Airport check in times

Jing

Heathrow is the devils work.

Have not been there for years. Luckily we
have other airports which either fly direct or hub.

We used London City for the first time this weekend. A lovely airport. Very small and friendly and an hour before is sufficient as it is no distance through security to the gate. Not for the faint hearted though as it's small planes on a short runway. Spectacular when returning over London on a dark night though.
We usually allow two hours at larger airports and abroad as you don't know about the length of queues and it is nice to sit and people watch. I find it fascinating the way people jostle to sit nearest the boarding gate and hover on the edge of their seat to be first in the queue when you have an allocated seat and will have plenty of time to board.

jollyg the Business Class* lounge at Heathrow is good. And offers very nice food. I don't like the rest of it much. Too noisy and crowded.

I think they are after luggage space pittcity.

I've often wondered about London City Airport. Where can you fly to from there?

We went from the snazzy new Terminal 2 at Heathrow this year.
We didn't like it much at all

We always have loads of time to spend there as we catch the coach up; there aren't that many leaving our area and DH likes to leave in plenty of time just in case there are traffic jams on the way. We used to have a nice relaxing meal at T4 before embarking but the food at T2 was abominable.

I think two hours is plenty from a regional airport; not sure about LBA. However, there is often a long way to trek to get on to the plane and I don't walk as fast as I used to.

JBF they allow you a small case and a handbag each, but this is monitored closely and we handed our cases over at the gate to be put in the hold. That way we did not have to worry about the overhead locker or pay for checked baggage and it was labelled priority so came off first and was waiting by the time we got through passport control.
You can fly all over the UK and Europe and even to JFK! bit.ly/1G1oCRj

We would arrive 2 hrs before the flight time. If you only carry hand luggage the you go through passport control quickly, boarding pass is scanned automatically and then luggage and you proceed through security. Usually quite quick at that time in the morning.

Gates usually appear on the digital list ( displayed all over the airport ) about an hour before the fight. If you have booked priority seating, then you get to go on first. The gate often closes 30 mins before take off time.

All airports vary, but as Leeds Bradford is a regional airport it should be all quite straight forward. Enjoy your trip.

X

Yes pittcity but sometimes there's just not enough room in the overhead lockers, and then some hand baggage has to go in the hold.

That happened to us, our hand luggage was taken off us just before boarding and put in the hold by Ryanair a well-known airline

I was quite worried because it did not have a padlock on it and had medication and jewellery in it.
So put a padlock on it, it may not go into the locker above you.

(I meant airports/airlines in general - why people like to be at front of boarding queue)

Some people do take liberties with what they put in overhead. And they insist on putting bags in lengthways on when sideways would take less room.

On Ryanair, priority booking means that your hand luggage will not go in the hold. I am aware that some people might think that it's not fair, but just saying! [ smile]

x

Yes, definitely get there two hours before your flight, wildrose. I'm a bit paranoid about possible hold-ups on the way, so I'd probably give it 2.5 hours.

Galen - Gary the Gardener looks very nice.

It's certainly a bit scary travelling alone but think how grown up you will feel!! I also allow plenty of time being an anxious about timing but I really wanted to say how important it is to get your toiletries sorted out into small bottles and tubs etc and keep it handy so you're not having to faff about in security.

I have flown many times from LBA to Dublin and the airport has improved hugely. There is no need to arrive hours before as you will be checked in on line. You will need to slot your carry-on into the cage to measure it and they are strict about only 1 piece so a handbag will have to go inside. I agree that if you are nervous it would be better to arrive over an hour early, but 2 hours is too long. Don't be surprised by all the holiday makers drinking beer at that time in the morning!

Beer LesleyC? We were on an early BA flight and were served breakfast. People were having wine and G&T with their bacon and eggs. The stewardess said it was because they were free and that they had to limit them to one!

When we flew to Greece I was astounded at the number of people in the departure lounge who were drinking alcohol with breakfast. No wonder so many people cause problems on board through drunkenness if they're already half-cut before leaving the airport!

We usually fly from Manchester Airport (horrible place) We always get to the airport ridiculously early. Take a book to read, a picnic to eat while you wait (thus avoiding awful airline/airport food) and time will pass fairly quickly. We use rucksacks as hand luggage with as little as possible in them so they can be stashed under the seat rather than put in overhead locker. Gripe- why does bottled water cost so much in the departure lounge? Answer:Of course, they can charge what they like because you can't take your own eco-friendly refillable water bottles through security! Wear a bra without wiring so you don't set off the alarm and put everything that you would otherwise have to put in that resealable plastic bag that never stays sealed, in your suitcase. (You can go without retouching your make up for a few hours)

Hi wildrose. I also think you only need to arrive an hour before boarding since you only have hand-luggage. However, as it is an earlyish flight and I don't know how long your journey to the airport is, you probably will be awake half the night worrying, so may as well get there in good time. Don't know what the shopping is like there but I'm sure you could pick up a paper or anything from Boots (if there is one) to pass any spare time. One tip regarding bottled water is to take an empty water bottle to fill at your destination, and ask for water on board. Every airline I've used will give out free water in a cup, even Easyjet & Ryanair! Have a good trip x

If you have lipstick or anything else in your hand luggage that needs to go in a plastic bag when you go through security - take your own. We had to pay £1 for a set of 4 plastic bags at Birmingham Airport. Why would anyone need 4 - or is it just another way of getting money out of you?

Crikey! They're free at Heathrow and Gatwick. They haven't brought a charge in for those have they?!

Btw I never put my lippie in the plastic bag!

I keep a roll of freezer bags from pound shop in my suitcase for this purpose so liquids and gels are ready before I leave home. As long as they are clear, resealable and the right size you don't need to use the airport ones. Solid stuff like lippie and stick deodorant need not go in.

We had to pay £1 for a set of 4 plastic bags at Birmingham Airport
Very reasonable, Belleringer
They were £1 for one at Bristol - I only had handwash with me which had cost 99p (and I forgot it in my handbag) so it got confiscated.

You can buy a plastic bag with a little zip in some stationers.
And in the duty free areqa you can often get a free bottle of water if you buy a newspaper (The Times, I think, but you can always throw it away if you object to it ).

area !

The zip-up bag has to hold no more than 1 litre. I have a small M&S zipped bag, completely transparent which I tried out with a litre and it was just right. I've never had any disagreement about it from the security staff at Manchester.