Minimum connection times needed at Heathrow, Amsterdam, Dublin, Charles de Gaulle Airports

I just know that I would choose any of those airports for a connection to Manchester or wherever the second one is except CDG. It's notorious for being difficult to transfer in. in this case, it also takes you past the UK to get where you want to go.

Clarity.

What is your destination? Do not wish to presume.

LBA is Leeds Bradford Airport.

Since @mustlovedogs started researching for the trip to Yorkshire another, long dormant, airport has come back into the equation, as an alternative airport for North Yorkshire- Teeside International. That airport has two flights a day to Amsterdam on KLM- https://www.teessideinternational.com/

The airport has an hourly bus connection to Darlington for the East Coast Main Line. The rail station for the airport is currently mothballed (not expected to ever reopen), and hasn't actually served the airport anyway since the new terminal was built quite a few years ago.

I've never understood why so many Americans speak in airport codes.

Hi Claudia, first part of the trip will be to York, then end up in Grassington. So I was thinking to start checking flights from IAD into MAN or Leeds. Maybe North Yorkshire- Teeside International is another possibility, too, now,

If your flights are on a single ticket, the airline has figured out how long is needed.

If you are stringing together separate tickets, the 'rule of thumb' would be not less than 4 hours; more if you have checked bags.

Lol Badger, I thought that was the proper, travel savvy way to do it! I should have just written out the name, bc it took me two searches to make sure I was remembering the right code. 😊

We prefer no shorter than 3 hours layovers. That allows for a late departure or waiting to get off the plane if it parks away from the terminal, and going back through security.

Add NCL (sorry Badger, Newcastle) in to the mix and that makes 4 airports, to choose between.

NCL has flights to Amsterdam, BA flights to Heathrow and Aer Lingus flights to Dublin. The Tyne and Wear Metro trains link it direct to Newcastle Central station.

For good measure (although better suited to those driving onwards) there is also Humberside Airport, which also has Amsterdam flights.

Lol Badger, I thought that was the proper, travel savvy way to do it!

From a European point of view: no. Airports are referred to by name.

I should have just written out the name, bc it took me two searches to
make sure I was remembering the right code.

Yes, then it would have been a lot easier to actually understand what you're trying to. Charles de Gaulle and Heathrow I recognize. The others are Schiphol and maybe Dublin?

There we go. Live and learn; fixed it while I was able!

Kim, thanks for the thoughts on that particular airport. Ease of navigation around it is an important factor to me.

Actually, laughing, I think in airport codes and have trouble referring to a city as the city name instead of the airport code! To me it's just a nice shorthand and once you fly a lot you'll recognize them. ALWAYS know the airport code of your destination if you are checking bags so you can make sure the airport check in desk tags them correctly. I fly out of an airport with a code that is not intuitive so I ALWAYS look.

I love the history associated with some of the various airport codes. GEG is the code for Spokane WA (my local airport), named after the former military airport Geiger Field. Similarly named are MCO for Orlando which is for the former McCoy Air Force Base and MSY for New Orleans which "was originally named Moisant Field after daredevil aviator John Moisant, who died in 1910 in an airplane crash on agricultural land where the airport is now located."

Back to your question -->

I had very good luck flying to Scotland via Amsterdam last August. Coming from the US and transiting thru AMS for a UK destination you stay in the international area so do not have to go thru Immigration. It was SO fast and easy. Coming back my KLM CityHopper flight landed at a tarmac stand (a parking place for planes where you deplane by the stairs to the pavemet) and the little shuttle bus dropped us at a gate that was just a few down from my US departing flight. I had allowed a lot of time and really had to walk further to go find some lunch and kill time, lol.

Well, talking about Navigation Manchester has 3 Terminals, plus a hidden VIP Terminal.

Amsterdam on Easyjet uses T1 and KLM T2, Dublin on Ryanair for instance uses the domestic Terminal 3. They are all connected with each other by enclosed walkways and so all to the station, but it is useful to be aware of the fact.

Oddly Terminal 2 is the original Terminal (although now expanded) from when the airport was called Ringway (a name many Mancunians of a certain age, like me, still use). Where the parking village now is used to be a little village called Heyhead which survived into the 1990's. If you look closely the graveyard from the village Church still survives and is a lovely little quiet area now as is the Memorial Garden on the roundabout outside T1- 2 oases of calm. Last time I was down at the parking village a year ago was actually to do checks on one or two of the gravestones. It is maintained by the Airport Chaplaincy.

KLM were the first airline to serve Ringway on opening in 1938 before conversion to an RAF base in 1939/1940.

When I was knee high to a grasshopper I used to go plane spotting at the sadly long gone but huge open air spotting deck.

Liverpool is properly called Liverpool John Lennon- it replaced Liverpool Speke- the terminal of which is now a hotel.

In London the Aerodrome Hotel at Croydon is almost all that survives of Croydon Airport- the original London airport long before Heathrow.

Mustlovedogs, feel free to use airport codes. This is a travel website, after all, and also one in which one could easily read "I'm trying to decide between BOE and VFR, I really want to focus on Italy, but also would like to see MSM on my own after the tour." :-)

Besides, if someone wants to look up the code, Google gives an answer in .43 seconds (at least that was the time when I just checked!)

Manchester holds a special place for me. The absolute worst connection I’ve ever been on. They actually lost my passport at security. And I had to pitch a fit to get them to start digging through the trash they have back there to find it.

If I never see the Manchester airport again, that’ll be fine with me. CDG is much more organized than Manchester,

(don’t even ask me why they took my passport. They were playing. we can make up rules. The agents were on some kind of power trip where they had to see all your documents to screen you at security, and then they threw them in a pile and my boarding pass disappeared forever and my passport went behind the desk, and they seemed to think that moving the desk was way too much work so I should just go to go the flight without my passport. They seriously said “It’s OK you can get on the plane”)

I've never understood the antipathy many travelers voice directed at CDG. I think it's exceptionally convenient for an international hub. But full disclosure: I've never changed planes there. Only terminus and/or departure.

Pam, that’s good information about the connection at Amsterdam. The IAD to MAN (and LBA if I remember correctly) routes I saw that connect there had some of the shorter windows to change planes, so seems acceptable based on your experience.

First, I agree with Pam about using airport codes. I do it a lot although I will say that I mostly just use codes for the larger and more familiar cities. For someplace smaller (like Duluth or Leeds) I would spell it out.

I also agree that AMS is a very good airport to transfer in and out of. Last year, it was my layover for my MSP to GLA flight and back. This year I will be flying nonstop from MSP to LHR but on the way back I have another layover at Schiphol. Two years ago I had a nightmare transfer at CDG, which I hope to never have to go through again.

Generally I think it's best have a full 90 minutes at any airport, just in case. For CDG and LHR, I would probably want 2 hours but that also depends on the time of year. During less traveled months, you would probably be okay with 1 1/2 hours. I have no experience with Dublin, though.

"Pam, that’s good information about the connection at Amsterdam. The IAD to MAN (and LBA if I remember correctly) routes I saw that connect there had some of the shorter windows to change planes, so seems acceptable based on your experience."

How short is short? I'd still want at least 90 minutes in case of a delay of your incoming flight. IF everything is on time then 90 is generous. HOwever, for your outbound flights there are probably several flights a day to Manchester, not sure about Leeds/Bradford. I'd check on that before you book.

Just in case you are still thinking of a transit thru CDG...I timed myself for a walk from where my Seattle flight landed a couple of years ago to where my flight to Milan departed and it took 1h5m of steady walking. I didn't take a potty break until I got to my gate. Since I was arriving in the Schengen zone and transiting to a destination within that zone it would be different for you. I do not know how a transit from a flight from the US to a flight to the UK works there and whether you'd have to go thru Immigration or not. Schiphol in Amsterdam is physically set up differently.

Thank you so much for the guidelines. The 1.5 hour minimum seems to be a good baseline then. And if possible try to stay away from switching at CDG. I saw several options when I did a dummy search for the shortest flights for this year’s dates, Air France for one that had an hour layover in CDG. Another, through United/Lufthansa, had an hour in Munich. Too nerve wracking for me!

The 1.5 hour minimum seems to be a good baseline then.

I guess I'm the only one seeing the irony of looking favorably at a minimum 90 minute layover in Amsterdam when Manchester can be as little as just over two hours by train from London.

When you factor in the uncertainty over missing a connection, the layover time, the extra flying time involved, and the much heavier carbon footprint, what is the advantage of flying into Manchester?

We’re heading to York for the first part of our trip, finishing in Grassington. Considering your point markcw, the question is which would be less tiring, more time efficient and possibly more cost effective, flying into Manchester or Leeds or Newcastle from Dulles round trip (there are no direct flights so a layover is required) then training to York, or flying non-stop to LHR, take the Piccadilly Line to Kings Cross, (what is it about an hour?) then taking the 2 - 2.5 hours train to York. I also want to consider the ease of the logistics on the return. I would love to hear the comparisons of these routes if anyone has ever taken both. I’m looking at a few options, and open to suggestions!

I'm usually the one going on about carbon footprint. I'm the one who will not fly anywhere in Europe due to that footprint.
But if you have already flown 2,000 miles from Dulles or almost 5000 from the West coast, then what is the realistic difference of another 200 or so by air as opposed to surface transport. It would be interesting to look up the actual air mileages, and to compute the carbon difference
To us Brits in the North of England, the benefit of flying into/from any of the 5 provincial airports by connection as opposed to any of the London airports then a short train journey is pretty clear and indisputable.
If I was going to Dulles I would totally choose an indirect from a Northern airport than a direct from LON.
For the West coast I would always choose a direct from the North, even at what is normally a modest extra, than a direct from LON.
When Carlisle airport was open it's benefit to Cumbria was crystal clear, even over MAN/NCL/GLA/EDI - not least the free parking metres away from the terminal and the free bus from Carlisle city. But the ease of the flights and check in.

I would love to hear the comparisons of these routes if anyone has ever taken both. I’m looking at a few options, and open to suggestions!

I did a quick, non-exhaustive look at a non-stop IAD to LHR - you can then fill in the rest of the time needed to get to York - and then a second flight with a connection through AMS. And then a third, connecting in DUB, which may be the optimum, and a fourth through LHR.

Flight 1. IAD - LHR on Virgin Atlantic 7 hr 15 min - 551 Kg CO2

Allowing 4.5 hours from LHR to York = 11hr 45 min

First of all, it's on Virgin Atlantic - that alone would close the deal for me. There are other non-stops on United & BA.

In regard to the CO2 - I don't trust Google Flights on this - they show the BA flight on a 787 at 471 Kg and the VA at 551 - also on a 787 - doesn't make much sense. But it's a ballpark level.

Advantages:

Only 7 hrs in a plane, with limited seating and mobility. Once you're off the plane, you're exposed to sunlight, and have much more comfort available on the train to York.

Mitigated jet lag? Being aloft at 35,000 is hard on the body - only spending 7 hours at altitude should be less taxing than the connecting flight. Plus the documented advantages of the 787 in this regard.

Lower carbon footprint.

Flight 2: IAD - AMS - MAN on KLM. 11hr 35min - 722 Kg CO2

2hr 30 min layover in AMS.

Four hours longer than the flight to LHR, but that only gets you to MAN - you must then go on to York. So time exiting the terminal, getting on train, then train. Another 2.5 hours? So 14 hours.

Flight 3: IAD - DUB - MAN 9 hr 45 min - 435 Kg CO2 [narrow body flight on an A321 neo].

1hr 30 min layover in DUB.

So then add 2.5 hours MAN to York = 12hr 15 min

Flight 4: IAD - LHR - MAN 10 hr 50 min 490 Kg CO2 [B787 IAD to LHR, so why is the VA flight CO2 so much higher?]

2 hr 30 min layover in LHR - if it's all BA, you may not have to change terminals.

So then add 2.5 hours MAN to York = 13 hrs 20 mins

So my order of preference:

Flight 1 - IAD to LHR, then train to York. Less time spent on a plane the better. You still would have to deal with a train if you flew into MAN, so I don't see how that's much more convenient than a train from London. 11hr 45 min

Flight 3: IAD - DUB - MAN, then train to York. Shorter layover than LHR, not much longer overall than Flight 1. 12hr 15 min

Flight 4: IAD - LHR - MAN, then train to York. If you don't have to change terminals, LHR isn't that bad. 13 hrs 20 mins

Keeping in mind, of course, the arbitrary values for the train travel segments.

IAD - LHR - MAN 10 hr 50 min 490 Kg CO2 [B787 IAD to LHR, so why is the VA flight CO2 so much higher?]

Are they the same 787 version? 787-8 // 787-9 // 787-10

Why on earth would you wait for 2 1/2 hours at Heathrow to fly to Manchester, then train to York from Manchester? That makes zero sense to me, when during that layover you can be into London, and already out of King's Cross, and probably past Peterborough on the train- there are at least two per hour, sometimes a 3rd one.
That layover assumes the connection is made- if not LHR-MAN flights are not now frequent. The days of high frequency, a hot plane always waiting on the tarmac at either end are long gone.

Trains to York are as above, and there are also three trains per hour London to Manchester.

So you are hanging around, then a higher carbon emission and taking longer overall.

Higher emissions to AMS also don't seem to make sense when the Ticketed Point Mileage IAD-AMS is less than that to LHR. Yes that surprised me a lot this morning, but that is what the "red book" says. It actually says that IAD-AMS-MAN is less mileage overall than IAD-LHR.
I do need to go back later to relook at that, and check it wasn't bleary eyes as that is very counter intuitive.

mark, thank you for taking the time to investigate this question in such detail. I don’t want to overthink this- I have an awful tendency to do that sometimes- but total time for travel, comfort, budget and now my carbon footprint (you both have opened my eyes to that factor and I appreciate it) are things I feel are worth spending a bit of thought on.

Thanks for giving me more to digest!

In regard to the CO2 - I don't trust Google Flights on this - they show the BA flight on a 787 at 471 Kg and the VA at 551 - also on a 787 - doesn't make much sense.

It could be that they use different versions. Virgin has the 787-9 in their fleet, British Airways has both the 787-8, 787-9 and 787-10. And they also have different interiors with different number of seats. That might explain the difference.

I'm usually the one going on about carbon footprint. I'm the one who
will not fly anywhere in Europe due to that footprint. But if you have
already flown 2,000 miles from Dulles or almost 5000 from the West
coast, then what is the realistic difference of another 200 or so by
air as opposed to surface transport.

I'm not sure "I've polluted a lot so I might as well pollute some more" is a great argument to be honest.

Late night pondering….

So let’s talk about the return leg. How difficult is it to get back to LHR from Grassington if I wanted to book a round trip flight, reduce the time in the air and do a non stop back from LHR to a Washington airport? Geographically, it makes sense to head home from Manchester, but I was wondering if the train or cab hire could work in reverse. If we got a late afternoon flight back, would it be crazy to think about going back to London?

If we got a late afternoon flight back, would it be crazy to think about going back to London?

Could you do it or should you do it? It may be technically possible but I wouldn’t want to take that risk.

I always make sure to spend my last night in London (or somewhere a cab ride away) before flying home. Engineering works, strikes, and other disruptions happen. If anything goes wrong on your train ride back, you could be out a lot of money. If your flight back is on a weekend or bank holiday, it would be especially risky as that is when a lot of maintenance takes place and you end up with bus replacements.

If it were me, I’d take a round-trip non-stop from IAD to LHR over a connecting flight to/from Manchester. I would spend my last night of the trip in London.

If flying from Heathrow you essentially only have one train option to London.
If LNER is having problems you are basically up a gumtree, unless we talk Grand Central from Bradford.

If you fly from Manchester then you have multiple options to Manchester.

As well as the train you have the city bus route to Manchester via Burnley and (if you cab to Leeds in an emergency) National Express 24 hours a day Leeds to Manchester then at least 6 different ways from Manchester to the Airport- one of which is just switching National Express Bus at MAN coach station.
It would be physically impossible not to make a late afternoon flight from MAN starting from Grassington if you add a cab ride to Skipton or Leeds into it.

EDIT- To be absolutely fair,(as all the mood music on the forum seems to be totally determined to stop you using Manchester, Leeds/Bradford or any northern airport, contrary to what any local would do) National Express bus also run from Leeds to Heathrow-
0210 arrive 0810 direct
0630 arrive 1240 via London
0730 arrive 1345 via London
0745 arrive 1415 direct
(via London is basically hourly throughout the day)

With a 3 hour check in it would have to be a flight after 1600 to work. Also knowing the M1 traffic the xx.30 services from Leeds with the minimum permitted 40 minute connection time at London Victoria feel tight- yes you would be put on the next bus 30 minutes later from Victoria but that isn't the point. The bus timetables are padded between Leeds and London, which often helps.

Have just checked NatEx Leeds to MAN airport- all services are actually no change- stay on the bus at MAN coach station
0830 arrive 1015
0930- 1145
1115-1300
1215-1430, then at 1400, 1500, 1645, 1745, 1930, 2030, 2215, 2315, 0200 and 0630

The Citybus I mentioned above is-
Skipton to Burnley 1:20 hourly from 0850 to 2050
Burnley to Manchester 1:20 every 20 minutes on high spec glass roofed buses between 0555 to 2340

So the first bus from Skipton at 0850 arrives at Manchester Coach Station (although it is a city bus, a historical oddity) at 1150.
Even if all the trams and all the trains were cancelled either go into the NatEx coach station as above or take a citybus #43 or #102 or 103 to the Airport- you will be there by 1330.

Mustlovedogs, are you renting a car or using public transportation from Grassington? Same question for your trip to York

EDIT- To be absolutely fair,(as all the mood music on the forum seems to be totally determined to stop you using Manchester, Leeds/Bradford or any northern airport, contrary to what any local would do) National Express bus also run from Leeds to Heathrow-

No, I think you’ve misinterpreted this. The OP said they were starting their trip in York. There are five non-stop flights a day from IAD to LHR. People were pointing out that it may be faster to fly to LHR and take the train to York. The flights from IAD to LHR are 7 hours and arrive in the morning. A connecting flight to Manchester would arrive later in the day, take 10+ hours of travel time, and the OP would still have a 90 minute train ride from Manchester to York.

To the OP:
When you fly home, how early would you need to get to Leeds Bradford or Manchester to make a connecting flight back to DC. Connecting flights usually leave in the morning. Can you make it?

There are 3 non-stops to IAD that leave after 4:30pm. While isn31c has shown it is technically possible to travel to LHR on the same day you fly home, I wouldn’t want to spend 6 hours in a bus and then fly. My preference for spending the night in London was based on the fact that I love London and would gladly spend an extra night in London before my flight home using the opportunity to go to the theatre and take the shorter non-stop flight back to IAD. If I am going somewhere in the UK, I prefer to spend a couple nights at the beginning and end of my trip in London. To me, there is no downside to this as I get to enjoy time in London AND take a non-stop flight. YMMV.

For the return journey one factor to bear in mind is the great advantage of US pre-clearance in Dublin. That May then have a knock-on effect on the route you choose for the outward flight - using Aer Lingus all the way might then become more favourable.

Lots of great ideas for us to think about and all of the different train and bus information really allows me to drill down on the logistics and practicalities of the choice we should make. I am not going to have us try to get to LHR on the day of flying home, regardless of how late the return flight is. Stuart yourt timelines for all of those routes made me see that clearly.

Johnew, I think the Aer Lingus option in/out Manchester is worth a look, but if I remember correctly they don’t offer an upgraded cabin, only business which may be out of my price range. That’s Flight 3, mark suggested I believe. I did check their site and you can pay for extra legroom, but our seats would be apart -2 on one side, 1 on the other of the center section of the plane. I’m assuming that’s a downside of the narrow body plane markcw spoke of in his post above.

Laura, we are most likely going to be using public transportation throughout the trip. I think we could get out of Grassington early to get to Manchester; I’ve even thought maybe I could check into how much a taxi would cost for us to split to get to that airport. But I am still not sure if the connection flights tip the scale to their favor even if the airport is closer.

I have been thinking about the various flight scenarios that have been suggested and looking online at times, etc. I keep coming back to the direct flights, which are extremely appealing I must say. We really enjoyed our train travel last summer, so going to York through King’s Cross on arrival wouldn’t be unacceptable at all. On the return, it would mean adding an extra night in London or close to the airport, but if the kids can swing it with their work schedule/ vacation days, I would love to spend even a few hours there. We all love London, too.

Anyway, I am still researching this. All of your guidance is invaluable! Thank you!

I did check their site and you can pay for extra legroom, but our seats would be apart -2 on one side, 1 on the other of the center section of the plane

That configuration is from the A330 widebody seat map. On the A321 neo single aisle, seats are three across on each side of the center aisle. There are 18 extra legroom seats on the A321, looks like all of them are exit aisle. So you would need to pay the seat supplement if seats still available and meet the exit row requirements.

You should be able to find a PDF with all of the seat map from this page: https://www.aerlingus.com/experience/our-aircraft/airbus-a321neoLR/#/tab-0-airbus-a321neo-lr-economy-cabin

If the logistics of the return are becoming more complex, the flights via Dublin could be a viable alternative to the nonstop to/from LHR.

There are 18 extra legroom seats on the A321, looks like all of them are exit aisle

The exit aisle seats typically do not recline,

Just an FYI to consider.

The comparisons continue…a few more questions if you all have time.

Laura, I have seen what you are referring to in terms of early return flights out of Manchester and Leeds. For example, Aer Lingus out of MAN is at 9:50 am. If we secured a taxi to get us from Grassington to the airport, (google maps says it’s 1:30 drive time) we would have to be out of the B & B at 4: 30 am to be there 3 hours early for an international flight. Their flight from Leeds is 8:45 and while closer to Grassington we would still need to be out of Grassington by 4:45 am by taxi for 3 hour check in to fly home. I have contacted a couple of taxi services to see if they could give me an approximate cost on those. One was in Skipton. Is there a reputable taxi service that anyone has used in that area or has done this transfer to either airport? Am I missing anything on the

With the going back to LHR (direct flight option), my Google maps route shows about a 4:50 trip total using all public transport Grassington through Ilkley to Leeds to London Kings Cross. If we looked into a taxi to take us from Grassington to Leeds (google says 1:17 to the train station) and then train to Kings Cross is 2:19. The total approximate time doing that would be under 4 hours if all went well. That seems much more agreeable as we would like to be able to spend a bit of time in London before heading to a hotel. British air has a 12: 35 direct back to IAD that looks good, so I think we would stay near Terminal 5 the night before. (Virgin has one at 5:30 but it gets back to IAD at 8:25 pm which is not as good for my kids returning to their homes).

My questions here are, am I reading the public transport times correctly on this option? Again, securing a taxi would be important. If we chose this plan, any suggestions on airport hotels near Terminal 5? I’ve read about the Sofitel. With needing two rooms, it would be pricey. Any other options That offer ease to get to check in and a bit less expensive?

I’m hoping to nail down which is the best route to take so I can start tracking the price and have a chance to take advantage of earlier/ lower price. They all have their pros and cons. Thank you so much for reading through this long post and sharing any feedback you would like to give me!

What struck me the other day is that, if taking an early flight out of Leeds or Manchester, as Laura said about London- where you could take in a show and a meal on the last night, you could do the same in Leeds or Manchester. To go down the previous evening, spend the night in central Manchester or Leeds, and make an evening out of it.
If you're into Classical for instance we have the world class Halle Orchestra in the stunning Bridgewater Hall as one for instance. There is no shortage of theatres in Manchester (and I assume, Leeds). If there was something on that interested you the wonderful restored art deco Plaza Cinema and Theatre at Stockport should be on anyone's list for a night at the theatre. There is a PI and a Travelodge in central Stockport, and frequent motorway express airport buses from around 4am (the bus from Buxton).
You don't have to even stay the night in central Manchester, let alone the airport.
It intrigues me how everyone here talks about theatre (or a concert) in London as a must do, but no one ever seems to think the same about Theatre or music in the Provinces.
As your flight from Leeds or Manchester is a connecting CTA (common travel area, essentially domestic) flight, not international, surely that is a 2 hour check in, rather than 3. Or, am I missing something?
It would scare the heeby geebees out of me doing an early morning relatively long distance taxi ride like that. In fact it would not cross my mind to do it- not on cost grounds but on the many things that could go wrong.

Staying in Manchester or Leeds the night before had not occurred to me, thank you Stuart. I think you bring up a lot of good points- always 😊- especially about the taxi possibility the morning of our return flight. Heeby geebees is such a good phrase!

So, let me pivot again and keep checking into things. I’m not sure about the 2 or 3 hours early international check in. I just assumed it was always 3 for international flights, but I am such a travel novice, it could be otherwise. I will check.

If we did this, the Manchester to IAD flight route is better- less layover time in Dublin through Aer Lingus anyway.

I'm late to the party on this thread.
I'd fly out of Dulles, Virgin Atlantic to Heathrow, tube into London, then take the train north to York.

Easy....so easy.

Option two for me would be to fly United out of Dulles into Edinburgh. Then train down to York.

Very easy to do.

I only do nonstop flights to England. I despise connections.

I highly recommend getting on a plane at IAD that takes you all the way. Sit back, relax, enjoy the flight. And arrive at Heathrow or Edinburgh rested and calm. You'll thank me later after your trip.

Rebecca, thanks for your thoughts. It’s not the outward bound flight from The DC area that is causing me to think further. As you said getting to York is very doable by several fairly easy routes/cities. It’s the return (and staying with a round trip ticket on one airline if I can) coming back from Grassington that is making me dig around for the best option.

If I go with flying into LHR and returning from there direct, I’ll need about a five hour train trip down to London from Grassington the day before. That’s a big chunk of time. If I fly in and out of Manchester or even Leeds, the commute to the airport the day before the flight home is shorter, but I give up the non stop flight.

Hmmm. Much to think about!

Stuart's suggestion to stay the last night in Manchester may be the best option.

..and staying with a round trip ticket on one airline if I can

Why must it be round trip? To book on the same airline/one ticket, do multi-city on British Airways - non-stop TO LHR and then the Aer Lingus flight back from Manchester through Dublin.

First and foremost, thank you all for being patient with me about this! markcw and Stuart, I think that plan may just work. I had forgotten about the multi flight option. I with thinking I would have to book separately with two carriers if I wanted to get a well timed trip back from a different airport. The BA option has one with Aer Lingus that is doable coming home. I think this offers the best scenario for flights unless….

My other thought…. And I have to take a big swallow of anxiety here- is to reconsider renting a car as we leave York. Drive to Grassington, use it when we’d like, and then return it to York before taking a return trip by train to London for that direct flight home. I have hedged and hedged on driving, but I read about mardee going all over the place in the UK by car solo and I feel like I need to just buck up and carry on!

How difficult is that drive between York and Grassington? This would solve any potential problems with rail strikes, etc. How difficult is doing maybe a few drives from Grassington to say, Skipton, or Hawes, or Malham Cove for hikes?

I’m adding another layer here of complexity! But I really appreciate all of you and your insight!