mdkowals

Good afternoon!

I'm planning some multi-city travel for work and it looks like my best flights use LHR as a hub. Judging from the first posts in this thread (Thanks for all the hard work!) this looks like it might be a 'fun' task. So I have some questions.

Destination 1: Lyon France.

Looks like my best flights may be BTR-DFW-LHR-LYS with my choice of AA or BA on the DFW-LHR leg. (AA for sure BTR-DFW, BA for sure LHR-LYS)

Questions:

(1) Is AA the better metal here? Per the guide AA arrives in T3 and per the OP Lyon is one of the few destinations BA services from T3. On the other hand, this may be my one chance to go upper deck on a 747 if I go BA.
(2) Minimum recommended connection time for both cases? Overall travel time doesn't really bother me.
(3) Any quirks with an International to International connection at LHR?

Destination 2: Manchester, UK

Questions:

(1) Minimum recommended connection time for LYS-LHR-MAN, entirely on BA metal?
(2) This leg I have to book in Y, does OneWorld Emerald get lounge access at LHR?

surftb15

I have a quick question.

I arrive at 12:10 pm (business) from Cairo.
I have a sector the following day out of Dublin.

I have never been to Dublin so I was thinking of skipping the transfer to Ryanair at LGW.

Anyway, the next BA flight is at 1:20 pm and the next flight is on Air Lingus at 1:25 pm.

Would either flight give enough time? I will have a checked bag.

corporate-wage-slave

If the ticket ends up as CAI-LHR-DUB then the BA service is OK if tight (minimum connection time within T5 being one hour), the Aer Lingus service is not OK since they are in another terminal (MCT 90 minutes).

If you are on separate tickets you will need to allow a lot more time since BA won't interline baggage even to themselves let alone anyone else. Baggage reclaim is usually quite swift at LHR, but you need to allow for delays, getting around T5, and a cut off time for getting your bag checked in which is effectively 40 minutes, assuming you check in online in advance. You best allow a few hours really.

surftb15

Unfortunately, the ticket is CAI LHR then DUB LHR JFK LAX HNL.

Great fare sale!

I need to purchase the ticket to DUB separately.

Its looking like LGW on Ryanair may be better.... The only advantage to BA was to allow time in Dublin.

travellingwigbury

@KARFA, this is a great guide!

Regarding the connection from LHR-LCY documented in post #10 , if using HEX , I would *strongly* recommend changing at Baker Street, particularly if you have luggage. This is a cross-platform connection, whereas changing at Waterloo involves a fair hike and a combination of steps/escalators/walkways.

KARFA

Hi travellingwigbury. Thanks for your comments

Very good point on LHR-LCY, I have added a note based on your recommendation to post 10.

Globaliser

On the same topic, many people reckon that if you have luggage (and perhaps even if you don't), the change between the Piccadilly Line and the Jubilee Line at Green Park (in either direction) is best done by:-

• [*]
• [*]

This should, I think, be step-free and it avoids both a fairly long walk through the walkway tunnels on the offical connection route and the vagaries of the slow and often unreliable lifts that are needed to change levels along the official route.

For those who want to see the detail, this diagram may help.

An alternative route between Heathrow and Canning Town is to do the standard cross-platform change from the Piccadilly Line to the District Line at Barons Court, and then using the escalators or lifts from the District Line to the Jubilee Line at Westminster. One more change, but rather less angst at either station.

Rumours that Mornington Crescent has anything to do with this post are malicious and unfounded.

KARFA

Thanks. Link in post 10 has now been added to this post. I didn't know the Green Park tip.

jk156

This is a massively helpful guide, thanks.

Quick question... I'm due to arrive from ACC (i.e. to T3), then connecting on same ticket to a T5 domestic service with about 2 hours to spare. I'll be in J, and I'm a GCH with a UK passport. What's the best way to do it if I want to have a shower and some breakfast on the layover? Assuming that it's quicker to use the airside bus than HEX, can I (should I?) go landside when I get into T5 and then use the arrivals lounge before going through the F Wing; or will I be better off playing it by the book and staying airside when I get to the T5 FCC?

corporate-wage-slave

You should do this if you have more than 50 minutes spare when you get to T5, using the e-gates. After 16:00 hrs there may not be much in it, but before then if you can use the main UK Border e-gates then you should; doubly so if you have First Wing access, but even Fast Track this would still apply.

Globaliser

Just to be clear, do you mean that you have two hours between flights, or do you mean that you have two hours on top of the time that it normally takes to do the inter-terminal transfer/connection process?

jk156

It's 2h 05m between scheduled arrival and scheduled departure.

KBRDU

KARFA

Hi KBRDU. Many thanks for your comments, very kind of you to say that. I am very glad your connection went well and that you found the guide useful ^

KARFA

Apologies for the double post, I already posted it in this thread on the UK & Ireland board but it is also relevant to this thread. I will integrate it in to the posts at the start of the thread when I get a chance.

So regulars may have noticed TfL barriers are now in place at the HEX stations around LHR. These have been turned on since SUnday 20 May. Previously you didn't need any card to use the HEX for terminal transfers but you do now. I saw the new arrangement myself today for first time - normally I wouldn't get the HEX between T2/3 and T5 but I went that way today. There are now dedicated ticket machines to get the free transfer ticket - you can't get the free tickets from the normal machines.

At T2/3 there only seemed to be one machine I could spot and that was situated just to the left of the barrier line.





Basically just select the number of tickets you want and press print.





Then just use the ticket in the ticket barrier and down the lifts to the platform. When you exit at the other station (for me it was T5) the ticket is captured by the barrier so you can't keep it as a souvenir

At T5 there were two free ticket machines I spotted down at platform level:



At ground floor level I couldn't see any free ticket machines, just the normal ticket machines, so at T5 it seems you can only get the free ticket at platform level.

Updated: as of late 2018 there are also now free transfer ticket machines at the ground floor level of T5 just before you head to the lifts for the HEX/tube



I haven't seen the set up at T4 yet, may try and head that way in the near future to have a look.

EDIT: just to add I assume like the tube you can use an oyster or contactless card instead to tap in and out, so getting the paper tickets isn’t compulsory.