V-Flyer

Hi folks,

I have an ex-DUB to SFO booked again this year, and am being a bit cautious re my positioning flight from LHR into DUB. Last year I thought I had plenty of time with a 15:50 departure arriving 17:10 with EI and my return with BA at 19:35. Well as I wrote in my TR at the time the EI flight was delayed, followed by there being insufficient Garda checking passports which created another delay giving us about 20 mins in the BA lounge and then off to board! It was stressful to say the least.

So I'm intending to book an earlier flight. My other half doesn't want to go into Dublin for the afternoon (I've tried oersuasion but he won't budge).

I am booked onto the BA 19:30 service to LHR, so if you were me, and a bit anal about these things, which of these flights into DUB would you take?

13:25 dep 14:50 arr
14:15 dep 15:40 arr

Cheers
John

Earlier rather than later in my opinion.

There is always the lounge and some shopping !

My positioning flight is booked to arrive at 1210 and I depart 1610 and as I only live 15 mins from Lhr home and by 1700

As someone who is always taking a connecting flight, whether directly to LHR from Cork or else from an EU base, I always go for the earlier option in case of cancellations. It has served me well in the past

Our mantra is;
We have to wait somewhere, we might as well wait at the airport.

We are always ready to leave the house early and usually call the taxi that we have pre-booked to say come any time.
I would definitely go early. In fact I'd probably go the day before.

Dick D

I'm with dick in the day before camp , adds another day to the holiday and the chance to see a bit of Dublin but failing that definitely the earlier flight

Maybe being overcautious but I'm firmly in the earlier flight camp (or even day before as I'm doing with my BRU-LHR-LGW-LAS routing in March), particularly as I find Dublin a pleasant airport to spend time in anyway so the reduction in potential later stress is hardly an ordeal.

Then, if there is a problem with your earlier flight, there is a decent chance to 'bully' your way onto the later one to still be in good time & if they won't do that then you at least have time to launch a really plausible argument to get EI and/or BA to speak to VS and explain that you were forced to cancel a Dublin 'meeting' because of flight delays meaning you will now miss the first leg of your SFO trip so please don't 'cancel me on TATL'.

I'm also doing a BRU-LHR-LGW-LAS routing Tim, mine's in May. I'm positioning on BA LHR-BRU 16:20 arriving BRU 18:30, then leaving BRU on Brussels Airlines BRU-LHR 21:30 for first sector of VS issued ticket. Hopefully 3+ hours will be enough in BRU! I was originally going to position on Easyjet as they fly LGW-BRU, so nice & easy back to LGW ready for the the VS next day....alas though EZY cease LGW-BRU operations on 21st March!

After a recent three hour runway hold which had me running for my connecting flight out of SFO, earlier is definitely better with flight connections.

Thanks everyone, it's cemented the decision for the earlier flight for me. Can't go the day before because him indoors doesn't want to spend the day in Dublin city (and I was hoping to check out shopping on Grafton Strret). So an earlier flight and hang out at the airport it will be (as Tonty says, I can shop at the airport). We shall arrive at LHR the day before taking our DUB flights so that we're relaxed. Last year, the delays aside, it was a nice little jolly but I'd prefer it to be more relaxed. And I loved LHR T2 as well.

Thanks again, as always, good advice.

Bretty wrote:Thanks everyone, it's cemented the decision for the earlier flight for me. Can't go the day before because him indoors doesn't want to spend the day in Dublin city (and I was hoping to check out shopping on Grafton Strret). So an earlier flight and hang out at the airport it will be (as Tonty says, I can shop at the airport). We shall arrive at LHR the day before taking our DUB flights so that we're relaxed. Last year, the delays aside, it was a nice little jolly but I'd prefer it to be more relaxed. And I loved LHR T2 as well.

Thanks again, as always, good advice.

Tsk! Such a curmudgeon! He doesn't know what he's missing. Grafton Street is such fun with excellent shopping and excellent eateries in the vicinity!

honey lamb wrote:Tsk! Such a curmudgeon! He doesn't know what he's missing. Grafton Street is such fun with excellent shopping and excellent eateries in the vicinity!

Don't I know it?! Some things are worth pushing for, others not. I choose my battles.

Bretty wrote:Thanks everyone, it's cemented the decision for the earlier flight for me. Can't go the day before because him indoors doesn't want to spend the day in Dublin city (and I was hoping to check out shopping on Grafton Strret). So an earlier flight and hang out at the airport it will be (as Tonty says, I can shop at the airport). We shall arrive at LHR the day before taking our DUB flights so that we're relaxed. Last year, the delays aside, it was a nice little jolly but I'd prefer it to be more relaxed. And I loved LHR T2 as well.

Thanks again, as always, good advice.

Good shout Bretty

Since Bretty is sorted - can I ask the same thing, particularly experiences of early morning flights out of LHR and into DUB.

When I booked my super cheap ex-DUB to Vegas, I intended to take a DUB-LHR flight around 2pm in the afternoon, but ended up booking the 11:40 out of DUB. I cannot get the day before off work and not really keen on the last flight of the day arriving into DUB at around 11pm.

My option is the 06:45-08:05 BA flight. This should give me plenty of time right? I'm not too concerned about time in the lounge at DUB as we will be stopping at LGW later that evening, so will splash out on a nice hotel there.

Thoughts?

Thanks.

98% you'll be absolutely fine. 2% you won't.

Depends if you're the type of person who's confident with the 98% or who'll worry about the 2%.

Me? Anything over 3 hours is fine.

Others would even do the back-to-back - ie flying to DUB on the same plane that'll take you straight back to LHR on the basis that if the LHR-DUB leg is late or cancelled, the DUB-LHR will be too so you can't miss it. I'm not brave enough to try it but many have.

I'm also doing a BRU-LHR-LGW-LAS routing Tim, mine's in May. I'm positioning on BA LHR-BRU 16:20 arriving BRU 18:30, then leaving BRU on Brussels Airlines BRU-LHR 21:30 for first sector of VS issued ticket. Hopefully 3+ hours will be enough in BRU! I was originally going to position on Easyjet as they fly LGW-BRU, so nice & easy back to LGW ready for the the VS next day....alas though EZY cease LGW-BRU operations on 21st March!

That's bad news on the EZY flights as I have used that route quite a bit in the past - seems bizarre as EZY are adding routes from both BRU and CRL this year but I guess it's down to what they are doing with their LGW slots and they have found a more profitable use for them (at least for summer)? So it will be back to LHR or the Eurostar for positioning for many London area Vflyers which will tend to favour using other ex-EU starting points a bit more for them - but for my dates BRU was both more convenient as well as cheaper than all the other options. Enjoy your trip in May (and obviously hope Bretty enjoys the SFO trip).

I'm sure I posted some notes on BRU before on wifi/internet terminal access, lounges, smoking area, 'fast track' etc but if there's anything anyone wants me to check again in March then just let me know.