I’ve seen folks hop on periodically to ask about the time it takes to get through passport control at Heathrow and on your way to your destination (London, Bath, etc.). We just arrived this morning and since I’m sitting on the National Express bus to Bath I thought I’d share our experience since I’ve benefited so much from advice given on this forum. Our United flight from the US arrived into T2 at 11:30am. The trek to get to passport control is lengthy-a good 20 minutes I’d guess. US or Canadian passport holders can use the machines rather than waiting in the line for an immigration agent and it was very efficient-we waited about 5-10 minutes to get through. We didn’t check luggage and had nothing to declare at customs so it was just more walking to get to the central bus station. I was happy to have gotten advice here to pay the extra 5 pounds each for flexible time tickets because we were able to catch the 12:25pm coach (which was running about 15 min late) rather than the 2:30pm one I’d booked. So really only about an hour from arrival to on our way! I’m sure “your mileage may vary” but hope our experience is helpful.
Posted by
Westland, MI
802 posts
It really is a good idea to get the flexible tickets for the coach. With carry on only and a swift walk/run we also were able to catch an earlier coach departure than we originally planned. We made it to Bath several hours earlier - well worth the cost.
Posted by
carlisle, pa., usa
311 posts
Thanks for your report!
Posted by
Twin Cities, Minnesota
2015 posts
Great info, thank you. I will be coming from Dublin in early September and have been wondering about this. I arrive just a little earlier than your flight and will be heading for Oxford via the Airline Bus service. I want to buy the return tickets which are a cost savings and appreciate the flexibility with the time reserved, but wanted it to be at least close to when I could expect to be through passport control and all the walking.
Posted by
California USA
4115 posts
Good to know you had an efficient experience too. Generally the flexible bus tickets aren’t too much more expensive and well worth it if you are lucky enough to catch a earlier bus and want to be on your way. The flexible ticket is also a good safety net in case your flight is delayed and you need an even later bus. Have a great rest of your holiday!
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11948 posts
Our United flight from the US arrived into T2 at 11:30am.
Where did your flight originate and was it on time?
Happy travels-- hope the rest of the trip goes as smoothly
Posted by
OP
53 posts
Our flight originated in Houston (IAH) and it left 30 min late but arrived on time.
Posted by
318 posts
Thank you for posting this. Have a wonderful trip!
Posted by
Paris
10289 posts
Thanks for sharing your experience - and the tip about the possibility for flexible coach tickets.
Posted by
CA, USA
1254 posts
thanks for the update and have fun on your trip!
One thing I'd add is to be sure the signs you're following say "Central Bus Station". It is well marked but it turns out there are also signs that just say "Buses" and they lead to a lot underneath one of the terminals. Not the right destination. You can guess how we know...
Posted by
Phoenix🌵
3097 posts
Thank you for posting this information and your experience. I leave in two weeks for LHR and beyond.
Have a great trip!
Posted by
340 posts
We just returned to SFO via Heathrow 2 on United yesterday -- and arrived there at 2:10 PM from SFO back in mid-July. It was crowded and huge! But into and out of it was painless for us.
We don't check bags and we have E passports. Also, we completed all of United's travel-ready docs via the United app and had our boarding passes on our phones before we ever got to the airport -- going or coming.
Upon arrival we were off the plane and meeting the driver in maybe 30 minutes. In fact, it felt like it took longer to find the driver than get through the airport. Entrance -- for us -- to the UK with the E passport was as easy as Global Entry back into the US.
Upon departure we flew in United's Premium Economy cabin (first time), which is supposed to provide the same airport/security benefits as flying Polaris or 1st. Since we didn't check baggage, we skipped the pretty long check in lines at the United counter and the staff directed us to the fast lines for security. Security at Heathrow was a bit different, though. They seemed to only want to hear "business" or "first." The United boarding passes say "premium boarding," so I simply said "premium" when they asked, and that got us through. Good thing, too. The main security line at Heathrow was daunting and makes any line you'll ever see at Disney seem like a walk in the park.
But Heathrow is BIG. From the curb to the United gates (or exiting the airport from the plane) was just over a mile. For departure it took almost 20 minutes after getting through to security to get to the United area. Again, we didn't check luggage -- and we completed all the docs we could prior to ever getting to the airport, so we had that going for us.