LHR Tight Connection
 

Never flown with Virgin before, but got a good deal for my sister and nephews to fly JFK-LHR-DEL in Premium economy. Connection at LHR on the way out seems tight but legal at 1:16. Any experiences making this type of connection at LHR? Any suggestions? I have considered booking them a VIP transfer service for $400, but not sure this will expedite the transfer or if it'll be a waste. Also, we are bidding on an upgrade to Business on all 4 flights, will be interesting to see how this turns out. Thanks!

Bear in mind that MCT represents VS' willingness to accept the risk of a misconnect, it is in the carrier's interest for the passengers to make the connection. If they misconnect, it falls to VS to reroute, to provide meals and hotels as appropriate, and possibly to pay significant compensation if there are significant delays at DEL.

The question of whether this is within SCT (Sensible Connection Time) is subjective to the passengers. If they require greater than normal time to make the physical transfer or are simply uncomfortable with 1:16, then they ought not to attempt this. It goes without saying that nobody can predict delays and, if they occur, there will be a misconnect.

My last caution is simply that this is a transit across a third country. For some nationalities, being stuck at LHR due to a misconnect can create immigration issues for some. That may figure into the calculus, but ignore this is they are US nationals.

Thanks for the replies, myself sister is in her 40s and my nephews are teenagers so they should be ok making the connection. They are allowed entry into the UK with no visa, so that should be an issue in case of a delay or cancelation. I'll make sure they are aware of what to do in case of IRROPS.

I am curious if you actually made this connection without trouble, as I have the same exact question. JFK-LHR-DEL on Virgin with a 1:15 connection time, it was 1:30 when I booked but now its been changed. Also in Premium Economy so I should be able to exit quickly. I'm also concerned as my trip is in February (potential for snow delays out of JFK!)

Yes, no issues with the connection. I did pay for someone to escort them from one flight to another but all it did was save them the time to look up at the signs and follow them; their escort knew where to go. Of course JFK-LHR was on time and I'm sure that makes all the difference. Good luck!

Hey were also traveling Premium so that might make a difference.

Thanks for the update...its good to know they made it without difficulty. Of course I have to pray that the JFK-LHR leg is on time (or early...!) There's not much I can do about it at this point, anyway, so just have to hope for the best and try not to obsess over it :)