T3 international -> T5 domestic connection question
 

Quick question. Flying JFK-LHR-EDI, with the long haul on AA (with a BA flight number), and connecting to the domestic on BA. Two hour connection time, arriving international into T3 and domestic departing from T5.

Will I clear immigration &/or security in T3 upon landing, or do I use FCC to get to t5 and then do both there? Given the recent T5 security queue threads, I am hoping the connection works!

Thanks.

You can either use the airside flight connections and clear both immigration and security at T5 or clear immigration at T3 and catch the free HEX to T5 and clear security there.

Thanks. If I stay airside and use FCC, at what point is conformance checked for the domestic? At the time I clear immigration?

Quite confusing for one who usually always terminates the journey in London! :o

When you arrive at T5's FCC, the drill is...

Conformance check > UK Border check > Biometrics check > escalator up to security > Galleries :)

Hi AJLondon. Your question has actually promted me to do something I have meant to do for a while, and that is a diagram of the layout at T5 flight connections. So here it is, this is a second attempt and may need some further refining. Hope it makes sense.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-y...t5%2520fcc.jpg

Very good, love the DTP package, looks very authentic!

Seriously, if you want a few comments:

1) The UK Border isn't a hard wall from Flight Connections. There are tensas but if you are in the wrong section they don't seem to mind if you go through them. Notably if you decide Dometic FCC is too stuffed and decide to go through the e-gates.

2) Domestic gates are showing on the side, which may be schematic, but geographically there is a corridor between them and FCC

3) Customer service desks on the north wall (and an overflow one in the corridor mentioned above, not always open).

4) Fast track for the escalators upwards actually makes a full circuit of the escalators so that the right hand escalator goes there.

5) There are lifts above the word North to the security area. I hesitate to tell people about this tip since I regard this as a private perk, but if you use those lifts, when you get to the security floor you can make a decision as to whether to invoke FT status or not, depending on where the queues are.

6) For the UK border I guess you could split that between FT non EEA / non EEA / EEA / EEA E-gates

Thanks corporate-wage-slave, and yes I was hoping for some comments.

Yes, some aspects were simplified like the circuit of the escalators by FT, but some things I didn't know about like the lifts. I may do a version 3 in the next few days and incorporate some of the changes. May even do it in Publisher as well so it will be easier to change.

Very helpful, KARFA.

Are photos allowed in the connections/UK border area? If they are, a c-w-s type guide would be very useful.

Also, I wonder how many possible routes there are through this area, UK border or not, fast-track or not etc.

I have taken some photos of this area, from a distance. I was stopped after a few minutes by a BA staff member - the HAL and Border Force staff actually helped me take some photos! The BA staff member was adamant that no photos could be taken airside, which I know to be rubbish except at a very stretched reading of the by-laws, but it's not worth arguing over something like that. There are "no photo" signs at some parts of the Border and security, but the Border Force manager said they were only bothered about people showing faces of "clients", staff or specialist equipment, they weren't too bothered about it overall.

Thanks for the map! That helps for us with our next trip. Its a new one on us as we normally exit airside at T5 (smoke), but next time we will have to use flight connections due to a 2 hour connection from T5 to T3.

Going from INT T5 to INT T3 - previously I thought you went through BP check and conformance at T5, then catch the bus. But now I know you catch the bus first and then do the other bits and security at T3.

There is another thread where I'm sure there was a Guide to connections, but cant find it at mo.

Yes, that's correct. For T5 INT to T3 INT you just head to the buses for T3 and there is no check of your bp until you get to security at T3. If you are doing T5 DOM to T3 INT (or indeed T5 DOM to any other terminal) there is a bp check by a HAL staff member who basically just looks at your bp before letting you through the glass door to the flight connections part. This is the check shown in the bottom right hand corner of my diagram. Once past this you just head to the buses.

Thanks !

Exciting news is that I have started on a version 3 now and it is being done in Publisher rather than by hand. May be able to do it by the end of the week.

I hope you're planning to bring a surveyor's wheel or other more accurate survey instruments on your next connection.

Do you think anyone would notice if I stood in FCC with a laser rangefinder on a tripod?