Question about customs times

[mish]

I'm in the planning stages for my trip to Europe. I am travelling from Halifax to London (as this is the cheapest airfair) and I was going to head to Amsterdam first (and stay in London before I leave). I was going to fly to Amsterdam as this seems to be the cheapest and most convenient way to get there versus the train.

So my question is how long should I allow to get my luggage and to clear customs? I haven't booked any flights yet and before I book the second stage (London to Amsterdam) I want to make sure I allow myself enough time.

And as a side note to this will I need to clear customs again when I get to Amsterdam.

Thanks for your help

Mish

[WillTravel]

What airline are you flying, and into which airport, and at what time of day? That can make a difference. I seem to have more experience with greatly delayed flights than many other people here, which tends to make me ultra-cautious.

If Heathrow, I'd look for a flight on BMI. www.flybmi.com
If Gatwick, I'd look for a flight on EasyJet.
Both often have very good deals. I'd try to stay away from switching airports, given you will have very good options at either airport where you land.

Yes, you'll have to go through passport control in Amsterdam.

[mish]

I am flying in by Zoom into London Gatwick and arrival is for 10:00 AM on a Wednesday April 19th. I am looking to fly out of the same airport to Amsterdam (via easyjet), and hoping that if I book a flight somewhere around 1:00 PM(to Amsterdam) that will allow me enough time to get my baggage and clear customs as I really don't want to waste too much of the day just sitting in the airport.

Thanks again for all your help

Mish

[WillTravel]

You'd have to look at Zoom's on-time record. I think it's far from perfect. They have a limited number of planes, so if something happens to one, it can throw the schedule off by 8 hours or more. If the Zoom plane is on time, you'd probably have enough time to get the EasyJet flight. If it isn't, you probably wouldn't. The worst case scenario is that you'd have to pay a high price to get onto a later EasyJet flight, probably that day.

[gougeAway]

If everything is on time, you should be fine - but be aware of some later easy jet flights, should things go awry.