Advice requested on short layover in LHR
 

Hello! My husband and I, along with some friends of ours, are scheduled on an AA flight from ORD to LRH in April, where we will then connect to MUC. Our original itinerary had a 2 1/2 hour layover in LHR. The itinerary changed and now its an hour and 20 minutes. We are currently scheduled to arrive at 11:25 am and depart at 12:45. I've flown through LRH numerous times but I've always had a much longer layover. My husband thinks we will be fine. I'm a little nervous about missing our connecting flight. What are your thoughts? Should I call AA to see if we can try for a schedule change?

Thanks!
Tracy

I forgot to mention that the connnecting flight on to Munich is on BA.

"Should I call AA to see if we can try for a schedule change?"

Yes. The published minimum connect time for this (arriving T3, leaving T5) is 90 mins. You MIGHT make it. But you've got to get a bus from T3 to T5, which is several miles away, as well as go through through security again (quite rightly we don't trust ANY foreign country's airline security. Not even Israel's).

You're very likely indeed, in a party of 4, to find that the rush is just too stressful for at least one of you.

As flanner said, the MINIMUM connection time for T3->T5 is 90 minutes. Therefore, your connection is not legal. Did you buy the entire trip (AA/BA) on one ticket? If yes, you should definitely call AA and ask them to reschedule you.

I've done T3->T5 (and vice versa) transfers a couple of times, and normally it takes about 40-45 minutes when things go smoothly. However, if you experience any sort of delays, it'll be easy for you to miss your connecting flight.

Hiya Mommy! So good to see you'll be traveling again!
You'll solve this problem..just take the advice to prevent too much stress. I'd volunteer to babysit....er, that wouldn't work.
Welcome back to the wonderful of "travelacs" ..

stu

What is LRH?

Yes, you should definitely have AA reschedule. Getting to a different terminal, and then getting through security, would make it hit-and-miss to make your flight under the best of circumstances ... and if your AA flight should depart late, you'll definitely misconnect in LHR.

(Wobbers, LHR is the airport code for Heathrow airport in London)

Personally, I wouldn't worry about it. Or I should say, I haven't worried about it in the past, and have usually made the connection and when I haven't, BA has put me on the next flight out. Chances are you will make the flight but, if not, there is another at 1:55, then 3:05, then 5:20. But if you think taking chances will be too stressful, then reschedule for a later flight.

travelhorizon: "<i>Wobbers, LHR is the airport code for Heathrow airport in London</i>"

I'm quite sure wobbers knows what LHR is. He asked about <u>LRH</u> which the tcreath typed twice in her OP. He was taking the piss out of tracy . . .

Oops...of course I mean LHR as in Heathrow. I know those airport codes like the back of my hand so I can't believe I misspelled it twice! Sorry...taking care of two babies has left me with what I like to call "twin brain" :).

Thank you all for your advice! I think I'll call. We are flying on a FF award ticket. I just found out that our friends, who paid for their tickets separately (and whom we are meeting in Chicago) got moved to an earlier flight and usto the later, so there is a good change they would arrive in Munich without us. They have never traveled to Europe and would not be happy with this arrangement! We are picking up a car and driving to Mittenwald and I don't really want any delays.

Thank you again! And for those that I offended by misspelling the airport code for London I sincerely apologize... ;)

Tracy

Update: I just called AA and got our flights changed. I don't like the new schedule, as our friends will land in Munich a few hours before us, but it's better than what we had and I'll just keep calling every few weeks to see if any earlier flights opened up. Right now our layover in LHR is 2 1/2 hours, which is much better.

Thanks everyone!
Tracy

p.s. Stu (tower), I hope you and Roz are doing well!

Tracy...when you can, please send me some of the latest pix of the girls..thanks...we're doing OK, staying sort of domestic this year...Alaska this past September, Copper Canyon in March ('11). I'll be following your report closely, of course.
Best wishes..
stu