Raleigh - London direct --- generally on time? (stats, airport)

[StoneOne]

Have to make a business trip to London next week and will most likely fly direct from Raleigh. The AA flight is scheduled to arrive at Heathrow at 6.30am. To the people who have done this flight, is it generally on time? I have to be at a function in central London at 8.30am.

[frankpc]

I think I might worry more about the ground transportation/airport delays at Heathrow and into London. Will you be able to take the Express train into London (Paddington Station) from the airport or will you need a cab? The Express train is only 15 minutes or so but a cab would be considerably longer (balanced by a cab taking you to your final destination). If your final destination is near Paddington Station I think you have a chance.

Frank

[Usedtobe VaNC]

That is pretty tight. Don't forget the going through customs will take you at least an hour, then you have to find ground transportation and get to your meeting.

I would say its dicey.

[CHwboy]

It will work so long as nothing goes wrong. If your an EU citizen (and so can skip the foreigners queue) and your bags get out quickly and your destination is near paddington (so you can take heathrow express) you will be fine.

Any one of those things could go a bit wrong though.

chwboy

[Beermat]

The flight in my experience is fairly punctual, but is really dependant on how long it is in the stack circling Heathrow as it is peak time for long haul arrivals at Heathrow and there is a night-time curfew there until 6am. As someone else mentioned there can be long delays in Immigragtion - if you are travelling Business Class then you will get a fastrack invitation that will have a shorter line. I would take the day flight via JFK or Boston the previous day arriving in London around 9pm letting you have a good nights sleep and be fresh for your function without the stress of being an hour or so late.

Originally Posted by StoneOne

Have to make a business trip to London next week and will most likely fly direct from Raleigh. The AA flight is scheduled to arrive at Heathrow at 6.30am. To the people who have done this flight, is it generally on time? I have to be at a function in central London at 8.30am.

[CarolinaDreaming]

Doesn't look too promising for on time either, maybe a coin flip. Over the last two months:
On-time 33 55%
Late 13 21%
Very Late 5 8%
Excessive 8 13%
Cancelled 1 1%
Diverted 0 0%
FlightStats - (AA) American Airlines 174 Historical On-time Performance Rating

Plus it looks like arrival time is really 6:55 am?

[didee]

Agree with Beermat, you are cutting it very close. And there's always the possibility of volcano delays, too, although I believe they have built that into the flight plan now,

[StoneOne]

Thanks everyone - have decided to fly the day before with a connection