corporate-wage-slave

Personally I would still go B2B. It wasn't so long ago that nearly all UK flights involved a trip landside and it was perfectly possible so long as you were of reasonable mobility, used Fast Track and avoided Christmas / start of the Irish school holidays. Plenty of FTers got used to doing this. Then the wonders of B2B opened up to us, which made it very easy. But my advice is to go B2B if you have a European passport, or alternatively the night before.

Obviously spend a minute or two once in the building to check if you can get B2B, if not, head for pasports, leave via baggage reclaim (ignoring the Flight Connection sign) then once fully landside head upstairs to departures, and find the Fast Track security entrance - look for the wood panelling. And report back here afterwards!

wanderingjock

thanks very much c-w-s! Much appreciated sir.

Guy Betsy

Do BA numbered but operated on Aer lingus metal count as one of the required 4 flights on BA for elite qualification?

corporate-wage-slave

Yes if bought with that BA flight number, so in practical terms bought via BA.com. It's not sufficient to be potentially a codeshare, you have to buy in to the flight and not Aer Lingus prime.

Guy Betsy

The website is not cooperating when trying to book from MAD - it keeps giving the direct flight only. I have to buy it through expedia and then request BA flights via LHR and then it offers the EI flight but on BA flight number. I need my 4 flights and I may not have enough time to squeeze in another BA flight by the 8th June (my membership deadline)

wanderingjock

OK, so I left from T5 gate 4A (bit of a scrum trying to get through to the priority lane as it is a very narrow aisle full of rucksacks ) and was about to get annoyed with the desk agent who couldnt find the seq number on my phone boarding pass - then she announced I was in the wrong seat - then she said, " it shouldn't be showing 23A, but 2C" - so she got a big smile from me and a nice "thank you"

Felt very cheeky getting a CE upgrade on a cheapo positioning flight for an exDub to USA!

So, very pleasant flight and then got off plane and into terminal building, passing the 2 blacked out BMWs and the two police cars at the foot of the steps. I was at gate 215, T1 and walked into the crowd of people waiting to board the BA835 to LHR! Result. I just stopped at the priority boarding lane and waited to be called forward.

Bit of a delay as police officers checked the plane and then plain clothes guys got on and off again and then the 'VIP' got out the black car and up onto the plane.

I duly went up the stairs and sat in my seat, 1C, and right beside me in 1D was Sir John Major, former Premier (and probably BA Premier too!) Was very civil on the flight to staff and other passengers and gave me his FT to read

So, summary - Cheeky upgrade on the way out, brilliant B2B at gate 215 and sitting next to former Prime Minister on the way back. Very pleasant prelude to my business trip later today to MCO.

corporate-wage-slave

Congratulations on an easy B2B, though slightly concerned that my former boss is putting his feet on the bulkhead!

I was in DUB earlier this week, and LHR all look to be 200s, and LCY generally 300 but some, including the night stopper, were 200.

missdimeaner

Much to my surprise an Ex Dub was an easy sell to my Mother, so easy that the DUB-LHR-JFK/JFK-LHR-DUB has been booked immediately.
This has left me with the resulting conundrum of postitioning flights etc. We will be travelling around Thanksgiving, I cannot be sure we will be HBO so my questions are as follows:

1. I am opting to postion to DUB the night before staying at the Maldron - can we walk to the airport from this hotel ?
2.We have a terminal change at LHR (T5-T3 as we are on AA for this leg), how easy is this to navigate - I have read the connections guide in the dashboard but am referring to signage etc.
3.As I really won't know until a couple of days before whether it will be possible to go HBO, we would leaving some time (Hours) between flights on the return LHR-DUB....DUB LHR how much would be adequate given we will probably have to collect bags (I was thinking that a Plus fare would enable time changes on the day to mitigate any excessive delays).

So - I cannot believe that I actually managed to convey the logic in going to Dublin just to come back again, I will get to check out AA J (booked middle seats row 3 on the 773) and just a big thumbs up to all who have gone before me ^^

MarkFlies

1. It absolutely can be walked to the hotel. It's about 800 metres. Have you seen this page http://www.maldronhoteldublinairport...nd-directions/ ? If you have bags etc, you might prefer the shuttle especially when leaving the hotel as you can aim to be in the lobby for a timed departure. On arrival you might prefer to walk rather than waiting for the bus. From T1, go past T2 and follow the main road. The Google Maps aerial photos are current and street view will give some help.

2. There are loads of signs but there is a bit of a walk to get the bus. Follow purple signs for flight connections INT, show your boarding passes for onward flight - have them ready getting off your DUB-LHR flight. Once at the central part of the terminal follow purple signs for connections T2, T3, T4. You will see the UK border and connections T5 - ignore these. Then down escalator and find bus for T3 - all well signed. On arrival at T3, just again follow connections T3 signs to security - once on the right bus you can't go wrong. Fast track is available. Now you're in T3 departures.

At some stage you have to do the US security check. There will be AA agents just before you get on the bus and after. If you can fit this in here, you won't have to do it at the gate.

missdimeaner

Thank you MarkFlies for answering my first two questions - I can tick those off the list.
I had forgotten the 'casual' questioning and stickering of passports from AA, providing the DUB/LHR flight is on time we will have time to do it before/after the bus.

Calchas

Is that a snap of Sir John with his foot on the bulkhead? :O

T8191

Sadly so ... a Major faux-pas around here!!

Calchas

dylanks

I will confess that my feet almost always end up against the lower part of the magazine rack rather than flat on the floor. So I'm a demi-faux-pas-er.

Kgmm77

Not sure if it's been mentioned already, but the 200 gate pier at DUB is now arrivals/departures segregated.

Anyone doing back to backs good luck, you'll need it!