MIAFlyer

Hi - Multiple questions here...
I (AA-PLT) am flying MIA-LHR-GVA in business using miles, with a 4 hour layover in LHR from about 1pm to 5pm. The MIA-LHR segment is on AA, the LHR-GVA segment is on BA. I know I should be able to access both the Admiral's Club and BA's lounge.

Questions:
1 - Which is better?
2 - I will really need a shower, I know the AC has them, does the BA lounge?
3 - Will I have to clear customs/immigration in LHR, or can you stay "in transit" and access the lounges?

Related Question:
My wife (AA-GLD) and also on a miles/business class ticket will do the same flights a few days later. She is 6 months pregnant, so the drinks/wine selection at either club won't be of interest to her. Would your lounge recommendations change?

Second related question:
We will overnight at LHR on the way home. We arrive at 8pm and depart at 7am. Has anyone stayed at the Hilton that is supposedly in the airport? How about the hotels that are on the perimeter? Any one of them stand out? They all appear in the 80-100 pound range. I have Hilton Gold and Mariott Silver as far as potential upgrades go.

Thanks!!

martin33

You are going to be changing terminals, so given that you've got four hours, and you need a shower, I would suggest clearing customs and partaking of the AA Arrivals Lounge (which is not the AC; it's for all Business/First arriving AA passengers). After you exit customs, take a sharp right and basically double-back. Take the elevator up one level and the Lounge is across the hallway. Show your boarding pass and passport and you will be given a shower.

Hang out there for an hour or two then head over to the Terminal 1 flight. The BA biz lounge over there has broadband internet access.



[This message has been edited by martin33 (edited 10-27-2002).]

ElmhurstNick

If you don't want to clear customs, the BA lounge in T1 also has showers. That's where I always go to clean up when I connect at LHR.

becket5

You should also be aware that as an arriving international passenger you would not be allowed into the Admirals Club which is airside and for departing passengers only (it's a UK regulation hence the need for arrivals lounges).
The Hilton at T4 is fine and has the advantage of direct access to the train to terminals 1,2and 3 which is free for that segment. The other airport hotels offer bus services to the terminals but they are less frequent. The Hilton will probably be a bit more expensive than most others though.

MIAFlyer

Thanks guys, sounds like the Hilton is a go. Indeed, it is 98 pounds (I can't make the funny "L" shape on my computer) vs. 80 for the other Heathrow hotels. If I were by myself I would be too cheap and stay off site, but with my wife (and her pregnancy) I will just stay on site.

Not sure I understand the arrivals lounge vs. clearing customs and immigration. I understand I should be able to access the arrivals lounge upon arrival, then what? Do I have to go though customs and/or immigration to get to the BA T1 lounge? Can I just go directly to the T1 lounge? Funny, over the last 7 years, I have visited nearly every country in Latin America, but I have never been an "in transit" passenger. Thanks for the feedback...

Efrem

In this case the poster is also departing on a oneWorld airline - connecting at LHR, not just arriving, and therefore with no need to clear customs at all, though four hours is ample time to do so if he wants to. That ought to give him AC access, though I would personally go to the BA lounge in T1.

From the Hilton you have about a ten-minute walk to the trains, an average 7.5 minute wait to the next train (they run every 15 minutes), a 5-minute train ride, and a walk back up to the departure level: say 25 minutes average to any of T1-2-3, with perhaps more walking than someone 6+ months pregnant might choose. That's not much shorter than the average Hotel Hoppa wait+ride. And the higher cost of the Hilton, unless you get a great rate or value Hilton points a lot, will outweigh the Hoppa fare. Personally, of the two you mentioned, I'd pick the Marriott - or go for the lowest rate, since you won't have time for much besides sleep anyhow.

AA since 85

FYI - to make the 'funny L shape,' you can hold down the ALT key and type 0163 on the number keypad. You get the '£' sign.

ALT 0162 gives you ¢
ALT 0165 gives you ¥

My 2¢

hillrider

And Alt-0128 gives you €

kanebear

[Edited... I really need to learn to read! ]

[This message has been edited by kanebear (edited 10-28-2002).]

ratnamg

You have to use the num lock key pad. Wont work with the regular number keys

askworldtraveler

arriving on AA - just as you exit customs - take the elevator up one level to ths 'arrivals' lounge with your business class ticket will get you in. Excellent showers and good breakfast.

I often stay at the Hilton - but sometimes take a taxi from the Hilton to AA terminal - between the walk, train, walk, being dropped off right in front of the F/J checkin (right hand side of curb - I'm having a senior moment and the name excapes me - only used it 5-10 times a year...).... is fantastic.

bedelman

Park Avenue

martin33

The arrival lounges are landside--outside customs; the airside lounges are for departures only-- inside security.

You cannot walk directly off the plane and use the AC or FL or other "departure" lounges-- you must first visit the Transit desk and be re-certified as a departing passenger and then re-clear security [as if you had popped back to the shopping area]...

I would still say the Arrivals Lounge is your best bet-- it has dozens of showers so there will be one almost surely open for you.
Spend two hours in the T3 landside and then pop over to T1 and hit the better bar over there...

MoonPet

Not having been pregnant, I would suggest that upon arrival your wife make her way to the BA lounge in T1. Maybe special services can provide her with an escort, as she is traveling in J class and LHR can be a lot of walking. Once settling in at the BA lounge she can have a shower or put her feet up in the sleeping area with the oversized lounge chairs.

Enjoy!

BarryO

The BA lounge would be her best best. Pregnant women seem to get hungry alot (not surprising), and the BA lounge has a good selection of food: cereals and pastries in the morning, and sandwiches in the afternoon. The AC doesn't have anything other than the usual cheese and crackers.