Originally Posted by
MileHigh
Last Tuesday morning (11 March) I arrived to T1 on BA 56 at about 6am from JNB and connected to AA 57 departing from T3.
Even though I had a FastTrack card from BA, I used the IRIS station at T1 (never experienced a line for IRIS), left the terminal and had a nice 7 minute walk to T3. When I arrived at the AA counter at T3, they confirmed my bags had been transferred.
I always avoid using the FCC.
Impossible to avoid FCC from T5 when it opens next week, and not so desirable from T4 these days -- so your comments are specific to T1/T3 transfers. By Sept there will be no Oneworld flights in T1, so it is getting to be a moot point. Also the walk is 7 minutes only if the walkways are working and you walk fast without too much to carry. Most people would consider T1 to T3 to be a 15 min walk (I agree with you about 7 min, but few would). Also the FastTrack pass is not for the FCC FastTrack, but only for immigration FastTrack. So going landside is just about the only way for a fast terminal transfer (sadly).
I guess it will be 2009 when the LHR terminal situation is sorted out and becomes nice(r). Expect sporadic (or not so sporadic) chaos until then. The new T5 is quite nice (as it should be, given the cost!).