Live Update: India to Edinburgh August '22

On popular demand (pardon me, I’ve always wanted to use this phrase) – here’s a quick(ish) update on the India-Edinburgh journey as of August ’22 (the 19th, to be exact).

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I can spare you the schpiel of news articles – airport staff strike, unclaimed baggage, cancelled flights – you know how it goes. This was back in July so I can first-hand claim that’s now ancient history (sorta). Does this mean you can stop worrying? No! Let’s dig in.

I flew British Airways on the 19th August, 2022 from Mumbai. If you’re flying from Mumbai, I feel for you. Last year, it took me 20 minutes to get to the airport. This time, all it took was 2 hours. Already paranoid about how busy I heard the airport was, I prepared myself for the worst, but spoiler alert – I didn’t need to. Since I’d checked in online, I joined the much shorter baggage drop queue (pro-tip), showed my passport at the counter, got my physical boarding passes right until Edinburgh and assured myself I would be seeing my bags again in Edinburgh. All is well. Security check and immigration together took me under an hour, so I was well on time. Security check in Mumbai can be quite a hassle, you need to remove electronic gadgets, chargers, jackets, belts and so on; I keep all my chargers together in a case so it’s easier to manage at the belt. I had a couple hours to kill in Duty Free (where I realised Mumbai Duty Free alcohol isn’t any cheaper than Tesco in Edinburgh) until I headed to my gate. Just before I boarded my flight, I had to put my carry-on through another screening belt quite like security check, but I wasn’t asked to remove anything (once is a hassle, twice would just be annoying). Finally, all aboard!

Right after I landed in London, there was a bus that took me to Arrivals. I was at gate A, Terminal 5 and my London-Edinburgh flight was from gate B, Terminal 5. Quite a few transfers (following very straightforward directions) took me to Arrivals – you’ll need to use the transfer service via the airport transit train. If you’re staying in London or taking the train or bus to Edinburgh, you’ll need to go through Passport Control (the one before you enter gate B). If you’re taking a connecting flight from Heathrow, go on to gate B and then go to Passport Control there (that’s what I did). Getting through Passport Control (aka Immigration) took me 10 minutes but September is peak travelling time so it may take you longer.

Since mine was a connecting flight, I didn’t need to collect my luggage in London. I went straight to security check – I love London security check because you don’t need to remove any gadgets. They may ask you to put your liquids in the clear bag they provide (didn’t ask me to do it), empty your water bottles, remove your jackets and boots (if you’re wearing them) and empty your pockets. Then you go through a metal detector, get your bags (unless they’ve been stopped for manual screening) and are all set to explore the terminal. If you have a Priority Pass and are hoping to access Aspire Lounge, make sure you pre-book it online before you leave home and remember that you can only get into the lounge 3 hours before your flight (not earlier than that). I had an 8 hour layover and I spent it binge-watching “The Good Doctor”.

I got through Immigration and security at Heathrow at lightning speed, but you may encounter much longer queues when you land in September. If you have a layover that is less than 3 hours, be very careful.

1. In India, they may tell you that your layover is too short. They could check your luggage only till London so that you have your luggage with you even if you miss your connecting flight. In this case, you’ll need to check in your luggage again at Heathrow.

2. Inform ground staff at Heathrow at all points that you have a connecting flight soon and they’ll help you cut queues at immigration.

3. After you enter gate B (but before the gate’s Passport Control), you can try asking the ticket counter if there are any seats available on later flights that day. If there are, they can change your flights on the spot for free. Only do this if it’s an emergency.

After you land in Edinburgh, it’s all smooth sailing. Follow the directions to baggage claim, collect your bags and leave the airport. There are two queues when you go to the taxi stand – one for pre-booked taxis and one for the others. There isn’t a very substantial difference between the two, and you can even pre-book a taxi on the spot (the queue is shorter). I recommend either of these over an Uber, but the end call is yours, of course. Get on your cab and enjoy the city.

For people considering AirTags – all my checked bags had AirTags and I didn’t find them all that helpful. You can only track their accurate location when they’re in a certain radius close to you – all other times, it’ll just show the last tracked location and tell you that the AirTag is out of reach.

The journey may seem long and daunting. The path riddled with obstacles. (Toning down the Gandalf) I promise you, the end result is worth it. You see gorgeous skies on the flight, you become a confident traveller and you end up in the best city in the world. Home awaits, I’ll see you guys very soon!