MHS

We would be flying into London (BA or Virgin - both Boeings 747 &amp; Lufhansa/Brit Midland flight from Edinburg is same flight; price is same) and out of Edinburgh (rather than returning to London on the train. The flights I am looking at allow 1.5 or 2 hrs for the connection at Heathrow. Has anyone done this? Do you go through Passport Control in Edinburgh so bags are shipped through in Heathrow? Is there sufficient time to make the connecting flight out or will it be a crazy mad dash? Any experience would help.<BR><BR>Also is taxi from a centrally located hotel a reasonable option for the Edinburgh airport?<BR><BR>Thanks<BR>

Keith

If you fly BA from Edinburgh to London and then on to JFK, they will check your baggage right through from Edinburgh - so 1.5 - 2 hrs should be enough (I've done it!) They also used to reserve your seat in Edinburgh for the LHR - JFK leg - meaning you get priority over those boarding from London. Make sure your ticket shows the return leg as Edinburgh to JFK via LHR, though.<BR><BR>Not sure about bmi/Virgin, though I think they do have some sort of tie-up (part of the Star Alliance?)<BR><BR>As for your question re the hotel, it certainly is an option - it's about a 15 or 20 minute cab journey from the centre of Edinburgh to the Airport, though it can be longer during busy times.<BR><BR>Another option you might want to look at, depending on the flight time from LHR, is the overnight sleeper from Edinburgh. This is timetabled to arrive in Euston at about 8am, and you can get the tube (or a taxi) from there to Paddington for the Heathrow Express, or if you've time take the Picadilly Line to Heathrow.

Ann

You should be okay with 2 hours, as long as your flight from JFK is on time, and they usually are. Security lines are pretty long at Heathrow these days, and you'll spend a fair amount of time there, and of course catching and riding the shuttle between terminals. You do show your passport at Heathrow (after security), but the passport control lines for people with connecting flights within the UK are usually fairly short, and often there's no line at all (unlike the massive lines for people with London as their final destination).<BR><BR>You won't have much extra time, but you should be able to make your connection. Just make sure you have at a minimum 90 minutes. Two hours is much more comfortable.

Ann

Whoops--I misread part of your message. My advice was for connecting at Heathrow on your inbound leg, not the outbound.<BR><BR>You do not show your passport until you arrive back in the US.

janis

The answers about your connections are pretty good. You will be cutting it close but should make it OK.<BR><BR>As for a taxi at Edinburgh. There is no need to take a taxi if you are staying centrally - the airport shuttle goes straight up Princes Street and costs about &pound;5 (the last time I took the shuttle was in 1999 when it cost &pound;3.50 so I am guesstimating the current fare)