First Ex-Budapest
Apr 13, 2017, 3:21 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: UK
Programs: British Airways Executive Club Silver
Posts: 87
First Ex-Budapest
Hi FT
Given 2017 is a year of firsts for myself, I booked an ex-Budapest trip to Hong Kong via LHR with BA/Cathay in Club Europe/Business for £1360.
I'll be positioning to Budapest the afternoon before, has any one else done an ex-Budapest?
Any tips will be appreciated
H
Given 2017 is a year of firsts for myself, I booked an ex-Budapest trip to Hong Kong via LHR with BA/Cathay in Club Europe/Business for £1360.
I'll be positioning to Budapest the afternoon before, has any one else done an ex-Budapest?
Any tips will be appreciated
H
Apr 13, 2017, 4:09 am
#2
Community Director
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Norwich, UK
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BUD is a strange airport for security queues - sometimes it seems incredibly quiet and even without fast track you're through in a few minutes, at other times it's just the opposite with queues well out of the door - at which point you'll usually be directed up to the security lanes for the other set of gates, which involves a two minute walk along a corridor to what is normally a rapid experience.
The airside dining options are reasonable. The non-Schengen lounge is basic, with minimal food and drink options and it can become crowded.
The airside dining options are reasonable. The non-Schengen lounge is basic, with minimal food and drink options and it can become crowded.
Apr 13, 2017, 4:14 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: UK
Programs: British Airways Executive Club Silver
Posts: 87
Thank you for that, I hope that I've given myself plenty of time by going on the 13:25 BA flight the afternoon before to cover situations of Fog, Aircraft going tech etc.
Apr 13, 2017, 4:45 am
#4
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Switzerland
Programs: AY+ Platinum, SK Gold, BAEC Silver, airbaltic VIP, Radisson VIP
Posts: 6,530
This is certainly wise and I always do it like that too. Budapest is a beautiful city, so you can enjoy a couple of hours there, too.
Apr 13, 2017, 4:53 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: UK
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Posts: 87
Apr 13, 2017, 4:57 am
#6
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Switzerland
Programs: AY+ Platinum, SK Gold, BAEC Silver, airbaltic VIP, Radisson VIP
Posts: 6,530
I am sorry to have been unclear, I was referring to the general idea of positioning the day before. I haven't taken a flight from BUD to LHR.
Looking at ExpertFlyer though for some random date next week, the average delay is between 11 and 18 minutes of the 3 daily flights. This is over the past 2 months. Should your BUD-LHR be delayed and should you miss your onward HKG connection, then you'll be rebooked, so I wouldn't worry about that too much.
Results from https://www.ExpertFlyer.com
Looking at ExpertFlyer though for some random date next week, the average delay is between 11 and 18 minutes of the 3 daily flights. This is over the past 2 months. Should your BUD-LHR be delayed and should you miss your onward HKG connection, then you'll be rebooked, so I wouldn't worry about that too much.
Results from https://www.ExpertFlyer.com
Code:
Flight Availability Search
Departing BUD on 04/20/17 12:00 AM for LHR
Flying BA
Direct/Non-Stop Only
Point of Sale: UK
Frequency
Flight Stops Depart Arrive Aircraft Reliability Available Classes
0 Connections
BA 865 0 BUD LHR 320 T,W,Th,F J9 C7 D4 R0 I0 Y9 B6 H0 K0 M0 L0 V0 N0 Q0 O0 S0 G0
04/20/17 7:25 AM 04/20/17 9:10 AM 60% / 16m
0 Connections
BA 867 0 BUD LHR 320 M,T,Th,F J9 C3 D0 R0 I0 Y9 B9 H7 K0 M0 L0 V0 N0 Q0 O0 S0 G0
04/20/17 1:15 PM 04/20/17 3:00 PM 86% / 11m
0 Connections
BA 875 0 BUD LHR 320 Th J5 C3 D0 R0 I0 Y3 B0 H0 K0 M0 L0 V0 N0 Q0 O0 S0 G0
04/20/17 5:15 PM 04/20/17 6:55 PM 75% / 18m
Apr 13, 2017, 5:19 am
#7
Community Director
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Norwich, UK
Programs: A3*G, BA Gold, BD Gold (in memoriam), IHG Diamond Ambassador
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If I answer the question based on my last experience there, you'll probably only worry!
A creeping delay thanks largely to the fog chaos in LHR, someone no-showed and their luggage had to be pulled which was utterly chaotic, then we got to T3 and no-one appeared to connect the jetbridge for 25 minutes. We ended up 1h30 late by the time doors opened, and I missed the last train by about 5 minutes ...
Still, I think it's normally a bit better than that ... and connections to HKG are normally fairly lengthy with plenty of re-routing options.
A creeping delay thanks largely to the fog chaos in LHR, someone no-showed and their luggage had to be pulled which was utterly chaotic, then we got to T3 and no-one appeared to connect the jetbridge for 25 minutes. We ended up 1h30 late by the time doors opened, and I missed the last train by about 5 minutes ...
Still, I think it's normally a bit better than that ... and connections to HKG are normally fairly lengthy with plenty of re-routing options.
Apr 13, 2017, 5:23 am
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: UK
Programs: British Airways Executive Club Silver
Posts: 87
If I answer the question based on my last experience there, you'll probably only worry!
A creeping delay thanks largely to the fog chaos in LHR, someone no-showed and their luggage had to be pulled which was utterly chaotic, then we got to T3 and no-one appeared to connect the jetbridge for 25 minutes. We ended up 1h30 late by the time doors opened, and I missed the last train by about 5 minutes ...
Still, I think it's normally a bit better than that ... and connections to HKG are normally fairly lengthy with plenty of re-routing options.
A creeping delay thanks largely to the fog chaos in LHR, someone no-showed and their luggage had to be pulled which was utterly chaotic, then we got to T3 and no-one appeared to connect the jetbridge for 25 minutes. We ended up 1h30 late by the time doors opened, and I missed the last train by about 5 minutes ...
Still, I think it's normally a bit better than that ... and connections to HKG are normally fairly lengthy with plenty of re-routing options.
I'm more worried about the positioning but I'm thinking to now take the first BA flight out (and pay the £35 "service" fee for the redemption ticket) or will the 13:25 be ok?
I guess I better pray there's no fog on 30th November and 1st December lol
Apr 13, 2017, 6:55 am
#9
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 26
The 13:25 positioning flight should work. It is highly unlikely that fog would affect flights in Budapest between 10:00-18:00. If we make it 11:00-17:00, it is close to impossible. Low-level clouds could stay all-day, but an A320 should be able to land under those conditions. In case of a problem in LHR, there should be still a lot of options to get to BUD on the same day.
As for the HKG flight, especially if you plan to fly BUD-LHR in the morning with BA865, there are a couple of things to keep in mind:
- Security can get crowded in the morning. As far as I know BA Premium cannot use the fast track lane, but you can still buy a voucher at the KIOSK for 5EUR (see http://www.bud.hu/english/passengers.../fast_check-in )
- Delay of other passengers due to security queue and/or baggage offloading and/or de-icing might cause the flight to miss its originally planned LHR landing slot. In this case you would be sitting on the plane for an hour and the flight may not even take off until it is expected to reach LHR in its new slot. (With other words the BUD-LHR flight may not be the highest prio to land asap when delayed in LHR for BA). That means that for a tight connection in LHR you might want to start to execute your re-route strategy while sitting on the plane at the BUD gate.
Apr 13, 2017, 7:06 am
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: UK
Programs: British Airways Executive Club Silver
Posts: 87
Not a regular to LHR, but I am BUD-based.
The 13:25 positioning flight should work. It is highly unlikely that fog would affect flights in Budapest between 10:00-18:00. If we make it 11:00-17:00, it is close to impossible. Low-level clouds could stay all-day, but an A320 should be able to land under those conditions. In case of a problem in LHR, there should be still a lot of options to get to BUD on the same day.
As for the HKG flight, especially if you plan to fly BUD-LHR in the morning with BA865, there are a couple of things to keep in mind:
- Security can get crowded in the morning. As far as I know BA Premium cannot use the fast track lane, but you can still buy a voucher at the KIOSK for 5EUR (see http://www.bud.hu/english/passengers.../fast_check-in )
- Delay of other passengers due to security queue and/or baggage offloading and/or de-icing might cause the flight to miss its originally planned LHR landing slot. In this case you would be sitting on the plane for an hour and the flight may not even take off until it is expected to reach LHR in its new slot. (With other words the BUD-LHR flight may not be the highest prio to land asap when delayed in LHR for BA). That means that for a tight connection in LHR you might want to start to execute your re-route strategy while sitting on the plane at the BUD gate.
The 13:25 positioning flight should work. It is highly unlikely that fog would affect flights in Budapest between 10:00-18:00. If we make it 11:00-17:00, it is close to impossible. Low-level clouds could stay all-day, but an A320 should be able to land under those conditions. In case of a problem in LHR, there should be still a lot of options to get to BUD on the same day.
As for the HKG flight, especially if you plan to fly BUD-LHR in the morning with BA865, there are a couple of things to keep in mind:
- Security can get crowded in the morning. As far as I know BA Premium cannot use the fast track lane, but you can still buy a voucher at the KIOSK for 5EUR (see http://www.bud.hu/english/passengers.../fast_check-in )
- Delay of other passengers due to security queue and/or baggage offloading and/or de-icing might cause the flight to miss its originally planned LHR landing slot. In this case you would be sitting on the plane for an hour and the flight may not even take off until it is expected to reach LHR in its new slot. (With other words the BUD-LHR flight may not be the highest prio to land asap when delayed in LHR for BA). That means that for a tight connection in LHR you might want to start to execute your re-route strategy while sitting on the plane at the BUD gate.
Thank you for that, I always aim to get to the Airport 2-3 hours in advance but it's reassuring to know that my 13:25 isn't a stupid choice.
Now to stop worrying and count the time down to November 30!
Apr 13, 2017, 7:54 am
#11
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Perth WA/ UK
Programs: BA Gold, Priority Club Gold, Accor Silver, Virgin Australia Gold
Posts: 1,750
Have done so often, usually positioning to HEL before travelling east with AY...(I try and avoid LHR as much as possible). BUD is a great city to explore. Great beer and food is ok to. If taking a taxi during rush hour to be aware though it can take a while to get out of the city. I like the airport. it also has a nice terrace (all pre security) with a good viewing deck if you like that sort of thing - especially if the sun is out.).