T3 Arrival to T5 Departure. Through check bags?
 

Hi.

As the title suggests, I'm quite unsure whether to through check my bags that arrive at LHR T3 then depart from T5, or given the recent issues, whether it better to reclaim them at T3 and then head to T5 landside. I've got a good few hours so timing shouldn't be an issue hopefully. Is it really that more risky through-checking in terms of losing bags?

Thanks.

Firstly, I answer this on the assumption that your booking in question is all on one ticket as I'm sure you're aware BA doesn't through check baggage on separate tickets.

This is a tricky one to answer. Firstly, you may find that the agent at your originating airport may refuse to short-check your bags just to LHR and insist on checking through to the final destination (if the transit time is only a few hours). Assuming they do allow you to short check, then you could potentially have a list of problems upon arrival at LHR:
- Bags arriving late on baggage belt
- Delays clearing the border at T3
- Delays with public transport between T3 - T5 (especially if say a rail strike were to be announced for that given day)
- Delays in checking-in at T5 again
- T5 security delays

Whilst it may give a sense of "reassurance" that you have your bag with you, as you can see from the above, if any of those were to occur (and it's highly plausible a few of those could occur at the same time on the day), then you've essentially shot yourself in the foot and risking missing your connecting flight. Then it goes into the grey area of "Are you actually still protected?" given you've consciously made the choice not to be through-checked. In my view, there are more variables that could go wrong by essentially converting this into a self-connection.

Of course, I do understand your anxieties surrounding the whole operational mess that airports and airlines are having at the moment and any reluctance you might be having towards through checking in. Despite everything, if I were you, I'd hinge on through-checking the bags and transferring airside. Buy an AirTag and pop it in your checked baggage as that may alleviate some of the stress about the baggage itself.

Hope this helps :)

Key assumption: your bags are on a single journey, single ticket/PNR.

Bags don't make their connection because, in order of importance (i.e. no. of bags that fail to connect):
1. There isn't enough time between inbound and outbound
2. A bag fails screening, needs manual checks/input and thus doesn't make it to the lateral (i.e. where they "build" bins) in time
3. Bags that travel outside the automated path. This is Out of Gauge bags. They rely on a more manual process and where there's human there's error.

In this case, the transfer between T3 and T5 per se is not a problem. The bags travel through a tunnel between terminals and that is a highly automated activity with as close to zero bag short-shipment as possible.

Thanks both. That's all very helpful.

Yes it's on the same PNR.

I travel frequently but usually don't connect. I choose to stay over at LHR each way and make it less stressful.

After what you've said I think the best thing probably is to go with the flow and through check. I'll give my bag a pat goodbye before I check it in.

I would just check them through.

I think you are heading home? In the very worst case scenario the bag misses your flight, put ion a later flight to NCL, and couriered to your home.

Yes, I'm heading home. All comments considered, I'm checking them though. Thanks.

bags are not any more likely to miss the connection on a t3 to t5 connection than they are on a connection within t5. The bags will make it to t5 before you do

Thats the best option!

I've only transferred flight connections T3 to T5 once a few years ago. It was chaos and took far too long. Is there any ability to use any Fast track during the process?

So long as the e-gates are clear, and assuming no-one is under 12, just exit LHR T5 via the main UK Border and then take the lifts up to Departures and use the First Wing. If you have over an hour before the next flight it's probably the best thing to do.

I'm unfamiliar with this. Are you saying that I can do as you've suggested after getting the airside flight connections bus from T3 to T5? If so, what is the likely benefit? Thanks.

I think we've been through this before. There are often shorter queues in the First Wing compared to security elsewhere in T5, including Flight Connections. So the benefit is that it takes less time.

Also see the discussion here:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...onnection.html

I ask this because I'm not familiar with this route at all. I was completely unaware that you could do this after taking the the airside bus from another terminal. Somehow I thought passengers would only be channeled through airside only and not be able to go landside at T5. Is it really obvious for someone that thinks they are following flight connections, but then deviates from that and goes landside to use the First Wing?

There's a big sign saying UK Border, so yes it is obvious, and as I say I've advised you of this previously too so it really should not be a huge surprise. There are also many other posts about this in FT, so you're not the first to ask by any means, it probably sounds counter-intuitive. It's more problematic for someone who doesn't have First Wing or e-gate access for example. But I'm not in the habit of giving duff advice, as I hope you will also appreciate.