corporate-wage-slave

You will only be able to interline luggage if you get this on to one PNR and therefore may well need a travel agent to make the booking. It would be easier if you can go hand baggage only.

If you end up with separate tickets on separate PNRs then you have to go landside and you have to clear the UK Border.

Three hours is plenty if flights are on time, you could do this in an hour easily if staying airside, and under 2 hours going landside and there aren't queues at the T5 UK Border. If on separate tickets you bear the risk if there are delays or cancellations.

If you don't have to deal with checked luggage in LHR then you don't go through the UK Border, but some nationalities will still need a visa even if there is no passport check.
https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa

User Name

corporate-wage-slave

A boarding pass would be best and I'm not sure why you think MH won't allow OLCI. But regardless, if you don't have boarding pass then a print out of the itinerary is ok for the domestic to internatiional corridor at T5. So you have the choice, personally I would go airside, so taking the airside bus from T5 to T4, but if you took the TfL landside bus service to T4 it wouldn't take much longer. There are MH staff in the T4 Flight Connections area, just after security.

User Name

corporate-wage-slave

The Amex confirmation should be OK, it's often easier if you can do a print out of it. They're not scanning boarding passes between Domestic and International, just checking that you are a "bona fide international traveller" so as to conform with the relevant bye-laws. If MH are not open in Flight Connections - I actually suspect that they will be - then the worst thing that can happen is that you would be kicking your heels airside until the desk opens, but because it's all done by ground handling agents (is it dNata for MH? Not sure) then one of the other desks may also be able to help. Alternatively try the MH lounge by gate 6.

KARFA

The cargo tunnel which is an airside tunnel connecting the central terminal area and T4/cargo is currently closed for refurbishment. This tunnel is used by the airside buses which go to/from T4 to T2/3/5. I am afraid I can't find out when the work is going to be completed by, so if anyone knows that would be useful to know.

The impact to the closure is that the only airside buses running to/from T4 go to T2 - there are no direct airside buses from T4 to T5 or T3. The airside buses take a long and slow overground route now between T4 and T2 which goes around the eastern edge of the southerly runway. If you need to get between T5/3 and T4 you will need to get an airside bus to T2 and change.

Until the cargo tunnel reopens if you have a UK/EU/EEA passport I would strongly recommend taking one of the landside options if going between T5/3 and T4 - so TfL buses, tube, or HEX.

HofstraJet

I'm arriving on AA 104 JFK-LHR at 10:50 in T3 (according to the BA website) and have a connection to BA 314 LHR-CDG at 13:30 from T5 (according to the BA website). I will have checked bags, am in a wheelchair, and in J, so IIRC, I should get through security/immigration fairly quickly, but I will be the last one off the incoming and would like to be the first to preboard on the connection to CDG.

Is 2:40 enough time to make the connection safely given the above?

Thanks!

cheaptom

Being last one off the incoming as you wait for the wheelchair is the wildcard there. Hopefully the speed the process through for you. Seems safe enough, as long as you're prepared to head straight to your connection as soon as you've disembarked the first flight.

HofstraJet

Thanks. I have my own manual wheelchair I check at the gate and am self-sufficient, so I don't need to wait for the wheelchair attendants. I can get off the plane into my wheelchair if the aisle chair is nowhere to be found.

spaige

I am arriving next month via AA at 6:40 AM in T3 and need to book a trip to AMS in T5. There is a 8:20 flight that seems a bit tight for me since I have to re check my bags. Unfortunately it's about $100 USD more to take the next flight.

KARFA

As you need to go through immigration (presumably a nonEU/EEA passport holder?) and collect bags, and get over to T5 (tube or HEX), and check your bag in before bag check closes (45 mins before so 0735) I must admit it looks very tight. If everything goes well and you arrive early or on time and there is little waiting at immigration you may be ok. However, it won't take much to throw this off course.

spaige

agreed, not worth the risk, I am going to leave at 11:45 instead. We have lounge access, so can freshen up and rest a bit.

CrispyUK

Wow, super thorough guide here

Myself and a friend are flying into Heathrow T5 from Europe next month, I'll then be returning home in the UK but my friend has a 3h40 connection before departing on another international flight from T5.

Am I correct in understanding that after I've collected my checked baggage, we could both then enter the UK (so my friend would be making a landside connection) and grab dinner together before I head off to the car parks and he takes his next flight? Obviously we'd be limited to the landside restaurants before security as I wouldn't be able to go airside again. Both British citizens so no immigration/visa issues.

The _Banking_Scot

Hi,

Yes you can ( your friend would have to get back to security by T-35 or he would not be allowed through)

Regards

TBS

corporate-wage-slave

Welcome to Flyertalk CrispyUK, and welcome to the BA forum and I hope we will see more of you. Perhaps you can report how it worked out for you in the end, it would help other travellers.

If all goes well your friend would have about 2 hours to have the meal, he needs to head back to security about 45 minutes before departure, 35 minutes is the deadline formally, assuming he has a boarding pass. You've only got a few options for eating in T5 landside, but one of them, Carluccios on the departure level, is considered by some people to be the best restaurant in Heathrow. The George by South departures (so handy for timing) does standard pub grub. In arrivals there is a mini branch of Giraffe, but it doesn't have the full menu, more sandwich and snack based. There are also 3 coffee shops with a more restricted food range, panini essentially.