I will be departing on the BA flight that goes to New York with a stop at Shannon.
I have read the airport is fairly small/compact, so am wondering if the standard "3hr for international flight' advice applies?
How far ahead of flight time should one arrive to go through security (and any other formalities required of US citizen)?
Thank you
PS- it is a FF miles ticket. No way I would buy it.
Airlines don't differentiate between airports, 3 hours for long haul is the rule irrespective of the airport. It's up to you how much you want to flout the rules.
I flew through LCY last year through AMS and quite enjoyed it. It is compact and easy train connection from London. I tend to arrive early to help ensure I can make my flight should a few issues pop up. I suppose LCY’s size could push the 3 HR’s down a tad, but I wouldn’t arrive with less than 2 1/2 HR’s out of an abundance of caution.
Airlines don't differentiate between airports, 3 hours for long haul is the rule irrespective of the airport. It's up to you how much you want to flout the rules.
No airline (that I know of) has a "rule" that you need to be there three hours before a long-haul flight. Three hours is a guideline - and a fairly conservative one - for how early you should aim to get to the airport so you can still make your flight even if things go moderately wrong.
And airlines absolutely do differentiate between airports - or at least, British Airways does. According to this, check-in at London City Airport closes a mere 20 minutes before flights depart. At other airports, check-in closes 45-60 minutes before departure.
I’m looking at the BA LCY site and it says this under check-in:
Please do not arrive any earlier than two hours before your time of departure, as we will not be able to accept your baggage, and terminal facilities are limited.
https://www.britishairways.com/en-us/information/airport-information/london-city
Thank you all
Somehow I hadn't found my way to Laura's link.
I have flown out of LCY internationally numerous times and never arrived more than two hours before the scheduled time. The terminal is small. The furthest gate is maybe a five minute walk from the central area. And, there are never enough seats. (The airport is so small that the runway is not more than 500 feet from the terminal and there are no taxiways.)
While in Shannon you'll be going through U.S. Immigration and Customs as well as TSA security while the plane fuels up. (If the plane tried to carry full fuel at LCY, it would be too heavy to take off from LCY's short runway.) When you arrive in NY, it's straight off the plane like a domestic flight.
Be aware, this is not the same business class comfort of a larger plane unless the seat next to you is empty.
You don't say what time the flight is but I've flown out numerous times at 5pm which felt like peak time because it's essentially an airport to serve business workers flying to and from London from Europe and the UK. No way I would turn up 3 hours before, the check in area is so small. The majority of passengers at the airport carry on which makes security a bit slow but Ive never been mOre than about 15 minutes getting through. You will be barked at constantly but that's In an Effort to keep the queues moving.
I have flown BA 1 and I enjoyed it as a change as it has a rather different ambience to your typical flight, even if some of the facilities are not the most up to date on the plane. It used to be popular with BA Executive Club members as it paid first class tier points etc rather than business but that went long ago and it is an odd mixture of a few remaining low-level City types and many more leisure travellers now. Actually that is how London City Airport has gone in general. There is a lot less advantage for the pre-clearance aspect (if there ever was for American citizens).
You do get a voucher for a meal at Pilots Restaurant as there is no longer any lounge facilities for this flight.
