zebranz

Makes a difference when 4 people in front of you have their bags flagged and you are #5......
Yes, understand we always go through security anyway. It's not me but the other travellers cause the delay.
I used to go with hand carry in F US-LHR-NBO-LHR and then they would get me almost every trip. My fault for asking for "female" bags to give away which had more liquids/gels in them. Nice guys get an "attaboy" but sorry mate.

tom31

I'm flying MAN-LHR-NYC on one ticket in a few months with the NYC flight being in first. I have 4 hours in LHR. Instead of going through connections can I go landside (so my partner can smoke) then use the first wing to get back airside? Do i need to do anything so BA know I'm still taking the NYC flight?

Thanks

marcolau317

If going landside is a must, you just need to show them your LHR-NYC boarding pass when passing through the first wing. As long as you scan your boarding pass at security check by conformance deadline you would be fine.

KARFA

no, you don’t need to do anything. Exit landside on arrival, and when you are ready go up to floor 3 and through security.

Ldnn1

Also just to clarify on the point - BA won’t know you’ve gone landside on arrival, so there is nothing to worry about in that respect.

All they see is when you scan to re-enter the terminal airside, so as long as you do that before the cutoff there is nothing to correct, as it were.

It’s perfectly normal to connect via the landside route for a variety of reasons.

AirborneLocksmith

In March I'll arrive at LHR on an AA flight (T3) and my next flight (on BA) leaves from T5 three hours later.
I'm OneWorld Emerald.
The way I see it, I have the following options:
1, Follow the regular Flight Connections process and take the bus to T5 and then go through transfer security. Is the transfer security Fast Track open? The LHR webpage says "no."
2. Take the Flight Connections bus to T5, but instead of going through transfer security, go through immigration to go landside and then use South Security Fast Track (since the First Wing is closed).
3. Go through immigration in T3, stop by the AA Arrival lounge in T3, take the train/tube to T5 and use South Security Fast Track.

Any recommendations?
If the transfer Fast Track is open, alternative #1 is probably the easiest and fastest.

scottishpoet

Take the transit bus from t3 to t5

Once at t5 you can decide to clear the border and go to departures or use transit

There is no easy answer on fast track security, it seems the answer to is it open is 'sometimes'

The last few times i transited in t5, transit fast track security was closed but there was no queue at normal transit security and I breezed through very quickly

alisohn

We (US citizens) are connecting T5 at LHR on a Thursday afternoon in May, LAX to VCE all on BA - premium economy using AA points.
Planning on carry-on only arriving 2 pm.
1 3/4 hour connection (more than MCT) and there is another BA flight to VCE much later that evening.
I have read here and elsewhere so many 2022 and 2023 threads on LHR complete chaos, staffing shortages, jetway issues.
Wondering if same issues happening now in 2024 or if things have gotten better?
We have Plan B on Swiss with 1 3/4 hour connection BUT NOT premium economy and not even a 2-side configuration.
Leaning towards risking BA and LHR for the increased comfort.
thoughts?

crazy8534

Things are significantly better than the problems of 2022, and to a lesser extent 2023, much of which was due to staff shortages and industrial action and a lack of aircraft capacity. BA’s results yesterday showed significant improvements in on time performance.

Nothing is perfect but you have good consumer protections in case of delayed flights or a missed connection on a through-ticket. The BA World Traveller plus product is considered to be very decent as premium economy goes.

I’d have no hesitation in booking BA for your journey.

scottishpoet

Assuming you are on one ticket, I would be more than comfortable with 1hr 45 minutes for a t5 to t5 connection.

You would have no bags to collect, and no requirement to clear passport control.

You will be in the departure area around 30 minutes after leaving the inbound aircraft.

alisohn

scottishpoet thx. I have just seen so many older posts about needing minimum 3 hours and “avoid LHR.” Hoping that things have improved. And yes, through ticket.

KARFA

the situation is pretty much back to normal. You can disregard those 2022 posts now.

PETER01

Assuming your on one ticket there's no real risk really although flights in any airport can be delayed etc for a variety of reasons. At LHR it is usually weather if anything why flights can be delayed but it's not that often really. BA will look after you if you did miss your connection for any reason.

As an example KARFA (and some others too) travel numerous times through every week through LHR T5 and no major issues really as posted here. BA have loads of flights coming in and out every day, usually over 300 departures, and the vast vast majority of connecting passengers have no issues.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/36042285-post1046.html

erikh94

I will fly JER-LHR-OTP and the guide has been very useful, thanks KARFA and everyone else who contributed.

As I understand, I will need to clear security in T3, but I would need to do so even if I was flying in from a domestic arrival. So it's only UK T5-T5 connections that don't require going through security again?

KARFA

Yes, only when arriving on a domestic flight (UK only, so doesn't include JER or DUB) would you not have to do security again on arrival to T5, and only when you are connecting on to a flight departing from T5. So even if you were connecting to a T5 flight you would have to do security when coming from JER anyway - basically JER is the same as DUB for the purposes of this guide.

Even if you were arriving on a UK flight, once you do a connection to any other terminal you would mix with international arrivals and have to do security at the onward terminal.

For your connection you will arrive around A23/A22. You have the option of going right and heading to the airside connection buses, or heading landside and taking the HEX/crossrail to T3. Personally I would probably do the latter in your case unless your connection is very tight.