Heathrow connection time
 

Question to experienced Heathrow travelers.

I will be traveling into Heatherow from chicago on American which arrives at Terminal 3. From there I need to connect to Terminal 1 which my flight to Dublin will be leaving from. Heathrow website says that this conncection time from leaving the plane in terminal 3 to being at the gate in terminal 1 will take 60 minutes. I have 1hr 35 minutes between my conncection. Will this be enough time? Are they right?

Do I need to get my bags in Heathrow and re check them on Aer Lingus to Dublin?
How bad is the customs time in Heathrow when getting off the American flight?
Any help would be appreciated.

thanks

When I flew into Heathrow from Phoenix last year, connecting on Air Italia to Milan, BA would NOT let me check luggage all the way through since it was on different airlines. I had to claim luggage in Heathrow and then recheck.

You can probably do it in 1hr 35 min but you'll be in a rush. The length of time it takes to get through customs depends on the time of day. I arrived early afternoon and it took me about 45 minutes to get through customs.

If you can check luggage all the way through, obviously that would be your best bet. Call American and see if they'll do it, otherwise have your running shoes handy.

Call AA and ask if they have an interline baggage agreement with Aer Lingus. I would be very surprised if they didn't. I'm almost certain you'll be able to through check your bags.

I did the same T3 to T1 transfer in approx. half an hour, but I arrived at a time when passenger traffic was fairly light and there wasn't any line at the T1 security screening. I was also connecting to continental Europe, so I didn't have to go through immigration/passport control, which you'll have to go through.

You don't go through customs at Heathrow (this is done in Dublin) only immigration. Unless you can't through check your bags, then you'll need to go through both.

When you deplane at T3, follow the signs that say Flight Connections Centre (don't follow the people who are heading to baggage claim), go downstairs and wait for the airside bus to T1/T2. After you get off the bus, you'll need to go through a security screening. Right after the security screening area is the Flight Connections Centre where there are airline transfer desks (you can pick up your boarding pass here if you don't already have one for your LHR-DUB flight but you'll probably already have one).

After the FCC, you head toward your T1 gate. I believe the immigration check happens here. Follow the signs for Domestic UK/Ireland Departures. If you go through immigration at T3 right after you've gotten off of your AA flight, then I think you've just headed toward baggage claim. You can still transfer landside, so either way would work but I think the airside route is quicker/easier.

I think 1 hour 35 minutes is doable if your flight from Chicago arrives on time. It helps if you're sitting in business or FC and one of the first passengers off of the flight. Did you check what the later departures to DUB are in case you miss your flight? You're booking this as one itinerary all the way to DUB, right?

The trick will be your incoming flight arriving AND deplaning on time. I've experienced having to sit on the tarmac at Heathrow waiting for a gate to open up for us to get off the plane (1/2 hour wait).

This could be very tight. As suze says - arrival time is not when you get inside the terminal. Taxi time, waiting for a gate, deplaning a jumbo, and walking the often quite long distance to arrivals can take 20 to 40 minutes plus. And if you have to collect your luggage and re-check it - that can add a few minutes to over an hour.

Everything really depends on IF your flight is on time and IF you can check you bags through.

What time is the next Aer Lingus flight?

Sorry but I cannot reply to your specific message but I can tell you that on a British Midland flight from Amsterdam to Dublin via Heathrow changing planes was a nightmare! We walked endlessly, thru hallway after hallway, the light at the end of one tunnel simply turned into another tunnel and this was a change of planes on the same airline! Now maybe there was a shuttle/train/magic carpet we could have taken however there was no signage ANYWHERE to indicate it! Luckily we had enough time to meet our connecting flight but it was close!