asnovici

Question for the regulars, we are connecting from ORD to SOF at LHR at T5 in a month. We only have 85 minutes between the flights and have read and witnessed complete chaos at LHR over the past few months. Does anyone have any experience is the SOF flights usually leave from the A concourse or is it B or C? Is it accurate to assume that the BA 380 from ORD would arrive at C gates?

We are in CW and hand luggage only but are trying to be prepared whether we should or can take the train to the A concourse and go through the Flight Connections, enter UK there and go through the First Wing (we are OWE) or maybe do the T5B or T5C security if the SOF flight will depart from the same building.

One more question, since there is only one flight to SOF on BA that day, if we misconnect (its one ticket) would BA put us on Bulgaria Air in the afternoon or would we have to wait for the next day's flight on BA? Our tickets are paid J ORD LHR SOF.

Thank you for your recommendations.

scottishpoet

With HAL limiting the number if passengers BA can sell tickets to, i have not seen thecsame reports of chaos in the last few weeks. I suspect that, if your ord flight is on time you will make an 85 minute connection witjout problems

The last few days the sof flight has gone from A. (A1, a17, a11) but on the day anything can happen. While my krk usually went from a, there was the c and b justvto keep me guessing.

In the event of a misconnect a number of options may be open depending on availability, including rerouting on LH

bisonrav

I wouldn't be all that concerned about 85 minutes. Most times you'll make this with some lounge time. The times you don't there are rerouting options. You can't plan for all possibilities, but the odds are somewhat in your favour, and unless you have pressing needs to be somewhere I'd be fatalistic and roll with whatever happens.

Depending on dates you probably have some options with flexible bookings to move flights touching LHR, so if you really have to be in SOF that day, you can jiggle things around, maybe move the inbound back one day. I just did something similar with an ex JER to OTP where I must be in Bucharest on a particular day, despite this being a JER->OTP ticket, BA were happy to move just the JER leg back.

corporate-wage-slave

I have been through T5 in the last month a lot more than most media writers, and there is no chaos. Friday night was slightly stickier, it took 90 seconds rather than 60 seconds.

If you have e-gate access and First Wing and one hour in hand before departure, then go out landside and back in, otherwise say airside. You flight can be 30 minutes delayed and you should still make the flight.

asnovici

Thank you for this! We do have eGates and First Wing. Sounds like that may be a better option. How is T5 Flight Connections vs First Wing around 7am?

If the flight is delayed by 30 min, should we try the Flight Connections or the First wing option? Just concerned about the infamous conformance.

corporate-wage-slave

As I mentioned, when you get to the UK Border, if you see the queue is moving quickly, which is generally the case, and you have at least one hour before your next flight, or more, then go via landside. If you have less, or the queue for the e-gates looks really bad, then you should go via Flight Connections.

crazyarmadillo

We always do what CWS says. If connecting, less than an hour, then flight connections, but with e-gates and more than one hour , we exit, first checking the lines at e gates.

It takes us 7/8 mins for us, from border (after successful passport check at egates) to exit and get to first wing , subject to elevator to departure level.

And I'm not exactly the fastest walker.

VSLover

also a month from now (presumably the US labor day holiday?) things should start to get a bit more quiet with a lot of kids starting back to school so thus too the end of crushes of family holidays. im traveling around the same period and part of the reason is to avoid family holiday makers and the resulting crowds.

crazyarmadillo

Hope so, employee short-staffed at the first wing security channel closing one lane, can cause issues. But in that case also probably lines at flight connections.

id still is exit in this particular case. Conformance is the thing I would look for in terms of best route

becks1

Ive done both T5 connections and landside off of the ORD flight in the past month and both options were quick and easy.

Had plenty of time for breakfast in CCR both times (I’m GGL), so as long as the ORD flight is on time, walk fairly briskly to either T5 connections or arrivals and you should be fine with time to have a moment to refresh in the First Lounge.

You will be able to see if there is much of a queue at the e-gates (note you can’t use them for under age 12s), but won’t be able to judge the connection queues before committing to that path.

motef

Does anybody have a photo of the orange lift and the area if going landslide exiting near baggage carousel 9 and up to First Wing?

iadisgreat

As a data point, we arrived from IAD this past Monday at a little after 6 am to B gates. Walked in the tunnel to A and took the escalators up to flight connections and were sitting in the CCR at 6:40 am (despite a bag being pulled aside and wanded for 5 minutes). There was almost no line at e-gates, but didn't want to deal with it and flight connections security lines were non-existent.

VSLover

its right next to the last set of doors and is very...orange. cant miss, next to a costa coffee stand. down the entire arrivals area there are various lifts in different colors.

but in the far background is the red one next to the caffe nero that takes you to the farthest end by the first wing.

rstruthe

I would suggest 85 minutes is really tight. T5 to T5 with a departure out of C gates, took me 2 hours a few weeks ago, and that was me running for the gate.
It took 105 minutes just to clear transit security. No fast lanes were running when I was there.
I wouldn't book a transit under 3 hours right now based on my experience.

JasYHZ

Hi All,

Is there a way to see which gates flights usually arrive into and depart from? We have flights 02SEP with a 90 min connection and not having to leave the secure area would be helpful. The last time I was through LHR was 2014. We arrive on BA66 from PHL @ 0650 and depart on BA548 to FCO @ 0820; Canadians with Canadian passports if that makes a difference. If it's typically a T5A to T5A or B to B etc that's great. If we find that it's an A to C or something like that can we just use the underground train to go between terminals and save exiting and reclearing security again?

Thanks!