Current opinions on routing via LHR, DUB or YYZ?

July 31, 2022 4:25 PM

Upcoming transoceanic (early September) travel requires me to route through LHR (on BA), DUB (on AerLingus), or YYZ (on Air Canada). Given the ongoing travel apocalypses in LHR & YYZ, which should I choose?

Going via Dublin would be cheapest, but that puts me on AerLingus, whose ratings appear to have been collapsing lately with apparent operational difficulties and call-center meltdowns (eg: bags lost for over a month and no way to file a claim, as well as delay behaviors that appear to border on being genuinely illegal).

Heathrow would be, well, Heathrow, with all of that entails in 2022. The prospect of paying a couple hundred bucks more to be completely screwed is not especially appealing, but I've had reasonable luck with BA in the past.

I had originally planned on YYZ and Air Canada, but it appears they've had their own Summer Meltdown in Toronto, and this route would cost almost a thousand dollars more plus no guarantee of actually being able to make the connection.

I've tried more arcane routings on other, nicer, airlines with nicer airports but those routes generally stick me with 53hr trips -- which is a nonstarter. After the last three years I have no particular status/points with any airline, so that is not a relevant consideration.

Any opinions? It seems like I'm gonna be hosed no matter what I choose. Of course, realistically there's no way for me to know how it's gonna work out, but I'm interested in recent anecdotes/opinions.

posted by aramaic to Travel & Transportation (12 answers total)

I don't know that there's a clear winner, everything is crummy in unpredictable ways. If I was going from the US to the EU, I'd go via DUB to at least reduce the number of customs/immigration queues on my path. I'd also ensure I packed with an eye to surviving out of the carry-on if the checked bag is lost.
posted by Superilla at 4:37 PM on July 31, 2022

We’re doing BA on LHR—>BOS at the end of August. Too late to be of any use to you as anecdata, but that’s where my head’s at. When Covid started, BA and other big airlines were the ones who fulfilled their legal obligations to get my friends home, and cheaper airlines just… didn’t, and stopped answering the phones.

Plus, I once travelled via Dublin with AerLingus in the Before Times, and it was a poorly-managed, stressful experience even then. I’m sure plenty of people have a good experience, but they rather failed to impress us.

I think you’re right in your assessment that any option carries risks beyond your ability to control, so in a way maybe that’s freeing.
posted by breakfast burrito at 4:47 PM on July 31, 2022

I think EU directive 261, which is relatively passenger-friendly, no longer applies to UK carriers or flights (that don't involve the EU at one of the ports). I'm not 100% sure what does now, but I'd look into that. Canada has a new bill of passenger rights itself, but the enforcement seems a bit crap. Unless the UK just adopted the substance of 261 (or better) wholesale, that, somewhat surprisingly, argues for AerLingus.
posted by praemunire at 5:04 PM on July 31, 2022 [1 favorite]

Take all this with a pinch of salt. I haven't flown internationally for three years. If you're interested in recent anecdotes and opinions then you should ask this question on FlyerTalk.

But...

I'd happily go via Heathrow if there are any options via an airline other than BA. I'd reluctantly go with Heathrow even if your only Heathrow option is BA.

If you're headed to the US (you don't say, unless I missed something?), I would certainly not connect in Canada. US immigration control at Canadian airports has always been very slow. It's literally the only time I've ever missed an international flight. I can't imagine it's any better right now.

I've never connected in Ireland, so I can't speak from experience, but I know they have the same "convenient" feature of poorly staffed and poorly organized US immigration control before boarding as Canada, so that would be something to bear in mind. I'd also be concerned about being stranded at a relatively small airport (Dublin) with a relatively small airline (Aer Lingus).

I get the impression that part of the problem at Heathrow this year has been with UK-based cabin crew staffing. You can eliminate that risk (if not the ground crew risk) by traveling with a non-British carrier. Do you have any options via LHR other than BA? AA codeshares with BA? Can you make sure you're on a flight operated by them?
posted by caek at 5:29 PM on July 31, 2022

I flew in and out of LHR two trips in June. It is big and busy, but the only issue with the airport itself was the automated passport readers didn’t like our brand new fancy US passports. Any problems overheard were related to individual airline issues such as flight cancellations. A lot of the baggage issues were due to people’s connecting flights being canceled.
posted by gryphonlover at 5:51 PM on July 31, 2022

I was in Heathrow last week and the terminal was completely empty. The news stories freaked us out, but the reality is it really depends on what time you’re in the airport and what else is going on that day.
posted by david1230 at 6:38 PM on July 31, 2022

I've been on around 15–20 flights so far in 2022, and my experiences have been pretty average including international transits via LHR, LGW, JFK, & YVR. Of course everyone's experiences are anecdotal but I can't help having the nagging feeling the current media driven narrative is bordering on the hysterical and while no doubt "true" not representative of most people's experiences. I've had no bags lost or delayed, some difficulties transferring but nothing major.

I would pick the itinerary you normally would that fits best your own preferences and proclivities and not the media's.
posted by iboxifoo at 8:15 PM on July 31, 2022 [1 favorite]

So my approach is to choose the airport that has the most flights to where you need to go NEXT. That way, if you get delayed and miss your connection to your destination, there are many more options for getting you on your way. If you choose a connecting airport that only has one or two flights a day to your final destination and you miss that connection, you have to wait a looooong time for the next flight.
posted by sonofsnark at 9:24 PM on July 31, 2022 [3 favorites]

Our household has weekly international flights: LHR is a lot worse going out than in. Even on BA, which has been cancelling flights. Biggest piece of advice is keep what you can on your person and don't risk valuables. Hand luggage only is even better.

Heathrow always is a crapshoot for immigration - they've suspended fast track for arrivals but if there's anything like that at other airports (Gatwick, Stansted), I'd purchase it. Also remember if you land in Ireland or the UK neither are in the Schengen Zone so you'll still have to do the immigration dance at your final European destination .
posted by socky_puppy at 11:26 PM on July 31, 2022

I think EU directive 261, which is relatively passenger-friendly, no longer applies to UK carriers or flights (that don't involve the EU at one of the ports). I'm not 100% sure what does now, but I'd look into that.

EU 261 has effectively been transposed intact into UK law ("UK261"), with only minor changes, i.e. fine amounts are now officially stated in pound sterling instead of euros. This is the legislation currently in force in the UK, and here is an explanation of what has changed (which for the moment is not much).
posted by andrewesque at 6:53 AM on August 1, 2022 [2 favorites]

Presently Toronto and Montreal have the highest rate of delayed flights in the world.

And I'm hearing from friends it's a basic shitshow there right now.
posted by yyz at 9:04 AM on August 1, 2022

Response by poster: Thank you all for your comments, I appreciate them!
posted by aramaic at 8:48 AM on August 4, 2022