corporate-wage-slave

Just to point out that which I'm sure you knew, there isn't immigration or the UK Border when you arrive back to LHR from DUB, in fact the shortest and fastest route to the CCR is to leave as an arriving passenger (no passports there), and if exiting by baggage carousel 3 then you'll be next to your other option, leaving the bag in left luggage. Reports vary, and you can't rely on this, but you could be able to simply check your bag in before going to DUB.

EMA ON BA

I think it depends what your appetite for risk is... The following isn't a recommendation but outlines my personal thought process. I've just completed a LHR-(BA)-OSL-(QR)-DOH-(QR)-XXX routing and booked a BA connection of c. 4hrs20 outbound and <1hrs50 inbound.

MCT at Oslo BA-QR is 45 minutes from what I could tell and based on my experience you could probably manage the connection with interlined bags in about 30-35 minutes if you are first off the plane and don't encounter substantial queues at passport control (x2) or security. On the basis that there is some padding in the schedule, you could conceivably experience an outbound departure delay of 3h45 minutes and still make the connection.

I found this website: http://www.flightontime.info/londonoslo/index.html which, while not completely up to date, suggested that BA flights were only delayed >3 hours 0.15% of the time last year whereas they were delayed by 1 to 3 hours 3.4% of the time.

If conservatively the cost of replacing your outbound flights (assuming no allowance made by Qatar) is £4,000, the value of insurance of flying the night before is worth £4,000 X 0.15% = £6.

On the return flight, the risk taken by booking a shorter connection may be more palatable based on the lower cost of a replacement ticket (say £250).
£250 X * (3.43% - 0.15%) = £8.

The extra cost of an overnight in Oslo (including eating the next day) is likely to cost a minimum of £150. I would imagine the circumstances that resulted in flight delays of >3 hours were likely to include weather disruptions that lasted multiple days so flying over the night before is only likely to reduce your probability of missing the outbound to 0.05%.

Obviously the calculations are different depending on (a) your ability to self insure for the 'tail risk' (b) how you value your time; (c) whether the trip is a special occasion etc.; (d) the extent to which your plans in Cape Town for the first day are refundable; (e) differing connecting flight prices.

Another factor that swayed my decision was that the longer c. 4 hour connection also provides sufficient time to catch the later BA flight if the first is cancelled.

msm2000uk

When I said Immigration, I meant Customs. I recall there being no Passport Control, but we did walk down and round through the EU Arrivals Nothing to Declare area.

The Left Luggage area is a good idea, and probably a better one than me leaving it in the car - thanks for pointing me towards it!

Is the service free?

corporate-wage-slave

Now what was it you were told about a free lunch?

No, you have to pay.

msm2000uk

Haha! I thought/hoped the service may have been free to BAEC members

Roger

Excellent advice, EMA, thank you.

We're some months away from the trip - the QR fare OSL-CPT was too favourable to decline and had a reasonable cancellation fee if necessary.

Mrs Roger has never been to Norway, and I haven't been for several years. My current thinking is to have an Oslo minibreak on the outbound. That would eliminate the connection question.

On the inbound, we arrive at OSL at 06:05 so will probably look to book a mid-morning OSL-LHR and through check bags CPT-DOH-OSL-LHR.

I admire your calculations.

kt74

That's exactly what I've booked for my parents to KUL later this year as novice ex-EUers (well, ex-EEAers...)

Me, I've got a much higher tolerance for SNAFUs, and I know OSL well, unfortunately, due to previous work trips, so my connections are more like EMA's... I'll report back on the smoothness of the 1hr 50 connection next week (will the midday QR flight arriving 20 minutes after an EK 777 eat into my lounge time?)

Tiffywren

Hi all, I need to pick the more experienced brains... I've found a price I'm happy with HAM-HKG over Christmas leave (£1470 rt in J) but I've not done a b2b yet and want to check I'm looking at the correct flights:

28/12 BA0965 HAM-LHR dep 1545 arr 1630 the b2b is BA0974 dep LHR 1210 arr HAM 1450
04/01 BA0964 LHR-HAM dep 0705 arr 0940 the b2b is BA0965 dep HAM 1030 arr LHR 1120

Thank you

corporate-wage-slave

They look like back to backs to me.

Given a choice, DUS is better than HAM. Both are easy but there is a slightly higher risk of a bus arrival into HAM, that can also happen at DUS too, just less often. There's only a small chance of this, and you should still make the flight either way.

Tiffywren

Thank you c-w-s, I'll have a look at DUS as well

corporate-wage-slave

chris1979 reports that HAJ is now mixed arrival/departure. I've not seen it yet, but that would be a third option.

CD747

I saw HAJ extremely recently, in the case of my gate you can simply turn right/left to legitimately avoid Passport Control and enter the departures lounge, indeed one lady cleared passport control and then followed a staff member through a glass door back to the departures area, causing much amusement to the German customs official (and 'very British' tutting from the rest of the queue)! In any case, with the caveat that my experience is extremely limited and there may be other gates or situations where it doesn't apply, I can't think of a better arrangement than HAJ has for this purpose.

mikeyfly

What's the chances of a successful B2B in BAH??!

TabTraveller

Does anyone have any recent experience of arrivals/departures at DUS? Are remote stands still being used and, if so, is it possible to connect airside for a back-to-back?

corporate-wage-slave

You have a very good chance of an airside back to back, with no security or passport control. Buses are sometimes used there, but it's still do-able even then. The sort of thing that seems to cause this is when they are doing construction work on some of the gates. Also I guess for the last service into DUS too, if night stopping, but that wouldn't create the conditions for a back-to-back anyway.