Traveling Through London/Heathrow Airport
If you have never connected through Heathrow, or are planning to connect, you have a miserable treat in store for you. This is a cautionary article - just so you know what to expect among Heathrow's FOUR terminals.
We flew Munich to London on Lufthansa, landing in Terminal 2, and then had two hours to connect to our United, London-Chicago flight out of Terminal 3. You'd think that's plenty of time, right?
This is the routine:
1. After getting off Lufthansa in Terminal 2, walking close to a mile as rapidly as possible, there is SECURITY in front of you. Hundreds of passengers who had just gotten off planes being directed into TWO lines for additional scanning. We had a 3:40pm flight and it was now 2:30pm. ONE HOUR later, finally through Security. Next?
2. Down some escalators to another line, this one waiting for a bus to take us to Terminal 3.
3. Finally on the bus, over to Terminal 3, then run like the wind because it is now 3:30pm! Fortunately, others had also been stuck in the same Security lines and our seats hadn't been given away. We have never arrived for a flight with so little time to spare and personnel told us this is an everyday occurrence at Heathrow!
The point...if you must connect through Heathrow, don't pay any attention to what the Airline says is a "legal connection." With anything less than 2-1/2 hours, you have a good chance of missing your flight.
Other than finally boarding our United flight with palpitations, sweat pouring off, and major stress from that little incident, Austria was a wonderful trip. Pick a place -- the famous ones - Salzburg, Innsbruck, Vienna, Zell Am See; or smaller towns - St. Johann, Mayrhofen, Badgastein, St. Anton. Anywhere you go, you won't be disappointed with the cuisine, sights, ambiance or friendly people. Wiedersehen!
