Coming to Ireland from US via a flight route that lands first in London, change of planes there to Dublin. Scheduled to arrive in Dublin at 3:40pm on a Sunday in June. Not sure if we have to clear customs first in London (if so, does 1hr 50 min allow enough time between planes)? Customs check in again in Dublin? Trying to determine if we could possibly make it to an event in Dublin that starts at 6pm that day.
We do have TSA pre-check clearance here and getting GOES clearance processed before this Ireland trip, so hoping that expedites things along the way.
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
Customs never takes any time at all. It just involves walking through the green "Nothing to declare" door after you have picked up your bags. Unless you look very suspicious and are the 1 in 100 they pick for a spot check, then 5 minutes.
It is immigration (passport control) which takes time. Passport control is before you pick up your bags. Reckon a queue of up to ½ hour. But that is not the only thing you need to factor in:
- Taxiing, de-planing and walking through the terminal: up to 15-30 minutes.
- Immigration: 15-30 minutes, say 45 minutes until you get out of the airport = 16:30
- Transport to your hotel (how?)
- Hotel check-in, dump bags: 30 minutes.
- Transport to event (how?)
Conclusion: a bit tight, unless you go straight to the event, and take a taxi.
Re London; I assume this is on one through booking, I.E. you your luggage will be checked through to Dublin and you DO NOT have to re-check in again in London. If not 1hr 50 is not possible.
Posted by
Royaume-Uni nul points, pas plus
2512 posts
You will pass through immigration in London as that is where you enter the Common Travel Area.
Assuming they let you in you make your way to your connecting flight to Dublin. You won't see any passport control at Dublin.
http://www.heathrow.com/flight-connections
TSA and GOES mean diddly squat in the UK and Ireland.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16333 posts
Assuming your London Airport is Heathrow---one hour 50 minutes should meet the "minimum connect time" ( generally 75-90 minutes) but you will have to go through immigration and probably change terminals, so do not dawdle. The lines for passport control can be long---we have waited for an hour or more, but also have experienced much shorter lines.
Posted by
Oxford, United Kingdom
5331 posts
Doing it this way you will go through immigration in London and Dublin. Irish authorities only recognise the Common Travel Area as referring to British and Irish citizens.
You haven't said which airlines you are travelling from or for that matter where from in the USA to give full advice on the transfer at Heathrow.
The UK doesn't take on trust the security screening of any other country including the TSA so there will be that to clear at LHR.
Posted by
1172 posts
It took us a little over 1 hour between the time we landed until we had our luggage ( having cleared Immigration)
It took us another 30 minutes or so to get to our hotel from the airport.
If you need to buy tickets to this event, I would not chance it.
Posted by
Freedonia
15079 posts
Just to second what Marco wrote....you will go through Passport Control and Customs in Dublin.