Advice on Airports on Airlines

[Sennkestra]

So, now that I know I'll be going for sure, it's time to think about how I'll get there.

Since I'm in the LA area, I'll be flying out of LAX but other than that I have no plans as of yet.

I've heard that the Heathrow airport is really a pain to travel through; is this actually true? I've also heard that LAX is just as bad, though, so may be inured to bad airports anyway. I'll be traveling around the UK with my sister for a while before we come to worldpride, so it doesn't really matter much to us which airport we fly into as long as it's international. Are there some that are nicer than others?

Also, for anyone who's flown across the atlantic before, what airline did you take and how was it? If we're going to be on a plane for an ungodly number of hours, I'd like it to be a good experience.

But, basically, if anyone has experience traveling between the US and the UK, I would love to hear any advice you have! Also, if anyone else coming from the US has any questions/concerns, perhaps we can discuss them here?

[hexaquark]

I've heard that the Heathrow airport is really a pain to travel through; is this actually true? I've also heard that LAX is just as bad, though, so may be inured to bad airports anyway. I'll be traveling around the UK with my sister for a while before we come to worldpride, so it doesn't really matter much to us which airport we fly into as long as it's international. Are there some that are nicer than others?

I haven't travelled between the UK and the US, but I’ve been to LAX and Heathrow, on separate trips. As I recall LAX was a nightmare, but I’ve only been there once years ago and there was a lot of construction so the signage was really bad. It gets the honour of ranking as my least favourite airport? I'm sure it must be easier being a departure though, I was there for a layover and had to do a terminal change.

On the other hand I’ve been through Heathrow a fair few times and never had trouble with it. Oh, except Heathrow customs can be a bit imposing, I think they think I’m a runaway because I look quite young and my passport is… well stamped. They seem distinctly more grim if you are travelling on your own, or at least that is my experience. It isn't a big deal, just be prepared for possible scrutiny.

Heathrow is good because you can take the Tube (Piccadilly line) right into London, which is very fast and easy, for what it is worth. With Gatwick you have to use rail or bus/coach.

So exciting, is it your first trip to the UK?

[Sennkestra]

I've heard that the Heathrow airport is really a pain to travel through; is this actually true? I've also heard that LAX is just as bad, though, so may be inured to bad airports anyway. I'll be traveling around the UK with my sister for a while before we come to worldpride, so it doesn't really matter much to us which airport we fly into as long as it's international. Are there some that are nicer than others?

I haven't travelled between the UK and the US, but I’ve been to LAX and Heathrow, on separate trips. As I recall LAX was a nightmare, but I’ve only been there once years ago and there was a lot of construction so the signage was really bad. It gets the honour of ranking as my least favourite airport? I'm sure it must be easier being a departure though, I was there for a layover and had to do a terminal change.

On the other hand I’ve been through Heathrow a fair few times and never had trouble with it. Oh, except Heathrow customs can be a bit imposing, I think they think I’m a runaway because I look quite young and my passport is… well stamped. They seem distinctly more grim if you are travelling on your own, or at least that is my experience. It isn't a big deal, just be prepared for possible scrutiny.

Heathrow is good because you can take the Tube (Piccadilly line) right into London, which is very fast and easy, for what it is worth. With Gatwick you have to use rail or bus/coach.

So exciting, is it your first trip to the UK?

Yep. First time leaving North America at all (except for Hawaii).

And LAX actually is pretty terrible for departures too - the lines at security can get pretty bad. It's just that after living near it and using it for years I'm used to it, so it's kind of expected. And yeah, the layout is kinda weird, but I've just been there so often that I've memorized where most of the places I need to go are.

I figure that if I can handle LAX, I'll probably be fine with any airport.

[hexaquark]

I figure that if I can handle LAX, I'll probably be fine with any airport.

This is surely true, Heathrow should be cake!

[TheTeaCritter]

Ahhh when are you going? I'll be flying out of Cleveland for a layover in Chicago and then into Heathrow! My arrival date is like... the 27th of December though!

[Sennkestra]

Ahhh when are you going? I'll be flying out of Cleveland for a layover in Chicago and then into Heathrow! My arrival date is like... the 27th of December though!

Oh, this is for WorldPride in the summer so not for quite a while :D

I'll probably be flying up with my sister sometime around the very end of june/very beginning of july, and staying for around 2-3weeks.

[daveb]

I've flown from LAX to Heathrow a few times over the years. I've not flown into other airports in the UK, but I did have a departure from City Airport in London (I think that's what it was called). It was a little airport where I had to walk out to the tarmac to board a small plane to go to Amsterdam and then switch to a big trans-Atlantic jet. So my experience is limited. There may very well be better airports/cities to fly into. On the other hand, as Hexquark says, getting from Heathrow into London is easy, just a straight shot on the London Underground. I think the overall flight time is around 13 hours, so be prepared to spend a lot of time on the planes. Otherwise relax and have a fun and safe trip when you go! :)