rosiemc13182

In March, we are flying into Brussels, with a plane change in London (same itinerary), via American Airlines.

Once we land in Brussels, we intend to hop on a flight to Barcelona via a smaller, regional airline (different itinerary).

(a)Assuming we carry on our bags (and thus don't have to deal with bag claim), how long are we looking at to clear immigration/customs (I don't clearly understand the difference) in order to be able to turn around and get to our next flight?
(b) once we go through immigration/customs/whatever, does that spit us out beyond security, so we will have to go back through security to go to our next outbound gate?
(c) what is the wait time typically like for Security in Brussels?
(d) dumb question, but do we have to do customs/immigration/whatever in London, or do we just change planes and do it in Brussels?

Whathello

a) depends on time of day and number of aircraft landing just before yours.
I've done it in 10 min and in half an hour.
Plus time to walk - at BRU you walk a lot.
b) yes. You exit then re-enter.
IMO you stay in transit in London if on same ticket, so no immigrzation there.
d) I usually do it in 15 min. For such a flight, a typic

Whathello

d) typical time would be around 45 min once you have exited.
So if all goes right, one hour after landing. Count 1h30 to be on the safe side.

janisj

>>So if all goes right, one hour after landing. Count 1h30 to be on the safe side.<<

But that assumes your flight is on time . . . if it is delayed you are SOL.

nytraveler

In London you will just be transiting - not entering the UK - so be sure you stay airside. You will, however, have to go through security again.

In Brussels you will have to go through Immigration (people entering) since Belgium and Spain are both in Schengen so this is a domestic flight. How long this will take depends on how many planes land at the same time and can be. I believe you will have to go through security again to get onto the next flight (have had to do so at CDG). Your luggage will be routed directly to Barcelona if this is the same airline. If the luggage is not checked all the way through you will have to wait for it, collect it, go through customs (luggage entering) and then check in again. If this is two separate tickets and you have to go through the whole process make sure you have allowed enough time for this (I would want at least 3 hours).

Whathello

Janis

So true.
OP : the best way to ensure an easy going trip would be to have a layover in Bxl. You must anyway deplane and must allow for some delays (remember that if your plane is late and you're flying on differetn tickets, the last leg will be under your responibility : you miss it, you buy another ticket.
Find a nice hotel and visit Bruxelles (LA Grand-Place, Sablon, les Marolles, la Bourse, Place Sainte Catherine, Mannekenpis etc.
And you eat mussels and reals fries, with a draft beer.

rosiemc13182

Thanks all! We were looking at a flight to Barcelona that leaves 2.5 hours after we are set to land. We also don't plan on checking any bags, so we are hoping that this will help us expedite our time through the airport, as we won't have to wait for the bag claim, and then go recheck them again. I already checked airlines over there and our bags will fall within those size requirements.

Whathello- we are definitely planning on spending some time in Brussels, on the tail end of the trip- we are going to a Barcelona game on Sunday night, so we'll go straight from Brussels to Barcelona, and then work our way back up a few days before we are set to leave to come back to the states. My son is most excited about seeing the Mannekin Pis!

KyraS

So what is your Plan B regarding your flight to Barcelona, in case either or both of your flight segments to London/Brussels are delayed or cancelled, or it takes more time than you anticipate to transit through Immigration? It depends on your risk tolerance and your budget, as to how much time you want to allow between flights.

Customs is for luggage and "stuff" (anything you've brought with you, or purchased in transit, that might be subject to controls or inspection or taxation) entering a country. In some places (such as London Heathrow), if you have nothing to declare, you just walk past it, no queues, no inspection. You can look up the rules, if you're interested.

Immigration is for people entering a country, and this is typically where you find longer lines. The amount of time needed to clear Immigration depends on how many other people are in line with you at the same time (how many other international flights landed when yours did), how many staff people are working, et cetera. This is where you and your passport will be inspected and there will be some questions asked of you. There's also some paperwork, usually a "landing card" handed out by the airlines.

I do not know for certain, but think it's highly likely you would need to re-clear security at Brussels for your flight to Barcelona, so I'd allow time for this.

It was very smart of you to check the luggage allowance for the regional airline to Barcelona, as some of the rules are much stricter than the larger airlines', and the excess luggage fees can be high compared to the fares.

Hope you have a great trip!

Tulips

2.5 hours should be plenty. Security is very efficient at Brussels Airport. I haven't seen queues, and I've been there a few times in the past few months, including flights to/from London.