Ex EU flight with VERY tight positioning flight connection

Ex EU flight with VERY tight positioning flight connection

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cashmax

Original Poster:

1,099 posts

239 months

Friday 30th September 2016
quotequote all
Got an EX EU flight from Dublin to MIA coming up (Dublin leg to be completed a day before, picking up the MIA from LHR the next day) and I messed up a little with my assumptions. We are flying into LCY from Dub on BA4469, but it turns out that there is very little in terms of flights from LCY on a Sunday. So I am struggling with my positioning flight to get to Dublin.

This has meant my positioning flight option is a cityjet service that leaves LCY at 14.05 and gets in at 15.25. The BA flight leaves at 17.10. This leaves very little in terms of margin and the BA flight is the last flight into LCY on Sunday.

Getting nervous and wondering if it might be best to book some cheap ryanair flights from Stanstead, park at LCY and get a cab to STN?

Puggit

48,354 posts

247 months

Friday 30th September 2016
quotequote all
Is this all BA? the BA website will let you book LCY-DUB-LHR if you want.

Struggling to understand the full text above though wink

surveyor

17,767 posts

183 months

Friday 30th September 2016
quotequote all
In terms of timing at Dublin, it rarely gets busy. But your reliant on the City flight being on time.

No help, but I've preferred to overnight in Dublin to give that room for manoeuvre. If I mess the flight out of Dublin it's BA's problem, whereas you've made it your problem...

I would not be comfortable with that time difference and would personally look to get there earlier...

cashmax

Original Poster:

1,099 posts

239 months

Friday 30th September 2016
quotequote all
Puggit said:
Is this all BA? the BA website will let you book LCY-DUB-LHR if you want.

Struggling to understand the full text above though wink
Yea sorry, I didn't make it very clear.

The journey I have booked is all BA, but it starts on Dublin - DUB>LCY Then next day LHR>MIA>MIA>LHR Then LCY>DUB

The airport changes are deliberate, its just London to Miami return with the dublin leg on each end to halve the cost.

cashmax

Original Poster:

1,099 posts

239 months

Friday 30th September 2016
quotequote all
surveyor said:
In terms of timing at Dublin, it rarely gets busy. But your reliant on the City flight being on time.

No help, but I've preferred to overnight in Dublin to give that room for manoeuvre. If I mess the flight out of Dublin it's BA's problem, whereas you've made it your problem...

I would not be comfortable with that time difference and would personally look to get there earlier...
Yes, you are right, just chickened out and booked 4 flights out of STN to DUB for the grand total of £54. Having done the research, the CityJet flight is often delayed by 30mins, making it a potentially very stressful experience.

carreauchompeur

17,830 posts

203 months

Friday 30th September 2016
quotequote all
I'm confused... A flight gets into LCY at 1525 and you have to leave from LHR at 1710? You have not a cat's chance in hell...

Or could you simply not exit in London on the return leg?

Hedgeman

661 posts

230 months

Friday 30th September 2016
quotequote all
I agree with overnighting at DUB if possible. Depending on the time of year, weather can be bad and flights delayed. I missed a 4.5 hour connection at DUB - fortunately at the end of an ex-EU - earlier thus year after a Shannon diversion.

cashmax

Original Poster:

1,099 posts

239 months

Friday 30th September 2016
quotequote all
carreauchompeur said:
I'm confused... A flight gets into LCY at 1525 and you have to leave from LHR at 1710? You have not a cat's chance in hell...

Or could you simply not exit in London on the return leg?
My itinery starts in Dublin at 1710, but I am based in London so I need to get there to catch the flight, which is the issue, the flight I have booked to Dublin gets in at 1525, which is tight, given that if I miss the first BA flight, my onward transit is likely to be cancelled.


surveyor

17,767 posts

183 months

Friday 30th September 2016
quotequote all
cashmax said:
surveyor said:
In terms of timing at Dublin, it rarely gets busy. But your reliant on the City flight being on time.

No help, but I've preferred to overnight in Dublin to give that room for manoeuvre. If I mess the flight out of Dublin it's BA's problem, whereas you've made it your problem...

I would not be comfortable with that time difference and would personally look to get there earlier...
Yes, you are right, just chickened out and booked 4 flights out of STN to DUB for the grand total of £54. Having done the research, the CityJet flight is often delayed by 30mins, making it a potentially very stressful experience.
Wear walking shoes..... smile

Perik Omo

1,883 posts

147 months

Saturday 1st October 2016
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With these BA Ex-EU's it's always, always safer to overnight. I know it reduces the savings but it's better to be safe than sorry and it's far less stressful.

Hedgeman

661 posts

230 months

Saturday 1st October 2016
quotequote all
Perik Omo said:
With these BA Ex-EU's it's always, always safer to overnight. I know it reduces the savings but it's better to be safe than sorry and it's far less stressful.
Completely agree. I've taken to combining a long haul holiday with a city break for a couple of days to totally take the stress away and get to see an extra place. Done Dublin x3, Oslo, Copenhagen, Bergen.

HotJambalaya

2,023 posts

179 months

Monday 3rd October 2016
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With these positioning flights you have 3 real options:

1) overnight

2) arrive SIGNIFICANTLY early

3) (and the one you should be looking at) positioning into DUB on the flight that your 17:10 arrived as. That way you fly in on the plane you're leaving on so any delays are incorporated into delays on your dub-lhr flight. In a lot of cases you'll get off the plane and straight back on again without going through customs etc


As is, you're in for a world of pain

surveyor

17,767 posts

183 months

Monday 3rd October 2016
quotequote all
HotJambalaya said:
With these positioning flights you have 3 real options:

1) overnight

2) arrive SIGNIFICANTLY early

3) (and the one you should be looking at) positioning into DUB on the flight that your 17:10 arrived as. That way you fly in on the plane you're leaving on so any delays are incorporated into delays on your dub-lhr flight. In a lot of cases you'll get off the plane and straight back on again without going through customs etc


As is, you're in for a world of pain
Can't see how 3 works. Best case at Dublin, your heading to Terminal 1 Flight transfers which can be a decent walk, potentially into security, before walking back to your gate. I reckon it's very easy to get left behind.

HotJambalaya

2,023 posts

179 months

Tuesday 4th October 2016
quotequote all
surveyor said:
Can't see how 3 works. Best case at Dublin, your heading to Terminal 1 Flight transfers which can be a decent walk, potentially into security, before walking back to your gate. I reckon it's very easy to get left behind.
Best case at Dublin you are not heading to flight transfers. Best case you arrive at the 200 gates, walk off the plane, sit down and then walk back onto the same plane when they start boarding again.

The worse case on a back to back is arriving at the 300 gates and having to clear security. Even this isn't considered difficult, though I've always arrived at the 200 gates and haven't had to do that yet

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/26969265-post1131.h...


http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-exe...

cashmax

Original Poster:

1,099 posts

239 months

Tuesday 4th October 2016
quotequote all
Option 3 would not have been possible on a Sunday. It is the first and only flight into LCY on BA from Dublin. The flight is not a turnaround LCY. (the first BA flight to DUB from LCY is 19.20) I didn't even think about this when I booked the original flights. It just appears that there are clear traffic restrictions at LCY on a Sunday.

Although I have the Cityjet flights booked, I now also have Ryanair flights that get in around lunchtime on Sunday from STN. So a long day (drive to LCY, park car, cab to STN, cab into town in Dub for lunch, back to DUB, land at LCY, drive home and pack for LHR flight next day) but pretty much bolt and braces. If there is some issue at STN then I can still get back to LCY and gamble the Cityjet flight.

Fats25

6,260 posts

228 months

Tuesday 4th October 2016
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Just curious - how much money are you saving doing this?

I have a flight I have to get from Bucharest to Prague in a few weeks, and due to time of day, I have to fly via Vienna. I am dreading it, and am wondering how someone could put themselves through this voluntarily! You say half price? So LHR to MIA - I guess is saving approx 400?

surveyor

17,767 posts

183 months

Tuesday 4th October 2016
quotequote all
Fats25 said:
Just curious - how much money are you saving doing this?

I have a flight I have to get from Bucharest to Prague in a few weeks, and due to time of day, I have to fly via Vienna. I am dreading it, and am wondering how someone could put themselves through this voluntarily! You say half price? So LHR to MIA - I guess is saving approx 400?
x a few people it adds up

cashmax

Original Poster:

1,099 posts

239 months

Tuesday 4th October 2016
quotequote all
Fats25 said:
Just curious - how much money are you saving doing this?

I have a flight I have to get from Bucharest to Prague in a few weeks, and due to time of day, I have to fly via Vienna. I am dreading it, and am wondering how someone could put themselves through this voluntarily! You say half price? So LHR to MIA - I guess is saving approx 400?
I always hated flying long haul and it ruined a holiday for me (dreaded flying home leg as soon as we got there) so will always try to fly business now, which takes a lot of the pain away for me. I didn't want to end up being any airline's bh, having to worry about status and trying to make dates gel enough to use points to fly.

But with a family of 4, this is a very expensive exercise.

The savings when originating a flight out side the UK are significant. This flight is costing circa £3K for 4 to fly business class to MIA and back. That is around half the normal cost.

Sheepshanks

32,522 posts

118 months

Tuesday 4th October 2016
quotequote all
cashmax said:
But with a family of 4, this is a very expensive exercise.
Obviously that multiplies the saving, but surely it multiplies the hassle if it goes wrong?

Funnily enough was talking to my missus about doing this and she's up for it. I fly a bit for work and I absolutely hate multi-leg trips!

Well done for getting 4 flights to Dublin for £54 though - I wouldn't have imagined that was possible.

Edited by Sheepshanks on Tuesday 4th October 15:57

Fats25

6,260 posts

228 months

Tuesday 4th October 2016
quotequote all
Ok - 750 per flight business to Miami is a great deal. Still not sure I could do it though!

That being said - I like the idea that someone else had to do a city break for the "get you there flight". I think my problem is just the hassle. I remember a few years ago flying back business from Seattle to London on business, but having to stop in Copenhagen. I got off at Copenhagen, and made an unscheduled weekend of it, and got another flight economy for the final leg.

I also flew somewhere back to Frankfurt - and that feeling of flying over the UK filled me with dread!

I assume on these routes you don't need to fly back to Dublin at the end? You can just bin that part of the trip, provided you have made all of your other legs?