FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Loungehopping LHR T5 and T3
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Old Feb 7, 2018, 8:05 am
  #4  
KARFA
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Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
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Originally Posted by Himeno
There is no airside transit at LHR.
Yes there is, and in fact the route you described to the OP going on the bus from T3 to T5 is a completely airside transfer. I think what you meant (and what you refer to in your post) is that there is segregation between arriving and departing passengers and you can't freely pass between the airside arriving and airside departures streams.

You need a boarding pass for that terminal to access the departure area for that terminal and the only way to transfer terminals is via the arrivals stream.
Not true for T3 actually. It is true for T5 though, you can't go in to the airside departures area in T5 without a bp for a T5 departing flight. There is a way for the OP to go in to the airside departures area in T3 and then exit to go to T5, but as the T3 lounges themselves may be likely to refuse access to someone not departing T3 I won't go in to details - although it's been mentioned before many times on the UK board and BAEC board.

at flight connections, you will get on a bus to T5 (and will need a T5 boarding pass to get on the bus)
You do not need to present any bp when getting on the airside buses - the first place the OP would need to show a bp is at flight connections in T5. In fact you can use this to your advantage so if arriving at T3 and it would be better for you to get to T5 (perhaps you are staying in the sofitel attached to T5 for example) you can can actually follow the signs for flight connections T2/3/4, get the airside bus to T5, and go through immigration at T5.

Anyway, I do agree with what you and others have advised overall, the OP should just follow the flight connections route to T5 and use the GF lounge there.

Last edited by KARFA; Feb 7, 2018 at 8:13 am
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