Avoid Heathrow Airport

Flying through Heathrow is a headache.

Okay, your travel agent says the flight is cheaper if you fly into or through Heathrow Airport. Yes, probably it is cheaper. However, you are flying into England to go to Scotland. That's a bit like flying into Canada to get to the United States. If your vacation is in Scotland, you're wasting your time, money and eventually you will avoid headaches and anxiety.

It is timely to mention this little travel tip because yesterday they had a bit of an accident at the airport. A plane landed short of the runway and belly flopped onto the grass. No one was hurt. However it brings up a timely issue.



Weird things happen at Heathrow

Heathrow is a magnet for weird things and security issues. It is the largest airport in England and with it brings all the issues of a high profile place. Of course, Glasgow Airport had the weirdness of two guys wanting to burn themselves up by slamming their SUV into the entrance, so I can't single out Heathrow for weirdness. However, when I traveled through Heathrow here is what I learned.

Watch the monitors for gate departures closely. They will change on you without telling you or you want here the change. The airport is huge. Unbelievably big and thus getting from one gate to another can take a very long time. They will put you on a bus to move you from one terminal to the next and I swear the bus ride was an hour long.

Just be aware of what you are getting into when you buy a ticket. Traveling through Heathrow may seem like a cost saving but I would not recommend it. You'd be better off flying to Glasgow. Also, if you are flying to Edinburgh know that it is more expensive to fly to Edinburgh than Glasgow. And if you fly to Glasgow you can take the train to Edinburgh quite easily. The costs might offset, so be wise about what you plan to do. I find Glasgow airport very easy to get around. For New Yorkers, it's like going to the Albany airport. Not that big but big enough to host international flights.