Originally Posted by Hyperacusis

If you want to shower, use the AA lounge and then change to T5. If you don't want to shower, head straight to T5.

Originally Posted by elitetraveler

BA T5 lounges have showers. Why are you suggesting go to the AA Lounge?

Originally Posted by Hyperacusis

I find that the AA lounge showers tend to be larger, nicer, and in general less busy.

Originally Posted by dawheat

Great info in this thread, unfortunately due to some booking conditions, I had to book separate flights on VS and BA, connecting in LHR.

Any gut feeling on whether this will be doable - having to go landside and re-check in both ways since neither airline will interline bags on separate tickets (will still try to ask the desk agent each time but not expecting anything).

Any other tips or requests to try to speed it up (ask for some urgent tag on bags, sign up for Fast Track somehow ( US citizen))?


Flight 1: Wed at end of Sept, VS flight arriving 11am in T3
BA departing 2:15pm from T5

Flight 2: Sat in mid-Oct BA arriving at 9AM
VS departing 11:30AM

Thanks

Originally Posted by elitetraveler

Is this the AA Arrivals lounge or the AC you are talking about.

Originally Posted by elitetraveler

At T5 (Main Lounge Pavilion) I have never had more than a 5-10 minute wait for the showers. At 5B it generally seems empty and have never waited. I do agree the prefab showers in the main T5 are less than impressive. 5B seem nicer as I recall.

However, if one uses the AArivals lounge at T3 they then have to go landside to T5. Not sure how convenient that ends up being.

Originally Posted by Hyperacusis

The AA Arrivals lounge, since that is what the OP asked about.




Ah - you may be right about 5B. I have never showered there. But getting back to 5A from 5B is a pain, and the OP would not know where his flight departs from until a few hours before the flight. And the AA Arrivals showers are great, and there are so many of them that there is never a wait.

I find that getting landside at T3 and then switching to T5 is not significantly slower than doing it airside. FastTrack immigration is usually very quick, and changing terminals on the HEx is as fast as doing it on the bus. You end up eventually joining the same security line at T5 anyhow. In fact you may have the option of T5 South FastTrack if you go landside, which can often be less busy.

Originally Posted by TheFlyingFoodie

If you end up having to go landside take a taxi between terminals. I've done this before and it is much faster than the bus BUT tip the driver 20 GBP (or more if they're particularily friendly) since they were likely hoping for a fare into the city. Of course, if you don't have to go landside that's a different story.

P.S. Welcome dawheat. You may hold the record for longest lurker! Oct 2006 to July 2010 first post ^

Originally Posted by m_abbott

I'm arriving in T3 on AA 100 from JFK, connecting to BA to CPH out of T5. 3:30 connection time. This will be mi first time on LHR. Do I have to go to T5 landside or airside?? And on my way back to JFK from CPH do I have to check in on AA counter or BA??

PS: if I only have J ticket for my JFK-LHR flight could I still use the arrival lounge BA or AA lounge???

Originally Posted by elitetraveler

1. You can go airside via a transfer bus from T3 to T5

2. In CPH you will check in with BA. Assuming both tickets are in the same record BA in CPH can give you your LHR-JFK AA bp. If not you will go to the AA transit desk at T3 - again all airside.

3. If you transfer directly to T5 you can use the BA J lounge as a OW Sapphire. There are two J lounges in the main building and one in 5B, but you would only go there if your flight to CPH departs from a B gate. The T5 BA J lounges have shower facilities so no need to go landside. Make sure you have your AA Plat card as BA requires it and your BP for lounge entry. You will also have access to a BA lounge departing CPH on your return.

Originally Posted by Hyperacusis

There are two ways to connect from T5 to T3.

Airside: You don't clear immigration. Follow the signs to Flight Connections, and you will take a shuttle bus to T3. I have actually never used this route so I'm not sure if there is a Fast Track line at FC, but if there is, you should be able to use it based on the J boarding pass from BA.

Landside: Instead of going to flight connections, go to the arrivals area and clear immigration. Clearing immigration takes you "landside". I always do this, but only because I typically have enough time to meet a few friends near the airport. This is a longer process as you will clear immigration (there is a Fast Track line which is usually very quick), need to take an underground train (shared with the Heathrow Express) to transfer to T3, and reclear security at T3.

The landside method CAN be faster, depending on how bad the lines at FC are.

FYI "J" refers to business class, which you indicated you will be travelling on, in your original post.