Hi all

Just seeking some opinions from anyone who�s done similar or been through Heathrow recently!

In a few weeks, I�m flying EBB-DOH-LHR and will land in Terminal 4 at 6.25am on a Monday morning. (QR11, A380). I�m then, on a separate ticket, scheduled to do LHR-HEL at 10.20 from terminal 3. (For whatever reason this was by far the cheapest way to do this journey, none of QR, BA or Finnair were matching this price as one journey).

I�m guessing that, barring delays, normal immigration and baggage collection off an A380 will take some time (though I�ll get a seat as close to the front as possible), then transferring terminals etc. I�m BAEC silver so I guess I could use priority check in for the Finnair leg which may save some painful queuing.

Am I being reasonable here? Or do you think I�m going to end up missing the Finnair flight due to current Heathrow madness

my other options might be:

1. change to the BA flight Doha-LHR which lands at T5 around 10 mins earlier

3. rebook on an afternoon Finnair flight (but miss out on their a350 which is always nice and have to stay at LHR most of the day)

3. Rebook Doha - LGW and try to go Norwegian to Helsinki.

Appreciate that nobody can predict the future, but just wondering what your opinions might be on the feasibility of this!

cheers!

 

Recently I had a trip from BLQ-LHR-ABZ which required self transfer from T3 to T5 we were HBO - still took about 90 minutes to get from T3 to T5 (we just missed the HEX to T5) immigration was laughably long, this on top of the flight being 90 minutes late just added to the fun. Four hours might be enough if your plane is on time……I’ve no idea how long the T4 immigration queues are - it’s been a while since I’ve been there.

 

If you show your AY ticket to QR at EBB, they should be able to check your bag through to HEL - they have the published policy of checking through bags on separate tickets if your onward flight is operated by a oneworld partner. I did it most recently on a totally different routing (SEA-QR-DOH-QR-KTM-MH-KUL), and it worked beautifully - QR was even able to issue my MH boarding pass for KTM-KUL.

I definitely would not change from QR to BA for DOH-LHR - T4 has been doing a lot better than T2/T3/T5, so QR is a great carrier to be flying rn.

 

Yup, 4 hours should be plenty for immigration, baggage collection, and T4 to T3 transfer. The latter is a short and free ride on Heathrow Express or the Elizabeth line.

Note QR 11 has often been arriving over one hour late recently. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/QTR11

 

Thanks for the advice on T5!

I had no idea that QR offered that service, but it's great to know. I think I will attempt to do that at EBB, and also will book a fully refundable flex ticket for the next Finnair flight leaving LHR (which I can cancel once I know I don't need it).

Out of interest, I wonder what happens in a case where e.g. Qatar checks the bags through, but their flight is so severely delayed that the connection (to the next segment, Finnair in my case) is missed... I guess bags are checked through, but then surely Qatar needs to take on some responsibility for re-booking you on the next flight on the final segment?

 

If you misconnect on separate tickets, QR will not take any responsibility - if you misconnect at LHR, you'll need to ask for your bag to be sent to baggage claim, and then you're on your own.

However, checking bags through (and therefore being able to use the flight connections path) definitely makes it more likely that you'll make your connection even if your flight is delayed.

 

I do that flight (albeit from US) arriving LHR at around 6 am and leaving for HEL at 10. In the few occasions that my checked bag did not make it, it usually involves more than one carrier (AA>AY or BA>AY) and both point the finger to the other. If I was you, I'd check my bag to LHR, pick it up when you arrive and recheck it with AY. Of course, this will shorten your time spent at CX lounge.

 

Good to know, thanks again.

Yeah, I've connected T5 to T3 and T4 to T3 before (airside) for getting on Finnair and it's usually pretty quick. Fingers crossed!

 

Once you get to HEL, per IATA rules, AY is always responsible for finding your bag and/or dealing with any compensation required for baggage delays. Pointing you to AA or BA is at best incompetence, and at worst a malicious attempt to avoid providing you the relevant compensation.

I haven't had an interline bag get delayed/lost in 100+ connections in the past few years, including a BA-AY connection at LHR a few years ago. The key is to always show your baggage tag to the gate agent before boarding and have them verify that the tag number is correctly in the system. The automation usually works, so the tag number is typically there, but it's important because it provides a cue to the agent that "oh, I need to make sure someone goes to the transfer bag location to get the bag"

 

Thanks for sharing your experience!

I guess I need to weigh up the different pros and cons. It sounds like keeping things separate would give me more control if something were to happen (e.g. late inbound from Doha), then I could just jump on the afternoon AY flight. But if everything was running on time, or even 1-2 hours late, combining the tickets and staying airside would let me comfortably make the AY flight. But if I combine and the inbound from Doha is extremely late (i.e. lands after 10am), then possibly be without baggage hanging around LHR (though they may automatically send the baggage on to HEL on the later flight anyway)...

 

Can you buy a BA ticket LHR-HEL with same day flight change?

 

Not from BA. I don't know what AY offer if you buy direct from them.

 

I talked to Finnair and they assured me that there is no �latest� cancellation time on their �flex� fares. If anyone knows otherwise then it�s be great to know!

 

This past Tuesday morning, my wife and I checked out at the Premier Inn at T4 and took the train to T3 for our connecting flight, a promising beginning for the day. It was when we assumed our place at the end of the line for the Virgin Atlantic check-in counter that we realized just how massively crowded Healthrow was that day (in part due to reduced staff).

While the situation looked orderly and just busy, the whole thing was precarious when dipping into the details. To begin with, I found it hard to believe that nowhere was there any estimate for the wait in major lines, including to enter security. I asked various staff, and no one knew why. Anyone with a reservation could have been told ahead of time, something, anything.

The wait for the Virgin Atlantic line was more than two hours. I skipped line at some point, but only because I eventually was able to sort out contradictory answers from staff. As I already had a boarding pass, two said I could go straight to security if I brought my suitcase as a carry-on, another said I couldn�t because my boarding pass didn�t say docs ok.

The wait in the security line was nearly two hours. When I asked a staff member directing security line traffic about the fast track line, he said it was just as bad, not realizing he was looking at T3�s other regular security line. Once we exited security and I looked at a departure screen, it said the gate for our flight (or any maybe) wouldn�t be posted until an hour before departure!

Given how densely populated the area was, I�m surprised the airport didn�t put in place a mask requirement, because after all it matters that people who are infectious wear one (more than the rest of us). I never contracted Covid during the two and a half years, but that day I did. Of course I could also have gotten it from the person I was sitting next to for twelve hours on the LHR-SFO flight. I may never know.

 

This sounds absolutely horrible, and I am sorry to hear of your experience.