bakaneko85

Thanks all for the thoughts/ advices. I guess anything via LHR is out of the question in terms of practicality, even if I can get my husband to be checked in and transit HBO. I forgot the fact that connecting landside after rechecking baggage will take a lot of time given that the two airlines are in different terminals. I’m looking to shop a lot since it’ll be our first Europe trip post COVID! So HBO is definitely out of the question. Given all the hassles, I think we’re just gonna bite the bullet and choose the QR route which depart one day early.

orbitmic

Actually, it's even a bit worse than that - it would be landside connection before rechecking the bags: you wouldn't be able to check them in T5 when your next flight is from T3, and instead you would need to carry them with you in the train/tube to check them in the next terminal. So I agree with you: if travelling HBO is not an option, then I really don't think via LHR would be a good idea. Yes of course, it is always possible you'd get a nice agent who would accept to check your bags through but you simply cannot know in advance and BA policy is that this is not supposed to happen, so with outstations being staffed by contracted companies, most agents don't care about being helpful or don't know if that would risk being reproached to them by BA if there was a problem such as a lost bags and won't do it. So the QR option you want to take seems like the more reasonable choice to me.

London Dude

Is there any country in Europe that your husband can fly to without a visa? If that's the case and he can fly visa-free to say XXX, he could buy a one-way CDG-LHR-XXX ticket, which would permit him to board the CDG-LHR flight, and then miss the ongoing LHR-XXX segment, remain airside and board the JL flight instead.

bakaneko85

Unfortunately no. he’ll have to apply for schengen visa, but the number of entry in/out is specific as per his application which needs proof such as flight in/out and return ticket to Japan from that destination. Besides, in this case wouldn’t BA check him in all the way to XXX? Him missing his final leg would cause problem.. i’ve done throwaway ticketing several times before but definitely not for a connecting flight that departs several hours apart and with my status being checked in.

ISTFlyer

As someone who needs a visa for all EU countries and the UK and heard these kinds of experiences from a lot of people, I would definitely suggest the OP to get a refund of their JL award ticket and fly through the Middle East or Turkey which has no transit requirements and fly to France directly without involving the UK on separate tickets.