I will be traveling from Heathrow Terminal 2 to Bath on a Saturday in September. I am trying to figure out how long it takes to get through customs/immigration so that I can plan to catch a bus/coach to Bath (Plane lands at 11:30 am). I will have to claim one checked bag.
I've been told that it is cheaper to buy a bus/coach ticket ahead of time via National Express, but if my plane is late or if customs takes a long time I do not want to have to buy another ticket anyway. Please help!
Last year I pre-booked National Express allowing about 3 hours in case of delay and getting through customs (I had a carry-on). I landed about 10 in the morning. I got through Customs super fast (about 10 minutes!) and got to the bus station quickly. I tried to change my reservation to an earlier bus, but due to a train strike everyone was booking buses so there were no openings on earlier buses and I had to wait. On the other hand, I did have a reservation so I wasn't worried about transportation. When I was through Customs I did note that there was a really long line, so I think I lucked out in the time I happened to get there and missed a long line.
No one can give you a definitive answer to this......your plane could be late, there could be many flights arriving at the same time causing delays in immigration, etc. (Customs is usually just a walk through. You probably won't see any agents. Immigration can take forever.)
There's a 14:20 bus which is the earliest one I would gamble with. Fares are low so if you miss that one, you probably wouldn't be out mre than $20.
I have a similar situation. Taking ANZ on a Wed
Lax to terminal 2. I have been checking flight aware to see how often it leaves late. It's no guarantee but you might want to have a look. Our flight is suppose to land at 11:30 but is more often half an hour to an hour late often.
From the National Express website:
Alternatively, a flexible add-on is available from the 'add extras' page when making your booking online which means that you can
Board any available coach 12 hours before or 12 hours after your original departure time
Amend your ticket to a new departure date - free of charge
obtain a refund on your ticket, when cancelled up to 24 hours before departure
Alice thanks for that info. Very helpful.
Board any available coach 12 hours before or 12 hours after your original departure time that has space available
Thanks for all of the advice!
I'm still on the fence about it: I know I'll feel better if I have a reserved ticket, but you never can tell how flight schedules will work, etc. Plus, the "flexible" fare is more than twice the cost of the normal ticket...is 36 pounds a typical price for a coach?
Have you compared National Express with Megabus, the other service between Heathrow and Bath?
The airport fare becomes 24-hour flexible for only an additional £5 per adult and £2.50 per child each way. This is obtained from the 'add extras' page.
Thank you, Marco!
I booked the 14:20 coach (with the 5 pound up-charge to change if my plane is late). Fingers crossed that everything goes to plan!
