V-Flyer

i am flying BGI-LGW next saturday - VS30 - Economy. Arrival is at 550 AM. the a/c is a 744 and appears to be full

i have a connection at LHR T4 - departure 930 AM

i know i am cutting it fine but how long shall i expect to take to clear immigration (non EU passport) and collect my bag? would an hour be sufficient? of course i am assumng the flight arrives on time.

i did BA (BGI-LGW) last month and reached LHR T5 around 745 AM - can i assume the same for VS & South terminal arrival?

Just because you managed to get to LHR at 7:45am from a BA flight you cannot assume the same from a VS flight - or even another BA flight. In a perfect world, yes, you should be able to do it but there are so many variables. Even if the flight arrives on time you could face long non-EU immigration queues especially if there is someone ahead of you who is arousing the suspicions of the Border Control staff. Then there is the transportation to LHR. OK the roads and rail traffic should be considerably lighter but it only requires one major accident on the motorway or one train to break down or a signal failure and immediately you could be scuppered.

Quite frankly I would be leery of such a connection within LHR even with an EU passport and flying UC, let alone with a LGW-LHR transfer.

The one thing that could really ruin your plans is the M25 if you are getting a car/bus between LGW and LHR. I have done this journey in 45 minutes on a clear day and in three hours after an accident on the motorway.

This is one connection I wouldn't try and do.

Giving yourself 3 1/2 hrs for such a connection is not unreasonable and I hope you make it. Say 1 1/2 hrs from landing to exiting max., one hour for the journey (assuming car / coach?) that leaves you another hour to check in for BA. At least you'll be doing this on a Saturday during school holidays, so the traffic will be quieter.

Hope nothing goes wrong and you make it - let us know?

thanks everyone
so i will give it a shot and if i miss the connection will catch the 930 PM connection (i can think of worse places to spend an Sunday than London) - will have to shell out an additional £160 to £ 200 if i miss the connection but i guess that is a risk i take
will keep everyone informed

Ahh, you'll be arriving on Sunday morning, even better. The only thing that will screw this up then is a late arrival, I'd saw you'll be fine!

Even if the flight arrives on time you could face long non-EU immigration queues especially if there is someone ahead of you who is arousing the suspicions of the Border Control staff.

honey lamb - you just described me - young looking asian (the brown skin variety) travelling alone through london with a backpack...... i'll probably be the one of the 744 arousing suspicion!

Ahh, you'll be arriving on Sunday morning, even better. The only thing that will screw this up then is a late arrival, I'd saw you'll be fine!

thanks slinky09 sure hope so

hi everyone - made it with a lot of time to spare!
my flight vs 30 left bgi around 20 minutes late and reached lgw about 15 minutes late
managed to get to border control quickly before the queue formed - had my checked in baggage by 630 AM (wow!) - was out of the terminal at the national express coach stop by 640 AM for the 650 departure and at LHR T4 around 745 AM.... checked in and cleared security and i was airside for breakfast by 800 AM for a 930 departure
thanks everyone

Result, well done y)

Iain

Well done and thanks for letting us know. y)

I'm sure my nerves would have been in tatters if it had been me but it shows it is do-able

Result - hats off to you. y) ^)

I don't know whether it is my age, or lack of confidence in the efficiency of others, but my days of deliberately scheduling tight connections are long gone. :w 8D

Nick

Nice to hear that the M25 behaved itself!