Maybe Chase has some severe limitations, but usually it is cheaper to return from Europe than from London.

For the dates you mentioned I am seeing $800 (Y), $1500 (PEY) and $3800 (J) for LAX-LHR & IBZ-LAX. Just doing LAX-LHR seems to be $600, $1600 and $4000 respectively. I don't seen AA or BA requiring a $1000 upcharge.

If you're using Chase UR points then you may not be able to get these fares, but you should know all your options first :) Also, be aware that Chase (expedia) makes it quite hard to get the right codeshare for a flight.

That's exactly what I'm battling at the moment.. I actually just found the AA-marketed combination I am looking for: LAX-LHR & IBZ-LHR-LAX, however there is no option at the end of the chase checkout process to switch from Basic Economy to Economy. The AA EXP desk told me yesterday that there's something weird with the IBZ-LHR leg on BA that can only be priced out as Basic Economy for the overseas legs. Which is a dealbreaker. And when I do find the flight and class of service combination I need, its marketed by Iberia, so cant apply SWUs. Another dealbreaker. So the hunt continues..

This isn't true since May last year. There are now barriers and you do need a ticket. See Geordie405's comment upthread

the tickets are available from marked machines on the ground floor after arrivals at T5 and at platform level.

If you use a travel agent, the TA can put all flights in one PNR and issue separate tickets to take advantage of different fares. The benefit to having all flights in one record is that, in general, airlines are more willing to help when they can see connections in their PNR. When automated processes are involved (e.g., flight delays often trigger automated processes that check connections and rebook passengers) they can operate on the flights.

As others have pointed out, when multiple airlines are involved there will be multiple PNRs, but what's important is that all flights are booked and ticketed (single or multiple tickets) out of that PNR, so each airline can see all the flights.

UPDATE: I chose peace of mind and switched to a BA flight IBZ-LCY before my LHR-LAX that gives me 5 hours between flights. Don't want to side track the thread, but does anyone have experience transiting LCY to LHR?

There are some very relevant pointers just a few posts down :)

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...onnection.html

Combination of the DLR/Jubilee/Piccadilly line is my recommendation. Also takes less than 1.5 hours and much cheaper than the HEX.

Which could give him a little time to visit London!

The Wikipost has been updated with this good news:

By "lots of Americans" do you mean just people under 12 (and by extension adults with them), or is the under-12 group (and accompanying adults) only an example of who can't use the gates, and there are others as well?

Yes, there is bus route 7 by First, Heathrow-Slough, which is part of Heathrow Freeflow (AKA Heathrow Free Travel Zone) and runs every 10-30 mins, 24/7. However I'm not sure I'd recommend it to someone who asks for advice on FT, because the connection with HEX is the best signed option for a terminal transfer. Furthermore you'd still be faster by Tube. Personally I don't opt for the HEX as it's less frequent than the Piccadilly line. In terms of ride speed, there's no real difference. But for the very occasional traveller I'd just say HEX with the printable free ticket from the ticketing machines.

Apologies, I'm trying not to replicate a previous-answered question here, but I'm hoping you can help me out. I'm flying this weekend on a non-connecting flight from EWR-LHR on Virgin Atlantic (arriving T3, I assume), then transferring to a BA flight from T5 seven hours later.

I can either check or not check my luggage. Checking would be nice because it's a long trip and I'm not sure I can fit all my liquids into one quart-sized container (special contact lens solution). However, after reading through the instructions, it looks like it might just be easier to suck it up and carry on my suitcase at EWR, thus preventing the hassle of going all the way landside, going through security again, etc.

I would swear that a couple years ago, doing almost the same thing, when I got to T5 I was able to give my hand luggage (including a carry-on suitcase) to a BA rep somewhere in the middle of T5 and just leave it there for a few hours. I am sure I didn't pay for this service. However, I can't find anything on Heathrow's or BA's sites about this. Since I didn't pay, I don't think it was the left luggage service.

Can anyone tell me what this was and if it's still there? If not, do I have any options other than lugging a suitcase around T5 with me for seven hours (I don't have lounge access).