I arrive on Sat 645 am at Heathrow terminal 3. I am told the Central Bus Station is a 10 minute walk to get on a National Express bus to Bath. Is immigration and customs between Terminal 3 and Central Bus Station? How long should i guestimate it will take to clear immigration early morning?
Just for consideration what is the cheapest anyone has obtained a car and/or taxi transfer to Bath and can you give contact info ?
thanks very much
You will go through immigration and customs before you leave T3.
Have you got your ETA?
Just to note you probably aren't going to get on that bus irrespective of immigration. It leaves at 0750. As I type there are only 3 seats left on it.
The current price is £36.70.
The next direct bus is at 1130. You sure as anything don't want to be on any of the other buses where you change at Bristol onto an all stops city bus back to Bath.
The flixbus at 0740, cost £14.99 is also almost full, as of tonight.
The walk up train fare, for any of the half hourly trains is only £56.70.
Immigration luck is a matter of how many planes landed at the same time as yours. But it should move pretty quickly since they now use turnstiles which just scan you and your passport and in you go.
I just got my ETA and they said I don't need to show or carry anything since it is tied to my passport number.
A few things....
when you arrive at T3, you will go directly to immigration and customs. (You can't leave the building before doing this.)
Be aware, depending on which gate your flight is assigned, the walk from the gate to immigration could 10-15 minutes.
You can probably use the egates at immigration if you are holding a US or Canadian passport. From there you take the escalators down to customs.
When you exit customs, look for signs and the ramp down to the underground walkway that will take you to the Central Bus station. You will pass the entrances to the Heathrow Express/Elizabeth line and the Underground. The Bus Terminal is actually closer to T2. But it shouldn't be more than 10 minutes once you've exited customs.
If you want some water or a snack for your bus trip, there is an M & S Simply Food on your left as you exit customs and before you head down to the underground passageway.
As for how long it will take to clear immigration.....no one knows. It depends on how many flights arrive and how many egates are open.
As egates and facial id play more and more of a role in how quickly passport control takes, the new variable that seems to matter most is how long luggage claim takes. If you are carryon only, no worries. If you checked a bag it can arrive anywhere between 10 minutes and an hour after landing.
