Originally Posted by
CCayley
When I did it last week (sample of one, I know!) the principal delaying factor at SNN was preparing the plane, not the US border check. All passengers were at the gate waiting to re-board for at least 20 minutes and even then the re-fuelling wasn't complete, so there would have been a reasonable amount of time for extra immigration processes. Of course there must be a limit, and I doubt BA would delay the flight for a passenger facing an hour's interrogation by the US authorities....
I'm intrigued by the implications around the length of the refueling process. I know LCY has a short runway and that takeoff from LCY tends to be fairly steep. Perhaps a question for the pilots out there: does the flight take off from LCY with sufficient fuel plus a reserve for the hop to SNN instead of a full tank? I had thought that the normally strong headwinds going west prompted the fuel stop that isn't necessary going eastbound, but perhaps it is also a method of lessening the weight the 318 carries, making takeoff from LCY simpler than with a full fuel tank.