Hi
I am not a very experienced flyer so I really hope someone can give me some advice ..

I am trying to book flights from London to Nashville in april and there are no direct flights, when I look at the options some of the time periods between connecting flights in US seem very short ( ie 1hr) could someone advise me please as to how long I should aim to have between the 2 flights?

Also what happens to your baggage, do you have to collect it and check it in again for the next flight or does it get checked straight through at the first airport?

I hope these questions don't sound too silly , thanks ...

First off an hour connecting time is very short. Look for at least 1 1/2 hours and 2 hours would be better.

When you arrive in the US from London you will first have to clear immigration. Depending on the day and time of your arrival that can take anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes. You will then have to collect your baggage (waiting time here varies from a few minutes to 1/2 hour or more) and clear customs (usually this takes anywhere between 5 and 15 minutes depending on size of crowds). It can take longer if you are singled out for a thorough inspection of your bags (people are picked on a random basis for this). After you clear customs you recheck your bags for the flight to Nashville. Depending on your airline you may be able to get your boarding passes for both flights at the airport in London. If you are unable to get your boarding pass for the Nashville flight you'll have to do that at your intermediate airport. Allow extra time if this is your situation.

Not silly at all.

There are two kinds of connections that you might encounter.

The first is your international-to-domestic connection. You will deplane and clear passport control, then retreive your bags and subject them to customs inspection (or not - most people walk through the "green line" - nothing to declare - and out into the world.)

Then it may or may not get interesting. If you're connecting onto the same airline, and depending which airport you arrive at, you may be able to re-check your bags right after customs, so you won't need to tote them to the departures counters/queues/security all over again.

If you're changing airlines, you may or may not have to physically take your bags to the second airline's counter and check them in the normal manner. It will depend on which airport, which terminals at that airport, and which airlines.

This connection will typically take longer than an hour; most US airports have a 1.5 - 2+ "minimum connection time" between international and domestic flights.

The second type of connection is one enroute between flights on the same airline or on two airlines with baggage agreements. For example, if your flight from London goes to New York, and your onward connection to Nashville stops in, say, Atlanta, with, say, Delta as the same carrier all the way from NY, then your bags will be checked through to Nashville and all you'll have to do is go to the gate where the Nashville plane is departing. In those cases an hour is almost always adequate, since you don't have to go through security screening and your bags are transferred by the airline.

As a rule, most airlines and on-line travel agencies won't sell tickets that don't observe these minimum connecting times, so I wouldn't get too concerned about it.

That said, British Airways loves selling flights that arrive at Heathrow and connect to flights leaving Gatwick, with a 3-hour difference between. Ever spent a restful afternoon on the M25? So the airlines are not perfect...

One hour is barely enough for US citizens/residents with no checked luggage to do a international-to-domestic connection at most airports.

If you're a visitor, your wait for immmigration will be significantly longer, and potentially more if you have to wait for luggage. 1.5 hours is minimum at most airports, in my opinion. 2 is better.

assuming you still do not have a preferred airline yet, just to be on the safe side, I would choose the longer transit time. Check www.amadeus.net for all possible connections in april from LHR to BNA. I did it now for you. You can also find 1,1/2 hrs transit via Chicago ORD or Washington IAD. If 1 and half hour transit still seems not enough for you then ask your travel agent to book the second connecting flight. You will have more time to stretch your legs in the airport, see some shops or get a coffee before you board again !!