Southampton to LHR
 

Hello. We will be returning from a cruise to Southampton and will have a car service meet us at the pier upon return. How long will it take to get from the cruise ship pier in Southampton to LHR (British Airways Terminal)? Our flight leaves at 3:30 PM and we want to make sure we get there in plenty of time to check in for our International flight. Thank you for your help.

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You need to be at LHR 3 hours before flight time. I don't know what time your cruise docks or how much time it takes to get off a ship and find a booked driver, but I'd be already panicking about such a plan. I've been in the cruise-dock area in Southampton (not coming in from a cruise, though) and it struck me as fairly chaotic. I'm sure others who are more local will know better. In good conditions the drive from Southampton to LHR is 1.5 hours, and that's not accounting for traffic, diversions, etc. I'm guessing you don't have a prayer of "making sure" of anything.

On-line drive time calculators are useless -- no one can possibly say how long it will take on the day since EVERYTHING is traffic dependent.

Which dock (there are more than one). But it can take anywhere from 1:20 to 3 hours or more.

>>You’ll be doing online check in hopefully so no need to be @ LHR 3 hours before departure, that really is excessive.<<

Most carriers suggest 3 hours for flights to the States, and a few demand 3 hours.

. . . but if you are flying Business or First you can cut that shorter because of expedited security.

Your real expert to ask is the car driver or company he/she works for - those who do it all the time should know a ballpark figure and that's all it may be given unexpected traffic bottlenecks, etc.

All the carriers that I have flown in the past 10 years from Europe to international destinations DEMAND that your be at the airport 3 hours in advance - and for good reason, considering what a total PITA it is to get your belts and coats and jewelry and shoes off and take out your electronics and get through security.

In Business or First? I don't know. Never fly them because I as comfortable as one can be in Economy.

Just keep your fingers crossed that both the M3 and M25 [clockwise] are running freely. A good car driver will know the optional routes though, so keep tuned to the traffic updates.

I think it's worth explaining what DEMAND really means, if you know. I fly constantly out of LHR to international (including long haul) destinations in all different classes and airlines and very rarely arrive within the 3 hour window. I certainly would suggest that people (especially leisure travelers who aren't as used to traveling) aim for the 3 hour window to reduce stress but let's be clear about what we're saying here.

Most people are already checked in when they arrive and at the baggage drop I have NEVER had anyone at the desk tell me off or even remind me that I should try to arrive earlier. Never. So what does DEMAND really mean? Security is usually pretty quick at LHR and within the last few years I don't think I've waited more than 15 minutes. 5-10 or less is more the norm, including the scan to get into the security queue. It is a PITA to remove belts, etc but it doesn't mean that it takes a long time (two different points entirely). You may be asked to remove shoes but I haven't at LHR in years. Also a PITA but adds maybe 30-60 seconds to the process if you're unlucky to be asked. Avoid chunky heels and/or boots if you want to avoid removing your shoes at LHR.

I'm not suggesting that the OP plan to arrive less than 3 hours prior to the flight. Just trying to put things in perspective.

Also, everyone is already panicking and I don't even see the OP's arrival time into Southampton - required info before anyone starts to panic. In practice, people should think of their overall contingency time. If you pile contingency on top of contingency, you'll never have time to live life. I'm not reckless and always plan for problems but my usual rule is that if it's 1 hour to the airport without traffic, for example, I plan to leave around 4 hours ahead for a long haul flight. If it takes 2 hours to get there due to traffic, then I have plenty of contingency built into the 3 hour planned arrival at the airport as 2 hours ahead generally is plenty of time. If I plan to arrive 2 hours ahead of my flight and my journey to the airport takes 2 hours rather than 1, then I'm in for a lot of stress. Really just common sense. But if you say you MUST be at the airport 3 hours in advance because the airline ?DEMANDS? it, then you need to add more contingency for the car or train journey. 3 hours is not a 'drop dead' rule and unless you can provide more information to back this up, then it's misleading and likely to cause people a lot of unnecessary stress. I would suggest that when people plan for their overall contingency, they recognise that the 3 hour guideline already has a significant amount of contingency already built into it. There's been 8+ hour traffic backups in the UK so you simply cannot plan for every single problem scenario.

I regularly fly from Gatwick. My rules is, if my flight it before 1300 [it usually is], then I travel up by train direct into Gatwick the previous afternoon, and invest in a restful overnight stay at North Terminal Premier Inn.

Yikes.
Belt, Braces, Elastic Waistband, and those little strap things at the sides. Maybe if you're coming from Cornwall! :)

>>Also, everyone is already panicking and I don't even see the OP's arrival time into Southampton - required info before anyone starts to panic.<<

Bearing in mind that typically one does not get to leave the ship just whenever they want. People disembark in pre-arranged groups and the luggage is taken off the ship by group. Can be 2 or 3 hours between groups. Actually it would likely be better to book a LHR transfer through the Cruise line because they would then coordinate group with the flight time.

I agree. But we have no idea on the timing of anything - arrival, disembarking group time, reunion with luggage time. And we already have people telling the OP that they should be panicking.

Good idea IF the cruise line arranges disembarking by flight/onward travel time.

What's the last stop before Southampton - maybe abort cruise there and fly to Heathrow. Won't miss much in Southampton, one of Britain's dreariest cities IME/

We still have no idea of the timing of the arrival and we're already rearranging the trip to accommodate some unknown time constraints! Let's organise a helicopter evacuation from the cruise ship to make a flight that they very well could have no problem making in the first place.

walkinaround: :) Now you know what the 'ignore function is for ;)

We don't know what time they dock, we don't know the size of ship, we don't know what day of the week, we don't really know anything.

The only things we do know -1) they are arriving at Southampton, and 2) the OP wants to know how long the drive is to LHR. Answer: there are a lot of variables.

Until the OP comes back and fills in some of the the blanks any more than 'Maybe look into a transfer provided by the cruise line' is bloviating.

Living close to Southampton, I can say that on a very good day, if the traffic gods are smiling, it's about 90 minutes. As has been stated before, the best people to ask are the car service.
There are several variables - The dock at which the ship arrives, the number of other cruise ships in port/arriving/departing at the same time, and the day of the week.
Traffic in Southampton itself can almost grind to a halt when the cruise port is busy. Unless you are very unlucky, once you get out of the city itself, it should be a straight run through.

<<Won't miss much in Southampton, one of Britain's dreariest cities IME/>>

Well, not IME. Fascinating place, with a great market and loads of stuff I'd never known about the embarkment of US soldiers to Normandy before D-Day. The plaques on the sidewalks and walls of the city alone are of great interest, not to mention the portside activities. I'd never call it dreary.

Enjoying a relaxed train ride from the Solent Coast through West Sussex, followed by a relaxing overnight stay at North Terminal Premier Inn, and excellent evening meal is all part of the journey.