LGW very very early for flight.... [Can't go airside 6+ hours before flight]
Nov 30, 2018, 8:26 pm
#31
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Brighton UK
Programs: BAEC-Silver, AMEX-BA Prem' Plus & Standard, Accor Gold, HH-Silver, IHG,IBIS On Business
Posts: 955
You can only pass airside under escort and you wont get said escort for a smoke. In VERYYYY rare circumstances if a flight is delayed for say 12 hours ( this happens with some of the African carriers) then they will de-control the flight and allow it but that's about it.
Dec 1, 2018, 10:04 am
#33
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: London, Babylon-on-Thames
Programs: BAEC Blue (back to Earth)
Posts: 1,515
I was talking about GLA in the example above. At Glasgow ( and Edinburgh, Aberdeen, etc etc) you can just walk back out of the secure area, no escort required. The Departure Lounge is domestic, i.e. it's in the UK, unlike MAN,LHR,LGW etc where it's airside and secure departures only to prevent international connections having to pass the UK border.
Dec 1, 2018, 10:19 am
#34
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Brighton UK
Programs: BAEC-Silver, AMEX-BA Prem' Plus & Standard, Accor Gold, HH-Silver, IHG,IBIS On Business
Posts: 955
@skipness1E - my bad got confused, something that's not difficult for myself, and didn't pick up on the GLA reference and thought we were still on LGW my bad there
Mar 24, 2023, 5:09 am
#35
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 1,167
Hmmm just got caught out by the "6hour" rule at LGW this morning.
I have a 1715 flight and got to the airport early to try and catch an earlier flight (which ended up being full).
So tried to go through security at approx. 9am... only to get the "to early" message. Agent on gate wouldn't let me through/override.. said come back circa 11:15
I did try again circa at 09:30 and again at 10:00 and the gate let me through at 10am... ... so 7hrs 15mins early...
I have a 1715 flight and got to the airport early to try and catch an earlier flight (which ended up being full).
So tried to go through security at approx. 9am... only to get the "to early" message. Agent on gate wouldn't let me through/override.. said come back circa 11:15
I did try again circa at 09:30 and again at 10:00 and the gate let me through at 10am... ... so 7hrs 15mins early...
Mar 24, 2023, 6:46 am
#36
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: UK
Programs: IC Hotels Spire, BA Gold
Posts: 8,676
In February I was flying to TRN from LGW and turned up at 07:00 for the one at around 09:00 and found it cancelled. I had been automatically re-booked onto the one around 15:40 by BA so I thought I would go airside and use the lounge to work.
The BP would not work on the e-gates and the security chap said it was not possible to go airside at >6 hours pre-flight unless a BA staff member specifically escorts me up to the e-gate and tells him it is OK to let me through. So back down I went to the BA check-in area and a staff member then escorted me back up to the e-gates and told the security chap it was OK to let me through. A bit of a palava for BA as they had to do this for every person who was either in CE or had lounge access rights.
The BP would not work on the e-gates and the security chap said it was not possible to go airside at >6 hours pre-flight unless a BA staff member specifically escorts me up to the e-gate and tells him it is OK to let me through. So back down I went to the BA check-in area and a staff member then escorted me back up to the e-gates and told the security chap it was OK to let me through. A bit of a palava for BA as they had to do this for every person who was either in CE or had lounge access rights.
Mar 24, 2023, 1:08 pm
#37
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: Wiltshire, UK
Posts: 360
Even in the Usa at LAX i was through security at +7 hours at United's terminal 7 but i don't know how much of that down to TSA PRE i did spend a few nice hours in Air Alaska's Lounge in term 6 Airside gained access via Priority pass as i was only flying United Y class.
Edit: As for LGW, T5 and T3, I’ve personally never had a problem when in transit.
Last edited by Gallus1; Mar 24, 2023 at 1:15 pm