long layover

I'm travelling to India in January, and I have a 6 hour layover in
Heathrow. I'd love to get out of the airport for a few hours, but with
all of the new security in place, I'm not sure if I'd have enough time
to make it worthwhile. I'm a US citizen travelling alone, and I'll
only have a small-ish carry-on. Does anyone have an idea of how long
it might take me to get through customs and security?

Regards,

Jay

Does anyone have an idea of how long
it might take me to get through customs and security?

I haven't passed through Heathrow in a couple of years, so I'll let
others comment on the wait times, but I will mention that if time is
tight it might be worth your while to take the Heathrow Express into
London:

http://www.heathrowexpress.com/

It's much faster than the Tube. I believe they have a 'visit London'
return ticket. Once you're at Paddington Station it's pretty fast to
Piccadilly or Westminster or wherever else you'd like to go to get a
'taste' of London.

Cheers,
Geoff Glave
Vancouver, Canada

wrote in message
ps.com...
Does anyone have an idea of how long
it might take me to get through customs and security?

I haven't passed through Heathrow in a couple of years, so I'll let
others comment on the wait times, but I will mention that if time is
tight it might be worth your while to take the Heathrow Express into
London:

http://www.heathrowexpress.com/

It's much faster than the Tube. I believe they have a 'visit London'
return ticket. Once you're at Paddington Station it's pretty fast to
Piccadilly or Westminster or wherever else you'd like to go to get a
'taste' of London.

I would think that 6 hours is not long enough unless the
plane arrives early.

By the time one gets through the 'non' European queue
and alloweds 2 hours minimum to check back in again,
there will be three hours to spare.

Then using the express train, including walking to the
platform and waiting for the next train will probably be
30-35 minutes each way.

So that'll be 2 hours in London.

But the area around Paddington is not my idea of one
of the sights!

Going somewhere nicre requires using the Tube and will
cost another hour.

tim

tim..... wrote:
wrote in message
ps.com...
Does anyone have an idea of how long
it might take me to get through customs and security?

I haven't passed through Heathrow in a couple of years, so I'll let
others comment on the wait times, but I will mention that if time is
tight it might be worth your while to take the Heathrow Express into
London:

http://www.heathrowexpress.com/


I don't think you will have enough time for a worthwhile visit to
London.

However, Heathrow is close to Windsor, with its famous castle,
riverside walks, and tons of atmosphere, which might be a better option
for you.

alloweds 2 hours minimum to check back in again

Presumably he'll already have a boarding pass, so all he'll have to do is
clear security. Does this really take two hours? i.e.
once you get your boarding pass (in mid-January) it's another two hours just
to get to the gate?

Cheers,
Geoff Glave
Vancouver, Canada

In message %kjjh.515297$5R2.312996@pd7urf3no "Geoff Glave"
wrote:

alloweds 2 hours minimum to check back in again

Presumably he'll already have a boarding pass, so all he'll have to do is
clear security. Does this really take two hours? i.e.
once you get your boarding pass (in mid-January) it's another two hours just
to get to the gate?

On a bad day -- Is it worth the risk just to take a couple hour trip
around an unfamiliar city?

--
A fool and his money are soon popular.

wrote:

I'm a US citizen travelling alone, and I'll
only have a small-ish carry-on.

Even though you would be crazy to trust your baggage to LHR at the
moment, the fact that you have no check-in luggage for a long journey
may attract more attention from security/customs.

Make sure you have a through ticket as BA now recommends 2.5hour
check-in time for even a 35min short haul flight.

wrote:

wrote:


I'm a US citizen travelling alone, and I'll
only have a small-ish carry-on.


Even though you would be crazy to trust your baggage to LHR at the
moment, the fact that you have no check-in luggage for a long journey
may attract more attention from security/customs.


Aren't carryons very restrictive on BA?

Mike Hunt wrote:
wrote:

wrote:


I'm a US citizen travelling alone, and I'll
only have a small-ish carry-on.


Even though you would be crazy to trust your baggage to LHR at the
moment, the fact that you have no check-in luggage for a long journey
may attract more attention from security/customs.


Aren't carryons very restrictive on BA?

Its not BA that's restrictive, its the DFT
If the OP does leave the airport, when they return they will then be subject
to UK hand luggage restrictions

see
http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/group...ec_613514.hcsp

This should clarify the current situation

Jan

Jan wrote:
Mike Hunt wrote:

wrote:


wrote:



I'm a US citizen travelling alone, and I'll
only have a small-ish carry-on.


Even though you would be crazy to trust your baggage to LHR at the
moment, the fact that you have no check-in luggage for a long journey
may attract more attention from security/customs.


Aren't carryons very restrictive on BA?


Its not BA that's restrictive, its the DFT
If the OP does leave the airport, when they return they will then be subject
to UK hand luggage restrictions

No, I was referring to a 5 or 6 Kg allowance I thought was standard for
them.