trying to junk the transatlantic booking you've got. If you're unused to foreign travel, trying to make connections between two point to point airlines is a highly stressful way of starting. Find a good-value through fare on one major airline (like BA, KLM, Air France or Lufthansa), or within one partnership.

Odin

<<make your way to the Easyjet checkin desk>> Good luck with finding that, as it does not exist. There are no airport check-in desks for Easyjet, they were closed about 18 months ago, there are only bag drop desks and customer service desks for those who have messed up their online check-in or who need to get rebooked to other flights.

Heimdall

I don't think you stand a chance of making the 1345 (1:45) flight. Just getting through passport control, in my experience, takes about 45 minutes, longer in the busy summer season when many charter and budget flights arrive at Gatwick. If you do miss the flight and have to rearrange another at the last minute, the easyJet fare will likely be higher than for a full fare airline.

With the 1645 (4:45) flight from Heathrow, getting between airports introduces other possible problems. A long tailback on the M25 motorway could hold you up, for example.

There are several evening flights from Heathrow to Athens with British Airways and Aegean Airlines. Some leave around 8pm as I recall, but my favourites are the ones that leave around 10pm. With the 2 hr time difference they arrive in Athens around 4am the next morning, perfect for a connection with the morning ferries leaving Piraeus and Rafina (and you have saved a night's hotel bill).

janisj

You want a 'smooth connection'. NEITHER of the flights you mention would be even close to "smooth"

You really need to re-think the plan all around. You booked a flight to London - why, who knows - but now you need to book a makeable flight to Greece. That would have to be many hours later or the next morning.

My suggestion for the flexifare (which avoids the looooong baggage drop line) was just to slightly improve your chances. It still is not really a doable connection. And getting to LHR in mid afternoon is also really doubtful. Back to the drawing board . . .

Litsa

Did you already book the flight to London?! If not, agree to start all over Take a look at www.kayak.com/ for options.. pretty much a consolidator's consolidator showing Orbitz, Expedia, etc.. nonetheless, when the time comes to book, go direct to carrier site! Don't know where you're starting from/originating in the States, but some good carriers with connections are indeed Lufthansa.. as well as www.swissair.com/ with convenient connections via both Zurich and Geneva! Booking on one (1) or through ticket guarantees you'll get there since you're covered in case of a miss.. buying a separate ticket for the European domestic portion is just asking for trouble in case of a miss since you won't be covered.. you'd need to buy a new ticket that can be ubber costly! Best.. and EnJOY!