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the tunnel at t5
Hello - feeling bored today, so thinking about one of our upcoming trips, where we are going to be stuck at T5 for 5 hours. With time to spare I thought I'd explore more of the terminal than just the Flounge bar.
So we shall go to T5B lounge first for a bite to eat and a bevvie (never been there before).
Then onwards to that 'tunnel' that I have read about on here - I cant remember exactly where the tunnel starts, stops or what it is for, but hey, it sounded tempting to explore.... sad I know, but ..... great explorers have to start somewhere.
Then wanted to go to the flounge before boarding. Is that possible?
Even if just a link to the previous thread on here would be appreciated - I don't know what to search for!
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If you take the shuttle as normal to T5B, use the lounge, and then go back down in the lift that you came up in, but pressing level -4, which IIRC is marked as staff only in the lift (but is available for passenger use). You can then walk back along the tunnel to T5A.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Genius1
If you take the shuttle as normal to T5B, use the lounge, and then go back down in the lift that you came up in, but pressing level -4, which IIRC is marked as staff only in the lift (but is available for passenger use). You can then walk back along the tunnel to T5A.
As this has public access I assume it's not the baggage handling system tunnel as it had a walkway beside it when I walked throught it years ago.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Genius1
If you take the shuttle as normal to T5B, use the lounge, and then go back down in the lift that you came up in, but pressing level -4, which IIRC is marked as staff only in the lift (but is available for passenger use). You can then walk back along the tunnel to T5A.
Thanks Genius1 -
sounds a perfect route, but now with the lounge at T5B to use, in addition to the Flounge, and maybe even CCR (our op-ups have been good lately) we are gonna be a few pounds heavier no doubt before getting on the plane! But the walk through the tunnel will do us good!
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The tunnel is the passenger walkway below track transit level. It is for public use when the transit is non-operational or for buggies. It is wholly airside, and completely separate from the baggage system and track transit system, which have separate tunnels.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crazyarmadillo
Hello - feeling bored today, so thinking about one of our upcoming trips, where we are going to be stuck at T5 for 5 hours. With time to spare I thought I'd explore more of the terminal than just the Flounge bar.
So we shall go to T5B lounge first for a bite to eat and a bevvie (never been there before).
Then onwards to that 'tunnel' that I have read about on here - I cant remember exactly where the tunnel starts, stops or what it is for, but hey, it sounded tempting to explore.... sad I know, but ..... great explorers have to start somewhere.
Then wanted to go to the flounge before boarding. Is that possible?
Even if just a link to the previous thread on here would be appreciated - I don't know what to search for!
I really would not bother walking down the tunnel, it is very boring and long and slightly uphill!!
If you go down to B gates, it is hard to get back to A Gates without getting help from the security staff. You probably can bypass needing their help by going back up the outbound tunnel ( as opposed to the tunnel that leads to Immigration) but as I said, it is very boring. I definitely would not recommend it.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Littlegirl
If you go down to B gates, it is hard to get back to A Gates without getting help from the security staff.
It's quite easy - when in T5B at Departures level, simply take the lift down to Level -4, which is the passenger walkway back to T5A Departures or to T5C Departures in the other direction.
Alternatively, take the lift to Level -2, which is the track transit level, and then go down the stairs behind the lift to Level -4, which is the passenger walkway.
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Every time I go to T5B or T5C I have asked myself the same question but have never had enough time to answer it properly : What exactly is the operating sequence of the A-B-C shuttle, and how are departing, arriving and transit pax treated?
I am assuming that
- the shuttles go A-B-C-B-A-B-C etc stopping at each point, and at all three stations, boarding pax join the shuttles from the central platform between the two tracks, and leave the shuttles from the outer platforms
- you board the shuttle at A from Departures, but board the shuttle at B or C as an arriving pax
- if you leave the shuttle at B or C you are directly in Departures, but if you leave the shuttle at A you are in Arrivals and have to go through immigration or flight connections
Is that right?
So to get back from B Departures to A Departures you have to use the tunnel in order to avoid being in A Arrivals. Is the same true if you want to get from C Departures to B Departures (for whatever reason - saying goodbye to someone leaving from C and then leaving yourself from B) - presumably you can't board the shuttle from C Departures?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kanderson1965
I doubt if there would be a land side tunnel as it would have nowhere to go, T5B and T5C are totally airside aren't they?
In this case, I think landside refers to arriving flights that have not cleared immigration or DfT security checkpoints. So not really landside, but not authorised to mingle with airside pax.
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In this case, I think landside refers to arriving flights that have not cleared immigration or DfT security checkpoints. So not really landside, but not authorised to mingle with airside pax.
Indeed. So how do buggies with "dirty passengers"" get from t5c o t5a without mingling with buggies with "clean passengers"?
Thanks Genius1 - 
