Flying from Heathrow Airport

Posted by Jill Browne Dec 15, 2006

Last week (December 9, 2006), I flew out of London's Heathrow airport from Terminal 3 on an Air Canada flight.

We checked in on the internet and printed our boarding passes at our hotel. A lot of airlines offer this service (on-line check-in) now. Usually you can do it starting either 24 or 12 hours before your scheduled departure time. If you don't have access to a printer, you can still use the service, but it's best if you can print your boarding pass yourself.

The on-line check-in meant when we got to the airport, we stood in a line that was two persons long. The other line, for checking in at the airport - about 30 persons long.

As far as airport security goes, there was a massive line-up to go through the pre-board screening. I thought we'd be there for half an hour without moving. Wrong! The line moved quickly but there were a few people who had serious problems.

Back at the Air Canada desk, the pleasant lady had told us that only one piece of carry-on luggage was allowed, everything else MUST be checked. Even if it's tiny, that second item is not allowed on board.

We saw a lot of people scrambling to repack their luggage at the check-in counter.

Upstairs, in the pre-board security line, they were adamant about only having one piece. An American woman beside us argued with the security guard about this. She had a roll-on suitcase, a laptop computer bag, and a purse. She tried pleading, getting angry, negotiating, at one point saying, "I'll miss my flight and I have a dog on board."

Guess what? It doesn't matter. The security staff have rules to follow and this case was no exception. Heathrow has a no-tolerance policy when it comes to harassing their staff. When I last saw her, the American woman was being escorted downstairs by another uniformed security guard.

So, one piece of carry-on. They mean it.

If you take a cheap cloth or net bag with you, large enough to hold your purse and your bits and pieces, it might save you some hassles. I usually use one of these anyway because then the security staff and I can see at a glance what I'm carrying, and when I need stuff on the plane - a book or a candy, say - it's simple to find it.