ThrowingBoeing

I will be flying to Denver next month and funnily enough I've never flown BA from T3. Im connecting from Manchester so know I have to change terminals. My connection outbound is only 1hr 30 which doesn't give me long in T3 but on the return I've got quite a long wait before my flight up to Manchester. I just wanted to know if theres any way I can use the CX AA QF etc lounges having arrived in T3 before going back across to T5?

Thanks

KARFA

Well it is kind of possible you can do it if you know your way, but actually you aren't supposed to be going in to the T3 airside departures area unless you have a flight departing T3, are using the LHR personal shiopping service, or using the paid lounges (although that really dates from when there were no paid lounges in T5). Also it isn't clear whether the T3 lounges are supposed to be allowing access to those with flights departing T5.

thebigben

Yeah I just don't get it. For the price of a 2 year Admirals club membership you could get to Silver with BA, which lasts a tad more than two years. And you do that while flying, which is incredible fun.

aidy

levibrod

So just to update, I landed in Heathrow from lax in t5, I immediately followed the signs to connections to all terminals, took the terminal transfer bus, cleared t3 security no problem and then made my way to the admirals club. Did the same for the return to t5 and I had no RTF issues while scanning my boarding pass. Overall it's a bit of a hassle but if you have an extended layover it's well worth the refresh.

ThrowingBoeing

Why Admirals club may I ask? It's the only T3 OW lounge I haven't been in as everyone seems to say its by far the worst. What were your thoughts? I just assumed anyone who knew about OW lounges used CX or QF?

levibrod

Simply because that's the only one I have access to. I'm sure there's nicer lounges but it was very empty and felt very spacious. There are great showers as well. I have only been to admirals club so I cant compare to any other lounges.

ThrowingBoeing

roylee9

ThrowingBoeing,
How much time did you leave for getting from the last T3 Lounge to being thru T5 Connections Security?
Any tips for getting from Lounge to the connections bus fto go from T3 to T5?
Is it just follow "Flight Connections all Terminals", or "Airline Service Desks", or "Arrivals, Baggage Reclaim, & Airline Service Desks" or sometime else ?

Thanks in advance - will be doing same on Friday morning/afternoon London time.

nldogbert

Nice to see the airport staff are not being PITA in these cases which should be allowed as long as you have a flight that day and go through he necessary security check. I am curious, after visiting the lounge, how do you get back to the Connection buses? I don't think I've remembered seeing any sign in the departure area pointing to the Connection buses. Or do you just walk back to the same security point where the connection bus drops you?
Am curious on this.

Cheers!

corporate-wage-slave

You would need to leave T3 at least 1 hour before departure to give a small margin. 90 minutes would be sensible. There are purple signs to Flight Connections in the vicinity of the AA Clubs.

warreng

On a more general note, the segregated terminal arrangement at LHR does get a little tiresome. There are plenty of oneworld lounges across terminals 3 and 5 but airline offices/facilities are scattered fairly incoherently. I was recently on a BA flight into LHR where my luggage had been checked in by AA and ended up in the wrong place. It was complicated because I had initially been checked in to an AA flight which was cancelled due to weather conditions and ended up on a BA flight to the same destination, with my luggage supposedly rerouted to follow me. Fortunately a confused but helpful BA clerk at terminal 5 called AA and sorted it out for me. Otherwise I suspect I'd have had quite the headache trying to get to the American Airlines baggage office (if there even is one) in terminal 3.

KARFA

See this post A Guide to Connecting at LHR T5

Leave T3 departures area at C or B as shown on the terminal map and follow the signs to arrivals. Once you are up in the arrivals corridor you can follow the signs to flight connections T2/4/5.

ThrowingBoeing

As KARFA and CWS have both said leave 90 mins plus just in case. I left 50 mins before my flight from T5 knowing it would be from A gates but was a bit tight to be honest. If I was connecting to a long haul I'd leave longer to allow for a dash to 5B or C

The _Banking_Scot

Hi,
Thanks to all for the advice here.

I think I will give this a try next Sunday.

My plan is

1540 Arrive T3 wth BA from Barcelona
Clear T3 transfer security
Go to the Cathay Pacific Lounge ( will expect it to be busy for the early evening flights)
Have dinner in the CX F lounge space permitting ( was not impressed with the macaroni cheese picture from BA GF) with a few Cathay delights
Around 6pm or so take the flight connections bus to T5
Clear T5 security

Relax in T5GF with a JW Blue.

8pm: T5 Olympic Challenge: Walking from T5 GF to T 5C ( on the A 380 to HKG at 2100) -will time it to see how long it takes on the walkway (might make a detour via T5B Galleries lounge)

Regards

TBS