Time In London Heathrow (2023)

FAQs

Is 2 hours enough time to transfer in Heathrow? ›

We recommend that you allow the following minimum connection times: 1 hour for connections within the same Heathrow terminal. 1 hour 30 minutes for connections that require travel between terminals at Heathrow.

How Many Time Zones Are There in the UK? The United Kingdom has one standard time zone. The overseas territories and crown dependencies of the UK bring the total to 9 time zones.

How long does it take to clear customs at Heathrow? On average, it takes between 30 minutes and 1 hour to clear customs and immigration at Heathrow Airport.

We recommend getting to the airport three hours before your flight if you're travelling internationally, or two hours if you're travelling domestically or to Europe.

How long does it take to clear customs and immigration at Heathrow? It could take 15 to 30 minutes after touchdown till you deplane. You then have to clear immigration & customs which can take anywhere from 15 minutes (on a very good day) to an hour (assuming you have to claim and recheck your luggage).

The time difference between London and New York is 5 hours. New York City is located in the UTC-5 time zone, during summertime it becomes UTC-4. The United Kingdom is therefore ahead of New York. This means that when it is midnight in New York, it is already 05:00 in the UK.

London is 5 hours ahead of New York. Press any time in the table below to open and share the event time page.

Eastern Standard Time is 6 hours behind London.

CONNECTING FLIGHTS

If your baggage is checked through to your final destination, that's where you clear customs. If you're collecting your baggage and checking in to your next flight yourself, you need to pass through customs at Heathrow.

How do I get through customs faster at Heathrow? ›

The fastest way to pass immigration quickly is to use the electronic gates wherever possible. I recently passed through Terminal 5 in less than two minutes this way. U.S. passport holders have been able to use U.K. ePassport gates at major U.K. airports including all London Heathrow terminals since 2019.

If you have checked any bags in then you will need to collect them at Baggage Reclaim. If you already have all of your baggage you can go straight to Customs. Information screens in the reclaim hall will tell you where to collect your bag from. When you see your bag remove it from the belt.

Shoulder Season (September-October, March-April)

The crowds have reduced and you actually get more of London to yourself. March to April is also a great time because the days are starting to get warm, but the crowds are yet to arrive. Winters in London are cold and wet.

For international layover flights booked on one airline, two hours is often recommended to make your connection. For international flights on different airlines, the connection time will need to be even greater as you may have to change terminals between the two flights.

CONNECTING FLIGHTS

If your baggage is checked through to your final destination, that's where you clear customs. If you're collecting your baggage and checking in to your next flight yourself, you need to pass through customs at Heathrow.

At a minimum, I'd say you should plan for one hour for domestic layovers and two hours for international layovers. But this is not a hard, fast rule! If you have to go through security again on a domestic layover, you might need more time.

Two hours. Mayers recommends two hours as a standard buffer between flights to be safe. This gives you a cushion in case things go wrong during your journey. You'll definitely want at least a two-hour window if you've booked a “hacker fare,” as opposed to flying with the same airline your entire trip.