kchill68

I am going to be flying in and out of Heathrow in a couple weeks (from US), and have heard that the heightened security is a nightmare. In recent trips (the last was a couple years ago) I have flown mainly thru Gatwick, but already felt that compared to what we deal with here, the process was long and frustrating to say the least. What can I expect now? Realistically, how much time should I allow when leaving to deal with everything?

Elainee

I flew out of Heatherow on AA on Tuesday..no problem, no delay. If you do not ring bells, you go thru just as you have for the past years. I got to the airport 2 hours before flight and had time for breakfast and shopping.

amazingview

You'll be fine. Leave yourself 1 hour from the time you arrive at the airport.

TimS

Even though Elainee had time for breakfast and shopping after arriving two hours before departure, I don't think one hour (as suggested by amazingview) is wise for any flight from Heathrow going across the Atlantic. For me two hours would be a bare minimum.

hetismij

The airport actually recommends three hours before departure for US flights. If you are able to check-in online then you could probably get away with two hours. Check with your airline about how much carry-on they are allowing now.
Better to be there too early and through all the security, and enjoying a cup of coffee than stuck in a queue at security and risking missing your flight.

kchill68

Thanks for the reassurance. I usually err on the side of caution anyway, but wanted to see if anyone's recent experience backed up the horror stories that seem to be making their way around.

Suzanne2

We have a flight on BA from Paris with a short connection time at LH. should I worry.

TimS

If both your CDG-LHR and LHR-home flights are on one ticket on BA, you have nothing to worry about. If you were to miss your connection, BA would be responsible for getting you on the next available flight.

SandyBrit

kchill68:

My vote is to allow three hours on flights departing for USA. Some times you breeze right thru and other times it can be slow. Better safe than sorry.

Sandy

UNCalum

I would suggest allowing three hours as well. It's difficult to know how many US bound flights are departing around the same time as yours. If many are, then security lines will back up quickly!