Hello,
For my upcoming trip, I am looking at flying Aer Lingus. On my way, the route be would Washington, DC to Spain (change planes in Dublin), and then flying home from London, with plane changes in Dublin and Boston, to Richmond, VA. I'm wondering if the tickets I'm finding offer reasonable transfer times (I know, on a single ticket, it is the airline's responsibility to book me on the next available flight, but those are often 12 hours later). On the way over, I will be going carry-on only, but I'll be checking stuff on the way home.
I am trying to make sure I understand all the steps. As I understand it, on the way over I'd:
--land in Dublin at 5:25 am; connect to Barcelona --transfer time: 1 hr and 5 min.
Given the short connecting and time the fact that I would not be leaving the secure area, am I right to assume
that immigration & customs would wait for Barcelona? Or would I go through immigration at least in Dublin? And, if so, is 65 minutes reasonable?
On the way home, I'd fly:
--London to Dublin, 5 hour layover (Is this where I'd clear customs, because I'm leaving from Ireland? Or would I have to wait until I get to Boston because the flight originated in the UK?)
--Land in Boston, 2 hr and 40 minute layover, connect to Richmond.
I apologize for the overly long post, but I'm finding this confusing. My main concerns are with the 65 min layover in Dublin on the way, and having enough time to clear customs on the way back. Last summer, I flew Icelandair/Jet Blue on my way home, and the 1 hr and 45 min in Boston wasn't long enough for customs/retrieving/rechecking luggage. I (and a lot of other people on the flight) ended up missing my connection and had to stay overnight.
Thanks!
Caroline