Flying home for Christmas from Heathrow - How much time do I really need to leave?

Sam V Smith

Forgive my preemptive laziness, but I like my sleep. Here's the situation: I'm taking an early flight (departing 0750) out of Heathrow with Aer Lingus this Wed (21st)

Luckily I'm living in Ealing Common, so I don't have far to travel at all. One change on the tube and it's straight to the door on the Picadilly line... The one thing I have been trying to work out though is what time I should be looking to arrive at the airport for.

On the Aer Lingus website it says "recommended Check-in time for all Aer Lingus flights departing London Heathrow Airport is 2 hours 30 minutes before departure" - Are they just covering their asses in saying that or do I really need to be leaving the house at 4 am or something?

Thanks in advance.

Mr Simpson

It'll be busy around this time, be there two hours before, just to be safe. No point paying for a change of flight for the sake of a lie in.

Fysh

Take the hit and leave the house at Sweet Jesus O'Clock, if you're flying through Terminal 1 in Heathrow it'll be absolutely mental - getting through security will take aaaaaaaaaaaages and if you're in danger of missing your flight because you didn't bother heading to the airport until the last minute you're unlikely to get much sympathy.

Also, don't forget that if the weather goes wonky at all in the next couple of days it'll have a substantial knock-on effect.

silvervixen84

Also make allowances for possible delays on the tube.

Sam V Smith

Cheers everyone. I'll look to leave by 4.15 - should leave plenty of time!

Fysh

Sam V Smith wrote: »

Cheers everyone. I'll look to leave by 4.15 - should leave plenty of time!

Good luck with it I sympathise at the thought of having to leave at that eye-watering hour - my nice comfortable early-evening flight to visit family in Spain last year was cancelled, but when I got home I managed to score a last-minute flight the next day...that required me to leave the house at 3am. Needless to say, I was not exactly a bundle of joy when I eventually arrived.

(On a separate note, I found out today that a friend of mine is stuck here overnight having missed his flight to Jersey due to train and tube delays, so even without weather delays it's still possible for circumstances to screw you over)

Marcusm

I'd say check in online an aim to be there for 6:30 or so. Terminal 1 is a lot easier to get through now that BA has moved out. Many of the other flights are United, Air New Zealand etc which don't really feature in the early morning schedules. BMI has been cutting back routes (selling slots) so it's nothing like the trauma it was 5 years or so ago.

Sam V Smith

Well it was an early one alright. I took the lazy option and went for a cab for 18 quid - wasn't much more than public transport would have been and the tubes weren't running that early anyway.

I was probably overly early, but I was quite paranoid about the potential christmas rush. In the end it actually ended up being very quiet and I was through very fast, but it didn't hurt to be safe.

Thanks again!

BrokenArrows

When flying to Dublin from heathrow I always aim to be there an hour before departure time. If its busy at check-in just walk to the top of the queue and tell the staff your late and they will bring you to the top of the queue.

That's always gets you to your gate with time for a coffee while your entire plane queues up to get onto the plane. Once everyone else is on the plane you can casually finish your coffee and get on the plane.

Scarinae

BrokenArrows wrote: »

When flying to Dublin from heathrow I always aim to be there an hour before departure time. If its busy at check-in just walk to the top of the queue and tell the staff your late and they will bring you to the top of the queue.

That's always gets you to your gate with time for a coffee while your entire plane queues up to get onto the plane. Once everyone else is on the plane you can casually finish your coffee and get on the plane.

Well it depends on the airline I suppose... I know Ryanair don't go from Heathrow, but that certainly wouldn't work on one of their flights! Also, you have to be a bit more careful at Christmas or other times when there are a lot of people flying as they can overbook flights

Scubadevils

A tip that I probably shouldn't make public but it's Christmas :pac: The queue is always much longer in Heathrow T1 at the front security area - what a lot of people seem to not know is that if you go around to the left of the new Aer Lingus check in area you can also go through security beside the BMI check in - pretty much never a queue there... you still obviously have to deal with the scanner queues but its definitely quicker.

I travel back and forth every week and never arrive to either Dublin or Heathrow any more than 1 hour before my flight and have never missed one... I had better touch some wood...

Misticles

Flying from Stansted later on!

Last day in London.... I may be back