Which route to take ...

[kitch50]

Just wondering what everyone thinks are the best indirect routes to take to Tampa or MCO out of either Gatwick or Heathrow and how long you would have to leave for connections .....

[Jo]

Altanta is good - only an hour of so's flight after the stopover. Also Philadelphia was OK too.


Whereever I connect I'd want at least 2 hours - having had to sprint through Newark airport to catch the plane - sadly the luggage didn't make it, but was taxi'd to the villa by the following morning.

[Katys Grandad]

A very similar question about connections was discussed recently:

http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums...ht=connections

(I've just noticed it was you that asked it)

[SDJ]

We used to use United into Washington DC or Chicago. Always had good flights.

[caroline]

We got back this morning, [msnsad] and as usual went with United from Heathrow to Orlando via Washington - we get the first United flight from Heathrow, UA923 then have just over an hour on the ground before catching the connection which gets you into Orlando around 2pm - coming home we get the early evening flight from Orlando, just before 7pm, which gets into Washington around 9pm and then get UA924 around 10pm which gets into Heathrow at 10am although Dave flew back on it a couple of weeks ago and the flight only took 6 hours and 2 minutes because of a strong tail wind.

[kitch50]

Would an hour between connections be a bit tight Caroline, bearing in mind we have never done an indirect flight before and won't have a clue what we are doing, also does that flight have seat back tvs for the longest part of the journey? United seem to come up quite frequently are they one of the better airlines to fly with or are they all much of a muchness ....

[freddiehollie]

Hi Wendy.

I would say 1 hour is very tight. Especially as you have never done indirect before so you will be looking which way to go, what gate to find etc.
We normally go via Philly with US Airways. You land at International, then have to, clear customs, collect bags, check bags for internal flights. Then "clear security" again to get to Domestic Flights!!!!
We have done it in 20/30mins but more often its about 1 hour & we no which way we are going. We normally leave a 2 hour gap between flights.
It can be done but the stress even if!! the plane arrives on time, in our opinion isn't worth an hour or so extra in the terminal. We grab a meal/sandwich, have a drink & don't rush.[msnwink]

[Katys Grandad]

An hour is tight, especially if you aren't familiar with the connecting airport and the routine. In your particular circumstances, I'd advise at least a 2 hour connection allowing for any delays and peace of mind.

I'd say all the major airlines Economy offering really are much of a muchness so if the prices are similar, I'd look for the shortest overall journey time. If I was going from Heathrow, I'd look at connecting in Miami where you'll have the choice of BA, American and Delta but there are lots of other options.

[caroline]

Wendy this particular connection works fine - United's passengers are predominantly American, so there aren't so many in the immigration queue for Non-US - we've never had a problem with this connection and have done these flights at least twice a year for the last 10 years. When you land in Washington you walk down a corridor and follow the signs for transfers (purple signs) then into the immigration hall, it's a single queue (Disney style) from here you walk about 20ft to baggage reclaim, pick up your bags and walk about 30ft to customs, immediately after customs you pass your luggage back to the guys standing there waiting for it, you then go up the escalator (about another 30ft!) into the terminal, at the top of the escalator is the board listing the gates - you will be given boarding passes for both flights at Heathrow - you then walk anything from 2 - 5 minutes to the gate - we've always had time to visit the loos, grab fast food for the kids and a starbucks for ourselves, then just have to sit at the gate for 15 minutes or so before boarding - if for any reason the flight from London was delayed and you missed your connection there are quite a few more United flights from Washington to Orlando and you would get pushed onto one of those, however we've never had that happen as we've always had plenty of time. It really is fine, I've even let the kids do it unaccompanied when they were younger without any dramas.