IMO, 5 minutes is the *most* you should have to wait, and is all that you will have to wait at Schiphol (gate security), Birmingham T2, LCY...

Neil

I don't like Heathrow. Whenever I can avoid it I do it. My baggage never makes my connection and even in BA First Class lounge you have to pay for internet :td:
And you lose too much time when you have to change the terminals.
However, the molton Brown Spa is great! And I also like the BA arrivals lounge with the wonderful breakfast ^

BAA is killing LHR with the one-carry on policy.

Transferring at LHR was never fun. It's become imporrsible for the business traveller. We travel with a rollerboard and a laptop case. We can board with US with both, and we do it because we don't like to check luggage.

You're OK if your final destination is LHR, but you are screwed if you're transferring.

For having witnesses the drama at the Connection Centre, I cannot for the life of me understand how someone has not yet gotten to their sense in the UK goverment.

Show me the terrorists that travelled with 2 bags, and more importantly, show me the gain in security processing time that they have achieved.

This NEEDS TO CHANGE.

Yes. It is silly waiting 50 mins at the domestic reclaim for a cosmetics bag when the gate is 50ft away.

You do mean wireless Internet, not Internet on the BA workstations ?

There isn't much comfort relief in terms of facilities available throughout the airport. But I also love the VS clubhouse and it's revivals! ^

I meant wireless yes. Didn't know that there are BA workstations :confused: Where are they?

Well, I dont know if it is worth mentioning, but I pass through LHR say once or twice a month.. well.. there was the scare with the liquids, ok fine, but then the hand luggage size dropped.. personally i dont understand how that makes a difference, i asked the customs/security uptight prick why does it make a difference, his reply was that it makes things faster.. which i disagree on as one large bag goes through the machine as fast as a small bag.. i mentioned that it proves that their system is unreliable. I can imagine that a small bag takes up less space on the screeners "screen", but if it is something dangerous, it is supposed to show up..right? metal, water blah blah.. :confused:

Another time my colleague had to go and buy a new computer bag as the one he had (with wheels) was too big for the "size box" (which had a piece of wood over it covering half of it!!). As we were only there on a day trip and had no other luggage with us, it made us rather annoyed, but what really pissed us off was the person in front of us PAST the little security man, had a large carry on case and when we asked him how he got past he just said "im travelling first class"... well... brilliant ...thanks for being consistent :mad:

Another thing which makes me mad there is that a friend of mine passed through LHR with an expensive bottle of wine from Australia.. did not pass through customs but was changing terminals as it was a connection.. wine was confiscated.. i went through a few weeks later.. a gentleman in front of me had a bottle of whiskey.. no problem!! same connection spot as my friend had the wine taken away!!

I dont get it.. I can go through customs there and buy a bottle of whatever, if I do the same at a duty free in another country, connect at LHR....woah watch out.. the idiots at customs will have it....

But what pisses me off the most about LHR, is taking my shoes off everytime.. especially when the lace breaks... :mad:

Oh one last thing, when I went a few weeks ago, I was told I was only allowed 1 bag.. I had 2... both small.. one was a small laptop bag and another was just a carrier bag. I was allowed to put the small bag in the larger one.. WHAT F'KIN DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE!! Open up some other lines instead of just having 1 or 2 open!!! stop chatting about absolute nonsence with the other people there!!! I even heard one security officer there mocking a french speaker who could not speak much english!! Open racism from security cops at an airport ^ good one BAA!! nice way to make friends and calm everyone down ^

I try to avoid LHR as much as possible.. but it is a good hub for connecting onto other carriers which is the only reason I go there nowadays. The staff seem to be underqualified to do the job and I think some of them may even struggle to count past 10.

Yes, I hate it, hate it, HATE IT!!! Everything about this airport (except the airline lounges) is so uncivilized. Kind of ironic considering how civility in general is elevated to an art form by the Brits.

They are not in the T4 First Class Lounge. You have to go up one level (the level of the Concorde Room) and go to the dedicated business centre. In T1, I remember them being in the First Class Lounge.

Thank you JOUY31

I will consider your comments whenever I have to pass through LHR again, what is very likely to be the case even if I don't want to ;)

Yes, I hate LHR.

Last time a had to change terminal (from T2 to T1) to catch my connecting flight. I had 2 hours time, but I didn´t catch the flight because of the long row at the security controll. So 2 hours for a connecting flight is a lot, but not at LHR....

Before Xmas I flew from LGW and LHR on consecutive weeks. LHR was massively disorganised and only by "bullying" staff were we able to get our bags checked in and into the priority security lane. Without being confrontational, we'd have been sent to the back of interminable queues and, no doubt, missed our flight.

LGW on the other hand was FAR busier but far more organised. The lanes were clearly marked and there were lots of people on hand to make sure you were queuing in the right place and that you had all the info you needed.

I know LHR is VERY busy but the seemingly haphazard way they "plan" for large numbers of people is stunning.

I love Heathrow so much...
 

I love Heathrow so much that next time I'm flying to the States from Luton. Private terminal, kerbside baggage drop, no check-in queues, no standing in line for security. See krug's trip report today about Silverjet LTN-EWR.

Sounds like there are one or two wrinkles to iron out but that's only to be expected from a new airline. Otherwise it makes a lot of sense. "Were you truly wafted here from paradise?". "Nah, Luton Airport!" Paradise compared to Heathrow anyway.

Yep. That way it can be kept locked away in museums and galleries where it won't disturb the unwashed masses...:D