I'm planning a trip to Amsterdam and need to change planes and terminals in Heathrow. I will have only a 2 hour layover in London.I want to carry my luggage on the planes.Is this advisable or should I check my luggage?

If you have more than one bag, you might as well check one of them from the start. The new rule for departures at Heathrow is ONE piece of luggage, no matter what type it is. For example, it's not one bag plus a purse. It's one piece of luggage--period. And the rule is strictly enforced.

As TimS says you are only allowed ONE item through security in the UK.

Unless you can get everything into one bag and all liquids/gels into one quart baggie then you should count on checking your luggage. What airlines are you flying? Not all airlines will inter-line luggage. If you have to collect your bag, then your 2 hours might be tight.

It also depends what airline(s) you fly, whether you have to change terminals.

Tell us the details of your flights.

Are you ticketed Miami? to Amsterdam via Heathrow or are they separate tickets Miami? to Heathrow & Heathrow to Amsterdam.

If the former then your checked luggage should be checked all the way through to Amsterdam and it's just a matter of you following the signs to the Flight Connections Centre and getting on the right coach, for which 2 hours is plenty.

If the latter then the odds are you have to collect luggage which also means having to pass through UK immigration, UK customs & recheck your bags. In which case 2 hours isn't enough by any stretch of the imagination.

In either case you will have to pass through security before you can enter the departure area for your flight - that's where they will INSIST you only have one bag that meets the size limits (note you can put other bags / purses etc into that bag)

See the Heathrow airport website for details about security & connections

Thanks for all your input. I'm booked on Amer. Air transfering to British Air.in Heathrow. Sounds like I'll need to check luggage since I'll be traveling with 1 piece of luggage and my big purse. Traveling nowadays surely isn't easy!