Timeframe connecting to Edinburgh through Heathrow

BA have designed the process to be as smooth as possible. You get off the plane at LHR, make your way to immigration, and providing they let you in the country go the departure gate for the Edinburgh flight. Easy.

I think there’s a minimum connection time of 60 minutes. Why worry about it, it’s up to BA to get you to Edinburgh. What could possibly go wrong?

https://www.heathrow.com/flight-connections

The minimum connection time that this journey would be booked for would be 60 minutes. I would suspect you are booked on BA1438 which would be over 2 hours.

Follow the purple transfer signs. You will go through passport control (separate from normal arrivals) and security and then enter the departure lounge. You will also have your picture taken and this is matched to you at the gate.

Note that on arrival from Edinburgh your checked bags may arrive on a different belt from those that have just originated from London. This would have been done by customs, as you don't clear this formally until Edinburgh.

Ramblin' on: thanks for the link! I will make sure to double check it as the time gets closer. Yes, as long as they let us into the country, indeed! :) And I agree, it is up to them to make sure we make it to Edinburgh, but I don't want to miss a minute more of our vacation time than I have to stuck at the airport!

Marco: yep, the flight to Edinburgh is #1438. We have just over 2 hours to make the connection, and I was feeling pretty confident when I saw both flights dealt with the same terminal, but I've also heard horror stories from others!

Thanks for the replies! Anyone have any other stories/tips to add?

We had a two hour connection arrive at LHR and transfer window. We had very little spare time, and had to be moved to the head of the line for the security screening. We landed at a remote stand and had to be bussed to the terminal where there was a long hike to immigration. Next was the line for security. Then on to the boarding area. We made it with about 15 minutes to spare.

I think you will be fine, but don't stop or delay along the route until you are actually at the boarding area.

Carol: Yikes! I hate hearing things like that, but I'm glad you did make it! If you don't mind me asking, what time and day did you fly in, that it was so busy they didn't have a gate for you? We had that happen last year out of Heathrow, but it was our flight home and we were leaving much later on a Saturday afternoon. (We did have quite a bus ride tour of part of the airport access roads on our way to the plane.) Fingers crossed that we don't run into that this time!

And believe me, we are going not going to stop unless we have to and I am not above asking to be bumped up in line if I think it will help! Thanks for sharing your story.

We landed about 10:30 am. I got the impression that the remote stands/bus was a somewhat common happening.