The MAN-LHR connection

[travelwell]

Hey everyone, assume this question will be more geared towards the Northern folk traveling down to London. Just wondering what people’s current travel arrangements are when catching a flight from LHR. Do you still use the MAN-LHR connection or do you go with train/drive. I have a current routing with Manchester included, a supposedly safe 5hr LHR connection time but looking on flight radar I see random cancellations happen weekly. I also assume if this happens the flight after will be significantly oversubscribed?

[NorthernLass]

With the state of both the M6 and public transport, flying is currently a no-brainer for us. Even if trains were reliable, lugging multiple bags around London is just not feasible. Moreover, if your flight is cancelled or significantly delayed, BA will get you to LHR, either by taxi or other public transport (as long as it’s all on one booking). 5 hours is a pretty safe margin; we’ve only ever had an outright cancellation once, and delays tend to mainly impact people who have only allowed for MCT between flights (never do this!)

Having said that, if we have a long-haul connection which departs before mid-afternoon, we fly to LHR the night before and stay in a hotel for a much more relaxed travel experience!

Bear in mind that you can’t just miss the MAN-LHR leg as your whole trip would be cancelled by BA, you’d need to cancel and rebook.

[eppleby]

After BA cancelled LBA connections we used to use MAN to LHR (MAN is about 2.5 hrs from home by car). After all the bad press concerning MAN we have now switched our allegiance to NCL (Newcastle is about 2.5 hrs from home). We, always, travel to LHR on the evening prior to the long haul flight.
We, always, splash out on the Sofitel purely for the convenience.

[travelwell]

eppleby wrote:

After BA cancelled LBA connections we used to use MAN to LHR (MAN is about 2.5 hrs from home by car). After all the bad press concerning MAN we have now switched our allegiance to NCL (Newcastle is about 2.5 hrs from home). We, always, travel to LHR on the evening prior to the long haul flight.
We, always, splash out on the Sofitel purely for the convenience.

I too miss the LBA connection! With your suggested stop over the night before do bags need to be checked all the way through or can they be collected and rechecked?

[NorthernLass]

The easiest thing is to check your checked bags all the way through and keep anything you need overnight in your hand luggage. We’ve never had a bag go astray doing this.

[TooPoorToBeHere]

I’m of the view that unless it’s booked together in one itinerary out of MAN, any travel to LHR has to be done the day prior to departure because neither roads nor rail can be relied upon.

It’s usually ludicrously expensive to buy a long-haul itinerary out of MAN so I don’t do that very often.

I’m therefore positioning myself…to *somewhere* which might be LHR…the night before I depart. Usually that’s DUB.

[QwertyKnowsBest]

I know @NorthernLass frequently mentions BA paying for her taxi to LHR, apart from it being not the most enjoyable extended time spent in a Manchester mini cab, and that BA are sometimes liable for the cost, getting them to pay up, especially as no BA employees at MAN may involve a protracted battle to obtain a refund and little chance of them booking and paying directly.

Yes, day before is less of a risk with or without checked through luggage. Or of course, the many other connections available through continental Europe work as well or better.

[NorthernLass]

Lol, @Qwerty, you must have missed the bit where it was pre-booked by ground staff at MAN who told us (and all the other pax on the cancelled flight who in typical northern style were enquiring as to who was paying) that BA has an arrangement and an account with the taxi company.

[Richard Peters]

eppleby wrote:

After BA cancelled LBA connections we used to use MAN to LHR (MAN is about 2.5 hrs from home by car). After all the bad press concerning MAN we have now switched our allegiance to NCL (Newcastle is about 2.5 hrs from home). We, always, travel to LHR on the evening prior to the long haul flight.
We, always, splash out on the Sofitel purely for the convenience.

NCL is great: always quick through security plus they smile and touch wood never missed a connection or had flight cancelled though a sprint through T5 in January when there was all that freezing fog to make IAD flight. Only downside is not going through the first wing straight into the lounge. I’m more JIT but OH likes a wide gap between connections and always works well plus saves the Sofitel expense.

[yorkieflyer]

Yes

Richard Peters wrote:

eppleby wrote:

After BA cancelled LBA connections we used to use MAN to LHR (MAN is about 2.5 hrs from home by car). After all the bad press concerning MAN we have now switched our allegiance to NCL (Newcastle is about 2.5 hrs from home). We, always, travel to LHR on the evening prior to the long haul flight.
We, always, splash out on the Sofitel purely for the convenience.

NCL is great: always quick through security plus they smile and touch wood never missed a connection or had flight cancelled though a sprint through T5 in January when there was all that freezing fog to make IAD flight. Only downside is not going through the first wing straight into the lounge. I’m more JIT but OH likes a wide gap between connections and always works well plus saves the Sofitel expense.

Yes this, in the absence of the LBA flights I much prefer the Newcastle option. An efficient friendly little airport, unfortunately frequency isn’t as good as MAN and connectivity often makes MAN a more time efficient option