hikari133

I have an upcoming connecting flight that I have some questions/concerns about and I'm hoping to get some advice from any of you that have taken this flight or have similar experiences with connecting flights. This is a single ticket flight shared between Air New Zealand and Air France. My first flight is on Air France which departs from Paris CDG and lands in London Heathrow. Then I have a connecting flight on Air New Zealand to my final destination to Los Angeles LAX. The connection time at Heathrow is 2hr 30min. Is that enough time to make a connecting flight? Right now, I know I have to catch a shuttle from T4 to T2 which will take up some time. I'm not sure if my baggage will be checked through to LAX or will I have to pick it up at Heathrow and then drop it off again before I check in for my flight to LAX? Also, will I have to pass through customs or just a security check at Heathrow during my connection? I'm thinking that I shouldn't have to go through customs since London is not out of Europe yet in this transition period so I should not need to clear customs again from Paris to London. So per my calculation, I have a 2hr 30min connection time at London Heathrow to make a connecting flight that includes changing terminals, check-in and security check, barring any flight delays. Am I assuming correctly? Has anyone here flown on this exact flight or anyone can provide any similar experience with this type of connecting flight? I would appreciate any advice.

cavemanzk

Since it an single ticket 2.5hours should be plenty of time, I've recently do an 50minute connection in ZRH and it worked out pretty well.

With it being an single ticket, you bags should be tagged to LAX when departing CDG.

Have an look at this link it will explain the process for your connection.
http://www.heathrow.com/flight-connections

sbiddle

If Air NZ sold this ticket they'll consider the MCT (min connection time) to be perfectly adequate. Ultimately if you're on a single ticket and don't meet the connection it's their issue, not yours.

Out of curiosity is there a reason why you didn't just take a direct flight? Was this cheaper than direct options or are you wanting to specifically fly Air NZ?

ottiehund

I would think it will be fine, but my experience is CDG to LAX will be noticeably less expensive and more convenient than transit via LHR do shy bother? We did similar recently from FCO to SIN to CHC which was a noticeable saving in $ and time.

macdo

I had an unnerving experience travelling BA GVA-LHR and then onto NZ1.

Single ticket but the GVA agent couldn't/wouldn't check my bags all the way through, leaving me with an impossibly short time to do a lot at Heathrow which she optimistically said would be fine.

Anyway, a phone call to Tandem travel (it was a work trip) and it got sorted eventually. As I boarded for London I was told my bags were now checked all the way through and could relax. There was also a reassuring comment from the crew who reassured me my bags were aboard before NZ1 took off.

Kudos to Tandem and AirNZ on this one.

The lesson is, don't let your bags go on the conveyer without being sure they have tags all the way through. Or travel with carry-on only of course.

Kiwi Flyer

UK is not in the Schengen zone so you will clear immigration at CDG not at LHR.

Assuming a single ticket your bags will be through checked. So all you need to do at LHR is take the bus to transfer terminals, clear transit security, and at transfer desk pick up a boarding pass for NZ if you don't already have one (may be worth doing this even if have a boarding pass for NZ issued by Air France since otherwise you'll have to do this at the gate). 2h30 is plenty of time to do this (on a single ticket).

Kiwi Flyer

ZRH is a much smaller airport than LHR and even if changing terminals it only takes a few minutes. Whereas LHR T4 to T2 takes half an hour or more, not counting transit security queues.