We are flying into London on 8/5 from
JFK. Our arrival is scheduled for 8:45pm. We do not have any luggage to check so will be bypassing baggage claim.
We will uber/taxi directly to our hotel in South Kensington from Heathrow. How long should we anticipate passport control and the drive to South Kensington? I’d like to give the hotel an approximate arrival time for check in since it will be later in the evening. Thanks!
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
7520 posts
Getting through Passport Control is anyone's guess. Keep in mind that you also have the walk from your gate, and will also need to clear a security screening. Plus any wait for your Uber or a queue for a taxi. Give yourself an hour before getting in the car and 40 ish minutes for the ride (assuming no traffic tie ups). So, probably a hotel arrival a bit before 2230hrs (10:30 pm). But honestly, if this is a normal hotel with a 24 hr front desk, and you are arriving before midnight, they wont care.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
6741 posts
When I used to take the daytime flight, I typically arrived at my hotel in Earls Court (two stops before South Kensington) within 90 minutes of landing and that included the tube ride. I would expect that you would arrive between 10 and 11.
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
10482 posts
Passport control is usually quite quick at Heathrow since you can use the e gates. It is the walk to passport control that can be pretty time consuming. I think you could reasonably expect 30 minutes from gate to pick up zone.
You do not clear an additional security screening upon arrival, only if transferring.
Posted by
Freedonia
19279 posts
It really depends on which terminal, how many other flights are arriving at the same time, traffic--yes, even at night--etc. But 90 minutes to two hours sounds about right.
If you are from the US or Canada, you get to use the egates for immigration which is quicker than having to speak to someone.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Thank you all for your help! We are coming from US and I haven’t been abroad in years so much has changed. This will be my 16 yo daughter's first time leaving the country so I’m glad to be able to share some of this info with her.
Posted by
San Francisco area
2040 posts
Don’t forget to apply for a UK electronic travel authorization (UK ETA). Each person needs one. Use the official website or app. There are some third party websites that charge a higher fee.
Posted by
Buckinghamshire
489 posts
If you get a Uber you will need to meet it at a designated place in one of the short stay car parks, exactly where depends on which terminal you arrive at.
Going to the Taxi rank and getting a black cab will be expensive, $100+ I’d guess.
With no hold baggage you might be better off getting the underground to South Kensington.
Posted by
Freedonia
19279 posts
If you don't want to take the underground, a car service might be better than Uber or a taxi.
They will meet you as you exit customs, walk you to your car, and drop you in front of your hotel. It's pre-arranged so you know the price ahead of time. (Unlike Uber and a cab.) They monitor flights and know approximately how long it will take to go through immigration and customs.
Blackberry Cars and Just Airports are two popular car services on this forum.