Aberdeen, South Dakota?

I'd rethink this - it extends your travel time by half a day. Just connect at LHR or fly to Newark from DC and take a direct flight to EDI. Being stubborn about non-connecting is only going to make the whole thing miserable.

It'd be quicker to drive to Newark and take a direct flight to EDI than to fly into LHR, clear customs and get all your crap and get GBP (process will take 60-90 minutes, easy), drag yourself to the Piccadilly Line, spend 45-60 minutes in a cramped tube train, then have to schlep your stuff to the train in KingsX to sit for 3h45m to Edinburgh.

It's typically 4h30m from KX to Edinburgh, plus an hour to get from LHR to KX plus an hour from landing to passing through customs plus at least another hour to cater for "problems"...

brain fart(or wishful thinking) - make that Edinburgh

Thanks all, you guys are great.

Thinking we won't do the train or drive idea.........you've convinced me to fly

However, one of the reasons I'm so obsessed with non stop is I am just plain paranoid about flying through New York Airports or Newark

We can get a flight from Dulles to LHR that arrives about 11-12 PM.......thinking about taking that, get a good night's sleep (jet lag) then the next morning flying from LHR to EDI ~ we should be refreshed and ready to explore Edinburgh. Thoughts?

PS I'm only an hour from one of those other Edin-burghs-boros-burgs .....Edinburg VA

If you had the option, I'd go straight through at once in Heathrow. No need to collect luggage and check in again next day.

However, one of the reasons I'm so obsessed with non stop is I am just plain paranoid about flying through New York Airports or Newark.

Dunno if it helps, but there are a few flights from Canadian cities direct to Glasgow, and I would guess to Edinburgh as well. This link shows you destinations from/to Glasgow. http://www.flyglasgow.net/flightsdirect.html

Wrenwood,

The flight LHR to Edinburgh is so short and painless, I would take a night flight into LHR and connect to Edinburgh. You should be there before noon.

<i>However, one of the reasons I'm so obsessed with non stop is I am just plain paranoid about flying through New York Airports or Newark. </i>

If you don't want to go through Newark, then go through Europe. If you fly with BA, the connection through LHR is pretty painless. Other carriers through LHR may be slightly more hassle, but still not bad. Alternatively, connecting via Amsterdam is very easy, and shouldn't take appreciably longer than via LHR.

I agree. With BA, you'll arrive at T5 and depart for EDI there also. Terminal 5 is, IMO, one of the best airline terminals in which to spend an hour or two or to transfer through. Plenty of connections to EDI.

The reason we like the morning flight from IAD to LHR is that it keeps us more on our normal cycle of awake-asleep. We have to get up around 4:30AM to go to IAD. Our flight then departs around 9:45 AM our time, arrive LHR around 10PM ~ we've been up about 13 - 14 hours by the time we grab something to eat and get to an airport hotel. Sleep, wake up and fly to EDI, pick up a rental car and we're ready to start sightseeing! Last time we took the morning flight to LHR we literally had no jetlag.

If we take the night flight and arrive LHR in the AM and then fly to EDI, we're jet lagged as neither one of us sleeps well on overnight flights.

We'll probably fly United IAD to LHR unless there's a great sale, as we have free upgrades to Economy plus seating.

Glad you guys talked me out of the train or driving!

You should be able to book a United flight and connect to BMI for the flight to EDI. Should be pretty smooth.

Happy to hear that, travelgourmet. It's what I'll be doing this summer.