Originally Posted by
NickB
Where do you get that from? There is conformance at T5 at LHR at T-35mins with BA and, apparently, Luton is also introducing a similar system. Other airports, however, do not have such rules, AFAIK.
To the OP, the rule means that they COULD refuse to let you board if boarding was finished by that stage. I do not recall, however, boarding being finished that early.
I have heard that Luton were using 50 minutes, then I heard 40 minutes. Not sure if they are actually doing anything, or if they are I have a feeling it's manually enforced by the boarding card checkers.
Will they close the gate at T-30? Usually not, but you run a risk of being turned away if they decide to do that because everyone apart from you is there ready to go (EZY have been having a rather successful punctuality push of late, and part of that is that if everyone is there they will go early). I would always tend to aim to be in the terminal (through security) at T-60 then you've got some journey leeway. I've only once missed a flight because of that, and that was a 3 hour train delay.
Neil