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Transferring at LHR [Merged threads]

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Old Aug 16, 2006, 10:13 am
  #1  
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Join Date: Nov 2000
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Has anyone transfered at LHR recently?
I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has recently connected on a flight at LHR after arriving on UA. I have to do this soon and am hearing all kinds of rumors aboutwhat is possible or not -- is the Flight Connections Center open? what are security clearance time like? etc. If I am allowed to carry on a bag from SFO - LHR on UA, will I be able to transfer to BMI airside? Any recent experiences?
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Old Aug 16, 2006, 11:19 am
  #2  
Dub
 
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Bumping this to look for an answer to the OP. I have a BOS-IAD-LHR-ARN trip coming up in 2 weeks. Tried to reroute via FRA, but no luck. I will cancel unless things go back to normal at LHR....
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Old Aug 16, 2006, 1:44 pm
  #3  
 
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At least carry-ons are now allowed, even on flights to the US, but only one small one: http://web2.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=590058

Ditto the OP's question about the flight connection center - is it open? And if it is, what happens if you arrive there with a large carry-on? Would you be forced to go to the main check-in counter to check it in? And are the lines ridiculous as usual, or beyond ridiculous as usual?
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Old Aug 16, 2006, 2:39 pm
  #4  
 
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Originally Posted by snic
At least carry-ons are now allowed, even on flights to the US, but only one small one: http://web2.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=590058

Ditto the OP's question about the flight connection center - is it open? And if it is, what happens if you arrive there with a large carry-on? Would you be forced to go to the main check-in counter to check it in? And are the lines ridiculous as usual, or beyond ridiculous as usual?
I'm connecting through LHR next month and I've already resigned myself to carrying a bag that already meets the limitations - what's the point of hauling some big carry-on just to find your screwed when you get there?
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Old Aug 16, 2006, 3:52 pm
  #5  
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But there have been postings that suggest that even checked bags have to be claimed and re-checked at LHR landside. I've been asking for anyone who has caught a connection at LHR on the UA,BMi and BA forums and no responses. Unheard of for Flyertalk. I guess everyone is still standing in a line somewhere with laptops in their checked baggage?
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Old Aug 16, 2006, 4:11 pm
  #6  
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Originally Posted by 1k-all-the-way
But there have been postings that suggest that even checked bags have to be claimed and re-checked at LHR landside. I've been asking for anyone who has caught a connection at LHR on the UA,BMi and BA forums and no responses. Unheard of for Flyertalk. I guess everyone is still standing in a line somewhere with laptops in their checked baggage?
I've also been surprised at the lack of confirmation on this. The only place I ever saw mention of this was AC, and that part of the text is gone from their website as of this afternoon - I think it was a mistake. Still - some FTer must have traveled to LHR on UA with onward connections by now! Please send a report - did you need to claim and recheck your bags and what was the process??
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Old Aug 16, 2006, 4:15 pm
  #7  
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
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Originally Posted by milepig
I've also been surprised at the lack of confirmation on this. The only place I ever saw mention of this was AC, and that part of the text is gone from their website as of this afternoon - I think it was a mistake. Still - some FTer must have traveled to LHR on UA with onward connections by now! Please send a report - did you need to claim and recheck your bags and what was the process??
I'd like to know the same as I will be going through their shortly....

- ORDflyr
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Old Aug 16, 2006, 4:19 pm
  #8  
 
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Originally Posted by milepig
I've also been surprised at the lack of confirmation on this. The only place I ever saw mention of this was AC, and that part of the text is gone from their website as of this afternoon - I think it was a mistake. Still - some FTer must have traveled to LHR on UA with onward connections by now! Please send a report - did you need to claim and recheck your bags and what was the process??
My colleague had to change planes on Monday- his route was Fra - LHR - BOS. He made the mistake of carrying on his briefcase from FRA to LHR. After deplaning, he was required to check his brief case - the only way he could do that was to clear customs, go to the ticket counter and then re-enter the air-side. It took him nearly two hours. This was on Lufthansa.
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Old Aug 17, 2006, 8:23 am
  #9  
Dub
 
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UA 1K line is saying "no through checked baggage at LHR". So if I'm going to ARN on SK, connecting from UA, then it looks like I have to pick up the checked bag at LHR, do customs and immigration, exit T3, reenter T3, and re-check the bag with SK. Insane
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Old Aug 17, 2006, 9:17 am
  #10  
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Yes DUB this is what i think will happen too - at least for now. i have a 2 1/2 hour connection. I don't know but assume fast track immigration is open. I figure if clear fast track - 20 mins, wait for bag - another 20, walk to term 1 - i should arrive to check in at BMI (i don't have through ticket) maybe 70 minutes before my flight? I have no idea if under the circumstances this will work out. I hope BAA loses landing fees from each of us that decides that this is just nuts.
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Old Aug 17, 2006, 10:03 am
  #11  
 
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[QUOTE=1k-all-the-way I hope BAA loses landing fees from each of us that decides that this is just nuts.[/QUOTE]

And it is totally nuts. Doesn't it, in a way, INCREASE the risk of a terrorist attack, since the checked bag is going to be in an unsecure area for a while before the passenger re-checks it?

The one gleam of hope is that I can carry on my bag on the SFO-LHR flight, then check it in LHR for my onward connection, so at least I don't have to wait for my bag in LHR.
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Old Aug 17, 2006, 10:38 am
  #12  
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Originally Posted by snic
And it is totally nuts. Doesn't it, in a way, INCREASE the risk of a terrorist attack, since the checked bag is going to be in an unsecure area for a while before the passenger re-checks it?

The one gleam of hope is that I can carry on my bag on the SFO-LHR flight, then check it in LHR for my onward connection, so at least I don't have to wait for my bag in LHR.
Is this possible or are ex-USA flights subject to tiny carry on allocation too?
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Old Aug 17, 2006, 11:27 am
  #13  
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Originally Posted by Dub
UA 1K line is saying "no through checked baggage at LHR". So if I'm going to ARN on SK, connecting from UA, then it looks like I have to pick up the checked bag at LHR, do customs and immigration, exit T3, reenter T3, and re-check the bag with SK. Insane
This is interesting - the 1P line (actually I might have been routed to 1K) told me that I would NOT have to recheck. Also, I can't find this information on UA, on AA, on the BAA site or the Heathrow site. I would think someone would have made a point of it if it were true. I think the confusion might have to do with the fact that we DO need to check non-comforming carryon luggage. Still hoping for a first-hand report involving a checked bag..... I'm really hoping that my checked bags will stay checked next week and that the flight connections centre is up and running as usual. If we do need to recheck, what would be best when xfering to LH or BMI. I would assume stay outside security and get to T1/2 landside???
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Old Aug 17, 2006, 11:37 am
  #14  
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Under normal circumstances, if I have a immigratin fast track , which i usually do, i find exiting term 3 and tranferring to BMI or LH much faster LANDSIDE. I assume immigration is the same wait since August rules, and IF the trasfer center is open it must be a nightmare - since it borders nthat under regular circumstances.

Still interesting to me how no one who has done this has posted here or on BMI or BA forums. Doesn't bode well i suspect.
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Old Aug 17, 2006, 11:54 am
  #15  
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Originally Posted by 1k-all-the-way
Still interesting to me how no one who has done this has posted here or on BMI or BA forums. Doesn't bode well i suspect.
Or for that matter, in Travel and Security as far as I can tell. Perhaps everone is still in line at the connections centre or their laptops were crushed by the LHR baggage gorillas!
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