Heathrow flight connection
 

We have 65 minutes to make our connecting flight to Paris at Heathrow. We are flying out of Boston, and Logan is notorious for delays. We really need another runway! Anyway, we arrive and depart from terminal 4, according to our itinerary. Do you think we will make it? I am a nervous flyer (I cannot thank the makers of Xanax enough . . . it is the only thing that makes flying possible for me) who does not like to sit around airports waiting for connections . . . I'd rather get it over with, so I hope we don't miss the flight and get bumped to a later one and have to sit around.

Anyone have any experiences flying in and out of the same terminal at Heathrow with a short layover? Also, will we go through customs at Heathrow or CDG? Excuse my ignorance, it's just been around 11 years since I have flown to Europe.

TIA!

Presumably you're on BA on both flights. Proper BA - planes that say "British Airways" - and not just the codesharing duplicity that airlines like so much. You must be: only BA flies from the US to T4, or to Paris from T4.

So on arrival at T4, you'll have a boarding pass to Paris you'll have been given at Boston, and your bags will have been checked to Paris. You simply follow the arrows on the overhead signs, go through security again and go to the gate. Gate to gate should take you 15 mins max (and actually even less for same-terminal connection at the other terminals, if you know your way around and have an ongoing boarding pass before you arrive)

No immigration, no customs. Why would there be? You're going to France, not the UK. All that happens at CDG. Couldn't be simpler. No civilised country makes you go through Immigration or customs if you're just changing planes, do they?

Except that your incoming flight will be late, and your outgoing will be the only BA flight in living memory that leaves on time. And, as long as your whole booking is on one ticket, and BA have acknowledged it as a legal connection, that means BA will put you on the next BA flight for Paris, normally an hour or two later - though they're normally quite good at rushing you to your flight. And T4 has enough shops and restaurants to keep you amused.

If OTOH, you've been a smartass and booked two trips separately, you may find things a bit mesier.

No, not a smartass, both tickets were booked together:)

Yes, we are flying BA. Thanks for the info!

Strange--the airlines typically won't book an international connection with less than a 2-hour layover. Did you book it directly with BA, or through an agent?

Heathrow is notoriously busy, and often planes have to circle for a while before landing, particularly when arriving in the morning.

You will have enough time, and, as flanneruk mentioned, BA will rebook you on their next flight to CDG in the unlikely event that your incoming flight is delayed.

However, do not get too caught up in shoping at T4. The walk to some gates can easily take 15-20 minutes, so you would do well to get to your departing gate as soon as you've cleared security in T4.

Ann41

We booked through Expedia. Also, I have read other threads on this board where people were concerned about short layovers. I guess it depends, and at this point, we probably would get charged if we changed to a later flight to CDG.

I, too, have a question on a LHR connection. I'll be arriving at 10:05 at Terminal 3 on AA. I then take an Iberia flight from Terminal 2 to Barcelona at 11:45. It seems tight to me, but AA booked it and said it's okay (they've changed the flight times a little since I made the reservation). I plan to only have carry-on. Any thoughts?

Hi,

I'm a travel agent and someone who flies through Heathrow when I go to Europe. It might be a tight connection, but it IS possible. Heathrow works very well, considering how large it is. If you were moving to another terminal, it might not work because it can be a long haul between terminals.

If you booked your tickets together through a travel agent or online, without picking each flight separately, but as a Boston-Paris trip, then, you SHOULD be in compliance with the minimum legal connecting times.

But, if it looks like you might be late, mention your tight connection to the flight crew and ask if they can offer any help, try to be one of the first passengers off the flight, check your gates and the Heathrow map (available online or usually in the inflight magazine) before you leave so you know where you're going when you get into the airport. Don't worry about it - there might not be a problem - but, do try to be prepared to make things go smoothly for you.

Have a great day!
Julia

we had a 1-1/2 hr. layover at heathrow (the airport is the size of a city) and customs took so long that we and 85 other passengers missed our connecting flights..you need to really hustle to your next flight...no "rest" stops until you get to your terminal & check-in...if they know you're accounted for, they'll wait....

Sorry, but I don't think you can make it. We take BA from LAX-LHR [Heathrow] yearly and we've have never had a plane leave from LAX on time-always at least 25 minutes late. Maybe Boston is better. We missed our BA plane to LAX a couple of years ago, transferring from a BA flight from CDG. Remember, there are now all kinds of security check points. We didn't try to cut in at the front of the line but waited our turn. Although our names were on the passenger list they had just shut the doors of the plane and we had to go home on Air New Zealand [very nice].

Just to reassure you after the last two posts.

You're not changing terminals, you're not going through immigration (which can take time) or customs (which never takes any time).

And security checks FROM a transatlantic flight TO an intra-European flight are normally relatively light and fast (the opposite isn't always the case, and you might struggle if you've only an hour going the other way)

Whether BA arrives on time, of course, is an altogether different question.

Thanks for the reassurance. BTW, on the way back we have a 3 hour layover, so I am not worried.