Originally Posted by
ratypus
Right - and you have no airline status or club/first class travel to allow you fast track from landside? If that's correct, then agree staying airside makes more sense even if you do have an e-passport - the only reason to go landside is if you can access faster security by reason of airline status (OneWorld Sapphire or Emerald) or by reason of being in business or first class - the "glitch" with the airside security check is that there is no fast track - so for example I always go landside to connect because the e-passport takes like 1 minute and then First Wing security (which I get by being BA Gold) is much faster than airside security connections (normally)
We are flying business class on BA, but I do not recall being able to fast track through security when I was land side despite being in business. Or, if it was "fast track," it was still really slow. We are only bronze with British Airways.
It may also be that so many people were in business/first that it didn't matter. Two of our three times in LHR last summer were when we were going to/from The 150th Open in Scotland (so in July) and they were playing on the Old Course. Heathrow was exceptionally busy during that time because the schools in many places in England were getting out about that time. Additionally, there was a heat wave and many of the trains got shut down. We had actually originally planned on riding the train from London to Edinburgh and got plane tickets from LHR-EDI at the last minute (why our IAH-LHR and LHR-EDI were on two separate tickets and I had to pick up my checked baggage) because of this.
I think it was extra busy because there was a lot of "pent up" demand left over from Covid shutdowns. I am hoping that with us flying in May this year and not when UK schools are letting out, it might not be as bad.