Hmmm , good point that's a possibility I haven't thought of. Is there a way to store Hand baggage at the lounge so we would not have are carry around?

Can't you get a seat on BA in PE? If you book through BA, you might be able to get more EQD that way too ;) (worth checking into at least).
Even a T5 to T5 connection in an hour might be tight. I had one last Sep with 1:15; I made it, but with little time to spare. At least with a connection that tight, you should be able to use the, "express," security at T5B or T5C. Check the monitors and see where your outgoing leaves from, and go directly to those, if it applies.

I've used this for luggage storage at LHR when I had a long connection a few years ago:
https://www.heathrow.com/airport-gui...s/left-baggage

The prices seem about the same as what I remember. It is a bit steep...

I agree I can't see the OP shouldn't also get premium economy if rebooking on to a BA flight.

Where are you going on these connections aztimm? :p

Just to clarify, the connections centre in T5B and C are available if you arrive in to B/C and your onward flight is already showing as departing from B and C. These connection centres in the satellite buildings are not used very much so tend to be fairly quick. However, short haul can often depart from A though (the OP is going to BLL I believe) so may have to go to flight connections in T5A. There is lots of information on connecting at T5 in the guide on the BAEC board, see the link in my signature.

It's about £10 for a few hours for one bag I seem to remember from when I last used it. The left luggage is in T5 on the ground floor at the north end opposite Giraffe. If the OP decides to go out then when you exit to landside at T5 turn right and it is about 50m along on your right.

Alternatively if taking the HEX in to central London there is a left luggage at Paddington.

Perhaps the OP has complimentary PE on AA if this is before the June date when PE is officially being sold on the 77W? If that's the case, the OP purchased Y and won't be entitled to W on BA.

To answer the original question, it's definitely taken me longer than 90 minutes to make the connection on numerous occasions at LHR, so I no longer book an itinerary with less than a 2 hour connection.

Quick connection T5 to T3 LHR ques. (to merge)
 

I flew on BA from ZRH to LHR (today) arriving in T5 (satellite area). I deplaned at 2:15 pm. Following the "connection" signs there was an agent (AA?) posted at one spot, she asked "are you flying to New York?", I replied yes, in bc, she directed me to a T3 bus stop, within 2 minutes a bus arrived, 9 minutes later I was in T3, via Fast Track I cleared security and was in T3 Flagship lounge by 2:45 pm.
The T5 to T3 bus had 6 pax (usually packed on T3 to T5). If I were only in Y shouldn't I still have access to the bus?
After clearing security I noted Delta had a special security area with lots of agents, AA has no presence in that area:confused:
[A year or two ago I connected T5 to T5, I had to take a train (within T5) and with huge amounts of walking, it took over 90 minutes to make my collection.]

Transferring BA T5 ->> AA T3 today.

Only hand luggage, BA Gold/OWE card. Don't have my AA boarding pass yet as BA OLCI is unable to manage onward check-in on AA flights. 2h30 mins connecting time.

I understand that I can get my AA boarding pass and do the US "questions" already at T5. Security will then be at T3. Is there a fast lane at T3 transfer security for OWE or Business class pax? Otherwise, how crowded is the T3 security usually?

I wonder whether going landside at T5, checking in at T3 and using the fast lane at security there isn't an option which may not be much faster, but instead of standing in line I at least do some walking.

What are people's experience with T5 ->> T3 transfers?

What exactly is your question?

All passengers transferring from T5 to T3 (and vice-versa) have access to the terminal transfer buses, irrespective of cabin or FF status.

So?
Yes, everyone transiting from T5 to T5 has access to the bus

You'll arrive at one of T5 satellites, take the train to the main terminal and transfer immediately to T3 by bus. As soon as you get to T3, before security, there are AA desks where you can get your boarding pass. And yes, you have fast lane at security. Enjoy the Qantas new lounge - it's beautiful! And prepare to walk from the lounges to the AA gates ...

There are two imbedded questions: was the agent who directed me to the bus from AA (since she specifically asked about New York)? Why does Delta have a SECURITY CHECK {after clearing T3 security) area (as well as a few other airlines) but not AA?
[At the gate for my AA107 to JFK, an agent had a paper with 10 (or so) names on it, those pax were diverted to a special table: those pax were swabbed, patted, carry-on luggage inspected; except for those pre-selected pax, NO security questions were asked.]

This question just came up in the BA forum yesterday:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...-staff-t5.html

That's because of a asymmetry between the numbers transferring between the two terminals - more people will be connecting T3 to T5 than vice versa.

IIRC that's because AA has it's desks and staff before the security screening area (you get off the bus walk down a corridor and AA is to the left and securuty up and to the right) hence that's where the AA staff are.

You must have got very lost or walked very slowly then for it to take that long.

My question is why you didn't go to the CX F Lounge in T3 rather than the AA FS Lounge? :p

Robust thread here too. Might find useful info.
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...onnection.html

I don't understand. At some point, don't the passengers on the full bus need to go back in the other direction?
I believe I have just as many trips from T3 to T5 as I have done from T5 to T3.

If your destination is in the UK, you would clear immigration, and not have access to the bus, as you use it for connections to other countries without clearing immigration (migration...or whatever they call it)

Come again? :confused:

Why would a passenger who has gone from T5 to T3 to need to go back to T5? They would be flyign out from T3.

What I am saying is that overall more passengers transfer from T3 to T5 than T5 to T3 hence the difference in how busy the buses are. Just because your trips are fairly even does not mean everyone elses are.

There are a few treads noting that pax had to "fight tooth and nail:rolleyes:" to gain access to CX, also there are posts noting that CX lounge could be VERY crowded at peak times, After clearing T3 security the first lounge (area H) I got to was AA FL!

I was there last week and the bus did not stop at T5B, though it was announced that it would.

because, if I am flying American and connecting at lhr to a British Airways flight, I will need to transfer from T3 to T5. When I return, I will need to transfer from T5 to T3.

as such, the numbers are going to be pretty equal

Most people tend to fly back the same way they came.
So, when flying in one direction they would go from T5 to T3. When returning they would most often go T3 to T5, correct?
That is, if I fly JFK to LHR to DME, Then, on the way back, I would go DME to LHR to JFK.........
The usual pattern when you go on a trip is to return to your origination point at the conclusion

In my case I flew AA64 non-stop JFK to ZRH (and returned BA ZRH-LHR, AA LHR-JFK); AA64's turnaround 65 does not run everyday. Later this year AA64/65 are being removed; based on long/short connection times, for future trips to zrh,, the optimal routings will be jfk-lhr-zrh and zrh-phl-jfk.

Thanks for clarifying!

In my post #525 , I omitted that a FA did announce on the PA: "we are landing in satellite area B, if you are connecting to other terminals you will have to go down 2 levels and take the train (within T5)". I was pleasantly surprised when an agent (after learning that I was connecting to New York and in business class) directed me to the T5B bus area (a few feet away)--the bus arrived in less than 2 min. This speeded up my T5 to T3 connection.

First time flying through LHR so forgive the noob-ness. I booked a J award on AA metal last year during those random rare times when AA has award space available. A few months later, I decided that I wanted to start exploring in Edinburgh first so I booked a separate BA award from LHR to EDI to self connect after I land. Should have done research about connecting first, I know, but long story short, I'm flying in from LAX with a published arrival time of 1205 on a Tuesday into T3 and my separate BA award departs at 1355 from T5, leaving a connection time of 1 hr 50 mins. I believe since my tickets are on different PNRs AA will not interline my luggage to BA. Because of that, I assume that I can't use the purple terminal transfer buses and will have to go through customs in T3, collect my bag, take the Heathrow Express to T5, and re-check my bag at the BA counter. I know it's tight but will that be enough time if everything goes smoothly? Does BA just put me on the next flight if I miss mine? I don't have status with AA so changing the destination on my original award would be $150 and I'm trying to avoid that. Thanks!

First, 1:50 is nowhere near enough connection time for passport --> customs --> Heathrow Express --> checkin --> Security --> gate

Second, I don't know if BA honors the flat tire rule (if so, they'd call it the Flat Tyre Rule), but I imagine they'd put you on the next available flight.

Third, chances are fairly high, for an afternoon flight at Heathrow, that your outgoing flight is delayed anyway.

If it were me, I'd try really hard to contact BA BEFORE departure time and explain that you're held up in the bowels of Heathrow.

Get ready to hustle... One saving grace is that since you're flying J inbound to LHR, you'll be able to access the "Fast Track" immigration line, so beating other people there will be helpful. Always an open question is how long does it take to get your luggage delivered off the flight, but when it does, the LHR staff usually get priority bags off earlier than the regular ones. Unless you get randomly stopped, customs is a non-factor. Double check your EDI departing gate before getting to T5, since last hour changes are not unheard of.

Of course, not checking your luggage would be the best plan, but I'm assuming you've ruled that out already.

You should read up about conformance in T5 (try the BA forum here) as you must be through security 45 minutes (I think) before your flight or they will cancel it. Bag check must be an earlier cutoff I presume, but I avoid checking bags so am not sure. But if the bag cut off is 60 minutes, then your connecting time is down to 50 minutes. Domestic flights (e.g. EDI) may have a lower conformance and bag cut off time possibly - the BA forum will have the details, as should BA or Heathrow's website.

BA are not renowned for generously applying the flat tire rule - their description clearly states that it must be an unpredictable event outside of your control – I'm not sure your situation would count as that.

BA will not just put you on the next flight. Well they will if you pay them the change and other fees. As far as they are concerned you missed your flight.

You would be better off trying to move your EDI flight now to a later time.

Short Haul bag drop is 45 minutes and you must have entered security by 35 mins before departure (to achieve the conformance and it is the same for domestic as well as international) and be at the gate 20 mins before departure.

Changing the award to a later flight, assuming an award seat is available, is free. If there’s not, you have a challenge - buying a walk-up ticket and paying $150 to redeposit the miles (or abandon them). I’m quite familiar with LHR and wouldn’t book a T3 <-> T5 connection under three hours; with separate ticketing and checked baggage such as yours, 5 or 6 hours.

Your only other easy option, IMO, is to ditch the checked baggage and travel with an acceptable rollaboard and personal item. You’ll still make it, assuming ontime arrival, but you’ll be able to use airside Flight Connections and avoid going landslide.

Hi berkeleysquirrel. Firstly this is a well timed question as I have just finished off revising the T5 connection guide on the BA board so it is up to date. It is mostly focused on arriving at T5 and connecting onwards, but there is a section on arriving at T2/3/4 and connecting to a T5 flight - see post 9.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...ng-lhr-t5.html

I think for 1hr 50mins you have a very tight connection and I see the chances of you making it at possibly 50/50 at best. MCT between T3 and T5 is 1hr 30mins. However, in your case MCT is irrelevant as you are on two separate tickets and it is more about risk management and how long you leave between the flights so you are comfortable you will make it in most cases. I am not sure I would go as far as the 5-6 hrs noted by JDiver, but certainly 1hr 50mins is too low and I would have suggested maybe 2.5 or 3 hrs minimum.

Also the problem for you is that as you have a bag which is not checked through you have to go through immigration at T3 (I emphasise the comment above that you really need to get a fast track voucher) and wait to collect your bag before taking a landside connection to T5. That is going to take significantly longer than if you had been able to take the airside connection buses.

Your path to T5 is going to be walk from your gate to immigration (that may take nearly 10 minutes as distances are quite long from some), though immigration which for a non-EU passport holder may take a while even with a fast track voucher, wait for your bag (i don't know how quick they are at T3), then go for either the Heathrow Express or tube to T5. The tube service interval is between 8-12 minutes and HEX is every 15 minutes. The tube requires a card to check in and out and this can be either an oyster card or contactless credit/debit card although I think US cards sometimes don't work. Even though you check in and out for inter-terminal transfers you will not be charged as they are free. The HEX requires no cards to use and is also free between terminals. The HEX station is much close to T3 arrivals but the HEX is less frequent and departs from the central station for T5 at 10/25/40/55 past the hour. Once you get to T5 get the lift as that will take you all the way up to departures floor to re-check your bag.

Domestic flights from T5 can only leave from certain gates due to the need for the biometric facial recognition equipment - your photo is taken just before entering security and then matched at the gate on boarding, you do not need to show your passport at the gate. The domestic gates are only in T5A so you won't have far to go from security to the gate. Only A1-A3, A5-A9, A11, A19, A22, and A23 are domestic gates, or A4 or A10a if being bussed.

Your time limits for your BA EDI flight are bag drop at T5 (you should be able to check in on the BA app from 24 hrs before the flight) and conformance. I understand bag drop is 45 minutes before your flight at T5 according to this thread - I must admit I thought it was an hour and MMB for one of my domestic flights from T5 says an hour). T5 also operates a system called conformance which means you need to be marked as ‘Ready to Fly’ at 35 minutes before your flight (this can occasionally be less for some connections but as you are not "connecting" it will be 35 minutes for you). If you do not meet conformance you will very likely be denied to travel. You are marked as ‘Ready to Fly’ and deemed to meet conformance when you first have your boarding pass checked at the entry gates on the departures floor for north/south security. I think if everything noted above went fine and immigration and bag pick up were very prompt you should be ok. But I think any delay in arrival, immigration or bag delivery is very quickly going to make this undoable.

As you are connecting on to a domestic flight you would have had to do immigration anyway at some point and normally you would have done this at T5 after arriving off the airside bus. As you have a bag to collect you would now do immigration at T3.

The consequence of you missing your LHR-EDI as you are on two separate tickets is that BA will not simply put you on the next EDI flight free of charge. You would be required to buy a new ticket on a later flight. Now it is possible that you would be very lucky the BA agent may take pity on you and may rebook you free of charge, but I think this is going to be very unlikely.

Others have mentioned the BA "flat tyre rule" which is here btw:

https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...ns-of-carriage

Events beyond your control is defined as "unusual and unforeseeable circumstances which you cannot control and the consequences of which you could not have avoided even if you had taken all due care."

The flat tyre rule has absolutely no relevance to your scenario unless there is some complete catastrophe at LHR which results in some substantial delays to all flights arriving in which case you would probably get lucky and be rebooked. If you miss the cut off for your flight due to typical 10-15 minute delays for normal mundane reasons I don't see how you would have any ability to invoke this rule - you chose to book such a tight connection after all so it's not like you tried hard to avoid the situation to start with.

Overall I would say that I would probably risk this if I had no checked bags or the bags would have been checked through and I could therefore use the airside bus since there would be significantly much more room for most delays. I actually did a T5-T3 connection and a T3-T% connection the weekend just gone and I think my times from stepping off at one terminal to getting through security at the other were around 30-40 minutes. If I was in your scenario nad had a non-EU passport and had a bag to collect so had to go landside I would be quite uncomfortable about booking it.

I really would recommend you look at options of either changing to a later EDI flight (there should be quite a few after the one you booked as it is a frequent service). Alternatively I would see if you can change your exiting LAX-LHR reward to add in your LHR-EDI flight so it is on one ticket, this would mean your bag would be checked through and you could use the airside bus between T3 and T5, and even if you were delayed and missed your LHR-EDI flight you would be protected and simply rebooked on a later flight at no cost. I am afraid I am not an expert on AA reward bookings so can't advise on either, but note JDiver's comments above which may help.

Agree that BA is very inflexible when you miss a flight.
My husband was connecting LHR-GLA (same ticket), stayed a few minutes too long in the lounge, and then went to the wrong gate. There was an earlier delayed GLA flight that he went to instead -- easy enough mistake when you're jetlagged. A couple other pax did the same. No pity from BA - had to buy a new ticket and since it was the last flight of the evening, had to pay for a hotel.

Also agree that you're probably 50/50 on the connection. Everything has to go well, including timing of the HEX. I would strong advise you to avoid checking a bag. That probably increases the likelihood of success to 90%+. (1h30m is usually plenty when you can take the airside bus).

I would add that if the AA flight from LHR is delayed, I *think* their policy is to protect you for travel on other OneWorld carriers, even if it's ticketed separately (and even though they won't check bags through). If so, this all might be moot. Am I wrong on this?

My wife and I will be arriving into LHR T-3 on AA 106 from JFK, on February 15, at 7:50 AM. We are then scheduled to connect with BA 450 to PMI (Palma) at 10:15 AM. We will be travelling in J and are on the same PNR. It appears that the MCT for connecting to T-5 for our connection is 1:30.

I will be appreciative if someone would let me know if there are any potential pitfalls here, based on AA 106 arriving as scheduled.

Also, our PNR covers four flights (AVL/CLT/JFK/LHR/PMI), with the first three being on AA. We will each need to check one bag, and I would like to confirm that we will be able to check the baggage through to PMI, when we check-in at AVL. Will we also be able to obtain boarding passes for all flights in AVL? The scheduled elapsed time between our departure from AVL to the departure time for BA 450 will be well < 24 hours.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Yes, MCT is 1.5hrs for your connection at LHR so you are well over that. You follow the signs for flight connections T2/4/5 and when you get to the airside buses take the one for T5. There will be no immigration to do at any point. When you get to T5 you follow the signs for international connections and then up to security. As you are in J, in T5 you can use the Galleries Club lounges, there is one each end of T5A, and another in T5B. There are showers for each of the Galleries Club lounges if you want to freshen up a bit. Have a look at the guide for T5 connections, there is a section on arriving at T2/3/4 and connecting to a T5 flight - see post 9, and also you can see the details of where you will go in T5.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...ng-lhr-t5.html

As this is one ticket AA should check your bag all the way through to PMI - there is no requirement for you to pick it up at LHR and it would be transferred from your AA flight to the BA LHR-PMI flight. I can't why AA wouldn't be able to issue all bps to PMI. However, if for some reason they can't issue the LHR-PMI bp it isn't critical. Your bag will still be checked through anyway, and all it will mean when you get to T5 you will need to stop off at a BA customer service desk in the flight connections centre to collect a bp. You do not need to show a bp when you board the airside buses at T3.

As an alternative should you wish to use the AA arrivals lounge you can go through immigration at T3 and use the lounge - get a fast track voucher from your AA flight so you can use the fast track immigration. When you have finished you can take the HEX or tube to T5, The tube service interval is between 8-12 minutes and HEX is every 15 minutes. The tube requires a card to check in and out and this can be either an oyster card or contactless credit/debit card although I think US cards sometimes don't work. Even though you check in and out for inter-terminal transfers you will not be charged as they are free. The HEX requires no cards to use and is also free between terminals. The HEX station is much close to T3 arrivals but the HEX is less frequent and departs from the central station for T5 at 10/25/40/55 past the hour. Once you get to T5 get the lift as that will take you all the way up to departures floor and go through security. North and south security both have fast track lanes but I find north fast track can be quieter. Make sure you get to security in T5 no later than 35 minutes before your flight - T5 operates a system called conformance which means you need to be marked as ‘Ready to Fly’ at 35 minutes before your flight and if you do not meet conformance you will very likely be denied to travel. You are marked as ‘Ready to Fly’ and deemed to meet conformance when you first have your boarding pass checked at the entry gates on the departures floor for north/south security. Going landside will not affect your bags being checked through.

Hope that helps

KARFA,

Thank you for such a comprehensive response.

Thanks everyone for the advice, and thanks KARFA for the very well detailed response! I'm just going to change my LHR-EDI flight to a later flight since the Avios change fees are minimal compared to changing the destination of the AA award, and now I know better for next time.