if you're not an air expert

airport security lines — public domain image

Not an air expert? You might just want to engage the services of one. The following cautionary tale was recently posted on fodors.com. Only after purchasing his tickets did the poster realize he had some unanswered questions he should have asked before he clicked the "Buy" button on the web.

Heathrow connection with separate tickets - is 2 hours enough to checkout/checkin? 

We bought flights separately with different airlines. The connection is at London Heathrow for 2 hours. Based on what I've read, we most likely will need to claim our bags, then go through the whole check-in/customs process again to catch our connecting flight. Is 2 hours enough to do this?

Here are four relevant details:

(1) We're talking about Heathrow, one of the most inefficient airports in the world.

(2) He's booked two separate tickets on two separate airlines (Aer Lingus and Icelandair), meaning he will not be protected if flight delays should result in a misconnect.

(3) He plans to check his luggage. This means they will have to leave the secure area, take the long hike to the immigration lines, stand in the queue at immigration, proceed through customs, wait for his baggage ... then get back through security before they close the jetway door. All in two hours.

(4) He "saved" a whopping $80 by doing it this way. Unless his misses his next flight! In this likely eventuality, both travelers will be forced to purchase new tickets on the next flight to their destination, paying the highest last minute fare for each ticket.

Short answer to his question: he hasn't left himself nearly enough time to comfortably make a connection. And he should never have booked two different airlines on two different tickets.

Long answer ... the travel world is blessed with some hugely experienced international air agents (not me, by the way). Yes, it will cost you a few bucks in the form of a ticketing fee. But an experienced air agent will save you bucks. He or she can advise about variables such as:

• booking through a codeshare partner for possibly lower taxes or fuel surcharges
• avoiding costly mistakes such as this impossible connection scenario
• helping you find what's really the best value
• monitoring your flights and taking care of potential disruptions long before you're even aware that a flight might be cancelled or delayed

While I'm not an air expert, I have colleagues who definitely qualify. It's well worth paying for expertise. A small out-of-pocket expense can yield save you from costly money-wasting mistakes ... and likely save you money on your air tickets.

copyright (c) 2018 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.