Tight connection T5
 

Hello,

I wonder if anyone has any experience of connections lately.

I am flying home to Madrid next week, with a 1:10 connection from Manchester. Pre-COVID, I wouldn’t worry but I’m not sure how connections are running at the moment. Both flights are booked under separate reservations, and in CE / Business with hand luggage only.

Do you think I will make it? Or, is it a better choice to drive down to Heathrow? I am on the earlier flight to Madrid, so I suppose if I miss it I can always transfer to the evening one.

Thanks.

On separate tickets, you don't have protection. If you miss the earlier MAD flight because your MAN flight is late, it is your own responsibility to figure out how to go to Madrid ( obviously on your own expense ). You have two separate contract of carriages, and one is for Manchester to Heathrow and the other one is for Heathrow to Madrid; none of them are from Manchester to Madrid.

You have three options;

1- Buy both flights on the same ticket ( if already purchased your ticket, ask for 2 FTV's and use them on a single ticket and pay the appropriate fare difference )
2- Drive down to Heathrow
3- Risk your connection on separate tickets with the current combinations ( 1h10min is totally doable in regular circumstances even during COVID, though, in the case of IRROPS it might not )

Looking at the actual arrival times for flight BA1403 during the past 7 days provides some comfort. As far as I am aware, flight connections on a domestic to international can be processed in less than 10 mins


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...534f3c471.jpeg

MAN is only running because of the high volume of connecting passengers, so efforts are made to ensure it goes on time wherever possible. Obviously mechanical breakdowns can happen, but reliability and punctuality at the moment are very good.

Thanks for the advice. I will probably risk it. Manchester is a lot more convenient for me and it seems the worst that will happen is I get home a few hours later.

On a normal day, during these COVID times, you’ll have no issues. I’ve been flying into LHR many times a month throughout the whole pandemic. In my experience you leave outstations early and go straight into LHR, arriving ahead of schedule. Domestic to international transfers are so quick, with just a check of the boarding pass, that you’ll be in departures within 5 minutes of stepping off the aircraft.

Obviously if something goes wrong around the weather/tech aircraft etc and you’re delayed then you have no protection due to separate bookings. But that’s the same as it’s always been.

Just a heads up, your flight to MAD is almost certainly going to depart from T5C (and more specifically, C56) - you should still have plenty of time, but if you're running late, bear this in mind.

And never make your way to T5C before hand until the gate has actually been confirmed on the boards.

Unless you want to run back in the tunnel

Definitely agree with this! The check in agent for one 777 flight to Madrid told me the stand number of B something so I stupidly took my Mum to the B lounge to enjoy more time there, only to be told at the lounge entrance that the flight was going from a bus gate in A to the stand in B so had to drag my Mum back through the tunnel - we just made it!

Glad you made it!

I have also done this in the past. It’s tempting to make one’s way without the gate actually been confirmed. I operated a night flight and arrived at LHR in the morning. I had a confirmed ticket onto a connecting flight; and made my way to T5C, only having to run back to T5A.