CoHiba Gent

Good Day All.

As an LHR novice I would be appreciative of any advice and information those more experienced could provide.

We are on VS J JFK - LHR (6:45am Arrival T3) departing BA Y LHR - JTR (10:10am T5). I'm somewhat confident VS will ticket the bags through as they have done in the past as a J passenger.

Given we have a three hour layover we would like to use the VS arrivals lounge to freshen up. I'm assuming we will have time, but unsure due to my unfamiliarity with the LHR connection/immigration methods.

Could someone take a few minutes and provide their thoughts as to our use of the arrivals lounge and then most efficient method of transferring T3 to T5. We are trying to gauge the amount of time we will have in the lounge and allocate for transfer. I believe we will have Fast Track on arrivals in T3, but not sure if we will need to que again making the transfer to T5 airside. Any assistance and clarity would be most appreciative.

Many thanks,

Andrew

ajeleonard

You may have time for a short visit to the arrivals lounge if immigration is quick. Note it's nothing special.

Afterwards walk to the Heathrow Express (10 mins) and take it free to T5 (5mins plus wait). You must scan your boarding pass to enter T5 security at least 35 minutes before your flight.

CoHiba Gent

Thank you.

We would like shower and get breakfast.


This is where my confusion comes in. Will we need to clear immigration regardless if we were airside or landside (using lounge)?

Once we transit using the Heathrow Express it sounds like we will need to clear security again at T5, but will we need to clear immigration again?

Any idea at those times what immigration and security in T3 and T5 will likely be?

Many thanks,

Andrew

stuart_f

Have a look at the flight connections guide over on the BA forum. Specifically post #9 http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...l#post25935784

If you want to go to the arrivals lounge you need to follow option 1 in the guide - clear immigration in T3 (arrivals is next to the car park land-side) use it, travel to T5 then re-clear security there. You will also have to do this if they don't through-check your bags.

Option 2 is faster and easier but you miss out the arrivals lounge.

I'd be pretty confident that you have time for breakfast. Showers should be possible but if the wait for one is very long you might have to be prepared to miss out.

CoHiba Gent

Great information and thank you!

I feel like LHR transfers should have its own Forum.

stuart_f

Yes, Karfa and c-w-s's guide is really excellent.

UKtravelbear

You will clear immigration at T3 but will reclear security in T5.

If you transfer airside directly to T5 from T3 there is a passport check but not immigration and there will be a security check

Is your BA flight on the same PNR as the VS flight? If not then VS are under no obligation to tag your bags through in which case you will need to go through T3 immigration collect them and clear customs and take them yourself to T5.

I've heard reports of several airlines that refuse to tag bags through when the next flight is not on the same PNR or if not on an airline of the same alliance.

chriscus

Virgin Atlantic is not longer checking bags through to their final destinations unless the are on the same PNR. BA will not be and many other will not. Sort of sucks if you are using London as the main entry point into Europe but not staying in the UK.

Guy Betsy

So OP will need to exit thru normal immigration, collect bags and then take Heathrow Express to Terminal 5 and then check in with BA from there. The reverse is also the same. BA will not check your bags to VS if they are on separate tickets.

If you are on one ticket, then upon arrival in LHR, you follow the route to Flight Connections and you will clear UK immigration there - NOT at the normal immigration counters. You will then go through security and then bussed to T5. You will not be able to access the Virgin Arrivals Lounge.

UKtravelbear

You need to be careful saying things like "BA will not be ..." ( on the same PNR) because it is perfectly possible for them to be on the same PNR

It depends on the trip you bought and I know of dozens of people who connect from VS to BA and many other airlines ( and vice versa) with no problems because their trips are on the same PNR. I've even done it myself with no issues at all.

Another example is a friend who flew LGW to MCO via JFK. The TATL was on VS and the internal on west jet. Their bags were interlined because it was on the same PNR. Other friends did the same journey but on separate tickets and VS wouldn't interline to MCO and nor would Westjet interline to LGW on the return


It is possible that the OPs trip is on the same PNR they just haven't said so it's not wise to infer anything.

DangerM55

I did this connection a few weeks ago (albeit not with Virgin) and it was fairly painless. That said... If you're travelling in J on the BA portion of the flight why not collect your bags (if they're not checked all the way through), then shower in the BA lounge in T5? I found the facilities were pretty good, and at least that way you're safer if there are any unexpected delays before you get to the T5 IDL...