Advice needed on connecting flights

[Princess Leia]

Looking at possibility of putting together own package for next July. On previous trips I have gone with Virgin and Cosmos. I have been priced out of Virgin and Cosmos have still not released next year's holidays.

If flying with BA from Glasgow to Orlando how long would you suggest to leave between the connecting flights at Gatwick or Heathrow? Heathrow recommends an hour if flying in and out of Terminal 5.

 

[2Tiggies]

We have done this route from Edinburgh (2012) and are doing it next month from Glasgow.

When I booked this year's trip the original flight times had 2.5 hours at Gatwick on the outbound and about 90 minutes on the return; very similar to our previous trip. We had no problem with connection times and had plenty time to spare so it was very relaxed.

This year we booked similar times but a few schedule changes have use with over 7 hours at LGW on the outbound now and 45 minutes on the return

I phoned BA and AA and also contacted LGW about the tight return time and they all seem pretty confident that there will be no problem. I think the difficulty on this one is that we are on the later flight from Orlando now on the return whereas we had been on the earlier one initially and the only way for them to have adjusted our connecting flight to GLA would have left us with another lengthy wait.

On the up side, from our past experience there, Gatwick is a super airport and things went like clockwork. Very easy to navigate and a pleasant airport to be in if you do have a wait.

 

[flortlebap]

I allowed 2 hours at LHR-JFK (from Man) with VA. We got to the plane with 15 minutes to spare (but the flight was 30 mins late and the connecting terminal bus crashed).

VA recommended 2 hours for us but BA might run smoother!

 

[Princess Leia]

Thanks that's helpful. We would be flying from Glasgow. That's a long wait on the way out - nearly the time of a direct flight. Have you ended up making good savings doing it this way?

 

[2Tiggies]

Thanks that's helpful. We would be flying from Glasgow. That's a long wait on the way out - nearly the time of a direct flight. Have you ended up making good savings doing it this way?

Not really

I didn't choose the times. Had those been the times on offer when I booked I would have rather gone a different route. When I booked we had decent connection times. About 2-3 months later they moved the outbound transatlantic flight a few hours later and my connection from GLA to LGW changed to nearly an hour earlier so the delay there is not related to the cost.

I did get what I felt was a good price on the flights, considering the time of year and did this by booking it code share through American Airlines (whose customer care has been outstanding). Doing it that way saved me nearly £100 pp compared to the same flights and connections directly with BA on their sale. So yes, I am happy with the price, but probably would have paid a bit more if I could have got a later flight from Glasgow to LGW or if the longhaul flight had stayed the same.

I've booked a lounge for Gatwick and added an hour to our 3 hour visit there which will take care of the long wait and give us somewhere comfortable to sit so we've made the best of it

 

[Princess Leia]

I allowed 2 hours at LHR-JFK (from Man) with VA. We got to the plane with 15 minutes to spare (but the flight was 30 mins late and the connecting terminal bus crashed).

VA recommended 2 hours for us but BA might run smoother!

We were in a similar situation the other year with a flight to Southampton. We were delayed a couple of hours and ended up being rushed through check-in and onto the ship which was in the process of setting sail. Far too close for comfort!

Not really

I didn't choose the times. Had those been the times on offer when I booked I would have rather gone a different route. When I booked we had decent connection times. About 2-3 months later they moved the outbound transatlantic flight a few hours later and my connection from GLA to LGW changed to nearly an hour earlier so the delay there is not related to the cost.

I did get what I felt was a good price on the flights, considering the time of year and did this by booking it code share through American Airlines (whose customer care has been outstanding). Doing it that way saved me nearly £100 pp compared to the same flights and connections directly with BA on their sale. So yes, I am happy with the price, but probably would have paid a bit more if I could have got a later flight from Glasgow to LGW or if the longhaul flight had stayed the same.

I've booked a lounge for Gatwick and added an hour to our 3 hour visit there which will take care of the long wait and give us somewhere comfortable to sit so we've made the best of it

Of course it wouldn't have been your choice. What I meant was did you save a lot on a package price? Changes also happen with tour operators. Last time Cosmos changed our flights by a couple of days which meant we missed being away on our anniversary. They ended up giving us Legoland tickets to compensate.

 

[2Tiggies]

Of course it wouldn't have been your choice. What I meant was did you save a lot on a package price? Changes also happen with tour operators. Last time Cosmos changed our flights by a couple of days which meant we missed being away on our anniversary. They ended up giving us Legoland tickets to compensate.

Oh I misinterpreted your question to relate to the long layovers as trade off for good price.

I didn't price it up with VH for comparison last year as they have never come anywhere near matching DIY for me. I did price it with Thomas Cook Signature (VA flights I believe) and Complete Orlando, and also priced it up with Disney as a flight inclusive. Disney was the closest match as they were offering the same BA flights that I could get so I could have gone with all inclusive and added the flights for the same money as BA was selling them at the time, but the AA codeshare was a big enough saving that I did it myself.

CO wasn't working for me. I only did a comparison out of curiosity because I'd already booked the accommodation with Disney and have given up on third party agents which I find more hassle than they are worth. They were a couple of hundred pounds more. Thomas Cook signature was with VA flights and were almost a grand more for the same trip.