Connecting in MAN from AY to AA?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: SFO / SJC
Programs: UA GLD 1MM, AA PLT 2MM, SPG Gold, Marriott Gold, HH Silver
Posts: 601
Connecting in MAN from AY to AA?
Didn't find anything on this or other forums, so here goes.
I'm bringing some relatives from HEL to the states connecting in Manchester. Having never been to MAN myself I have a couple of questions.
First the facts. They're flying HEL-MAN-ORD, first leg on AY (AA codeshare) in Y cabin, connecting to AA in C cabin. They arrive on Monday 3/31 at 920am to MAN with 1035am departure, thus a relatively short connection time of 1hr 15min. Airport website indicates AY uses terminal 1 and AA terminal 3, but the maps are unclear on how the connections would work.
- Is 1 hour 15 minutes a reasonable connecting time from AY to AA at that hour of week?
- Do they have to exit the secure area going from T1 to T3?
- Any other help / hint / links to make this doable for two retirees with less-than-perfect English?
Sami
I'm bringing some relatives from HEL to the states connecting in Manchester. Having never been to MAN myself I have a couple of questions.
First the facts. They're flying HEL-MAN-ORD, first leg on AY (AA codeshare) in Y cabin, connecting to AA in C cabin. They arrive on Monday 3/31 at 920am to MAN with 1035am departure, thus a relatively short connection time of 1hr 15min. Airport website indicates AY uses terminal 1 and AA terminal 3, but the maps are unclear on how the connections would work.
- Is 1 hour 15 minutes a reasonable connecting time from AY to AA at that hour of week?
- Do they have to exit the secure area going from T1 to T3?
- Any other help / hint / links to make this doable for two retirees with less-than-perfect English?
Sami
#2
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Vantaa, Finland
Programs: AY Lumo, FB Gold
Posts: 1,667
The procedure is quite simple: before the UK immigration there will a corridor marked "Transfer", "Flight connections" or something similar. Go there, follow it to a security checkpoint (I don't know why UK insists on doing this - so pointless), after passing it there will be signs for T1 and T3, follow the appropriate signs through some twisting corridors and elevators and sooner or later you should pop up somewhere in the middle of T3 airside. Proceed to the AA gate and get harassed yet again for another security check.
One caveat I see is that you need the AA boarding passes in order to be able to use the transfer route. I don't think there are any transfer desks where one could obtain these. Hopefully AY in HEL is able to issue these - or maybe online checkin works for the AA flight (which I seriously doubt). Otherwise one has to do the landside shuffle and that will take a lot more time - including fighting through the shopping mall and food gallery between T1 and T3 and checking in and clearing security in T3, which is usually very crowded in peak times.
I hope it all is booked as one ticket and not as two separate ones - in the first case should anything bad happen they will get rebooked on a later flight (via LHR presumably).
#3
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: San Diego
Posts: 2,691
FlyingFinn explains the process far better than I could.
AY should be able to check you in all the way through, HEL-MAN-ORD is actualy a very popular connection. If not, then there are transfer desks and they should be able to help you out.
The connection is a little tight, but perfectly achievable assuming the AY flight is ontime. Like also mentioned, if it all goes tits up the reroute via LHR is the fallback option, but with the inconvenience that the C upgrade probably won't stick.
AY should be able to check you in all the way through, HEL-MAN-ORD is actualy a very popular connection. If not, then there are transfer desks and they should be able to help you out.
The connection is a little tight, but perfectly achievable assuming the AY flight is ontime. Like also mentioned, if it all goes tits up the reroute via LHR is the fallback option, but with the inconvenience that the C upgrade probably won't stick.
#4
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Programs: AA EXP (2MM), SAS EBG
Posts: 1,196
I did the connection a month ago, albeit from SK to AA. But SK also arrives at T1 so the procedure should be the same.
Follow the signs for Transfers when arriving. In order to get from T1 to T3 you (or your parents) will need to take a bus. They will call the bus from the transfer desk and it should arrive within 6 minutes. They drive you to T3 where you will pass through security. (I doubt that you can walk.)
If you do not have a boarding pass (I didn't) it was enough to show the itinerary from AA. After security a gentleman showed me to the AA gate where AA printed boarding passes, looked thorugh my passport, asked if I packed my bagfs myself, asked why I was going to the US etc.
I hade 1h15min to my disposal and it worked out fine - but the SK flight was on time (actually a bit early) and noone else was transferring so every thing went very smooth.
If AY is delayed you may get in trouble as they most likely wait for connecting passengers. But there are several possibilities to connect via LHR.
Follow the signs for Transfers when arriving. In order to get from T1 to T3 you (or your parents) will need to take a bus. They will call the bus from the transfer desk and it should arrive within 6 minutes. They drive you to T3 where you will pass through security. (I doubt that you can walk.)
If you do not have a boarding pass (I didn't) it was enough to show the itinerary from AA. After security a gentleman showed me to the AA gate where AA printed boarding passes, looked thorugh my passport, asked if I packed my bagfs myself, asked why I was going to the US etc.
I hade 1h15min to my disposal and it worked out fine - but the SK flight was on time (actually a bit early) and noone else was transferring so every thing went very smooth.
If AY is delayed you may get in trouble as they most likely wait for connecting passengers. But there are several possibilities to connect via LHR.
#5
Join Date: May 2007
Location: LON, UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 373
#6
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Vantaa, Finland
Programs: AY Lumo, FB Gold
Posts: 1,667
Follow the signs for Transfers when arriving. In order to get from T1 to T3 you (or your parents) will need to take a bus. They will call the bus from the transfer desk and it should arrive within 6 minutes. They drive you to T3 where you will pass through security. (I doubt that you can walk.)
Again interesting. My trip was HEL-MAN-LHR-MAN-HEL (cheaper ticket, more miles and better timings for my purposes) and on the return journey the BA SS machines wouldn't issue me a boarding pass for the AY MAN-HEL flight. At MAN they didn't let me transfer airside since I didn't have a boarding pass - a printed e-ticket receipt and itinerary did not help. My colleagues who checked in the old fashioned way at Heathrow were issued AY BPs and were allowed to transfer. This cost me at least 30 minutes of precious beer drinking time at the nice BA Terraces in MAN (it pays off to have an AY Plat as a colleague ).
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: SFO / SJC
Programs: UA GLD 1MM, AA PLT 2MM, SPG Gold, Marriott Gold, HH Silver
Posts: 601
Their travel is booked as one ticket, and they are using my eVIPs to upgrade the AA metal legs Y -> C. Therefore if they miss the connection and get rerouted it'll be back of the bus!
It's good to know it's a popular connection, should result in no-hassle all-through BP's being issued at HEL.
Sami
#9
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Programs: AA EXP (2MM), SAS EBG
Posts: 1,196
Again interesting. My trip was HEL-MAN-LHR-MAN-HEL (cheaper ticket, more miles and better timings for my purposes) and on the return journey the BA SS machines wouldn't issue me a boarding pass for the AY MAN-HEL flight. At MAN they didn't let me transfer airside since I didn't have a boarding pass - a printed e-ticket receipt and itinerary did not help. My colleagues who checked in the old fashioned way at Heathrow were issued AY BPs and were allowed to transfer. This cost me at least 30 minutes of precious beer drinking time at the nice BA Terraces in MAN (it pays off to have an AY Plat as a colleague ).
All in all - Manchester is very nice airport to connect through as they are so much more friendly there (compared to the zoo at LHR/LGW).
Of course it was better when AY arrived in terminal 3 (and flew from ARN) but it still a nice airport.
Last edited by GetAA81Back2ARN; Dec 19, 2007 at 12:13 pm Reason: Changed with to without
#10
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: London, United Kingdom
Programs: OW/AA, DL, UA; Marriott Titanium
Posts: 4,936
Done this before, and yep, they'll need AY to issue the BP's in HEL. AY had no problem doing this for me. And yep, the BA person at the "transfer" area will need to see these to let your people thru the corridors.
If your people are AA Plats or higher, I'd def. recommend a stop at AY's lounge in HEL. And, the AA flight is significantly delayed, I'd suggest a stop at the BA Terraces Lounge in MAN, as it def. beats the term. area downstairs. But, that's only if time permits...the time they've got as is may be too tight for the lounge visit.
If your people are AA Plats or higher, I'd def. recommend a stop at AY's lounge in HEL. And, the AA flight is significantly delayed, I'd suggest a stop at the BA Terraces Lounge in MAN, as it def. beats the term. area downstairs. But, that's only if time permits...the time they've got as is may be too tight for the lounge visit.
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: SFO / SJC
Programs: UA GLD 1MM, AA PLT 2MM, SPG Gold, Marriott Gold, HH Silver
Posts: 601
If your people are AA Plats or higher, I'd def. recommend a stop at AY's lounge in HEL.
#12
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Programs: AA EXP (2MM), SAS EBG
Posts: 1,196
They should, if time permits, have lounge access anyway as they are flying international C. If they connect in ORD they should have access to Admirals Club as well as they arrive on international C.
#13
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Portland OR Double Emerald (QF and AA), DL PM/MM, Starwood Plat
Posts: 19,589
One caveat: the AA flight almost always leaves on time (for lots of reasons AA works very hard to accomplish this), and the 2 times that I flew AY in HEL my flights were over 1 hour late. Which might be just enough to miss the connection....but not to worry, if AA MAN-ORD is missed in J, a reroute MAN-LHR-ORD is easily done esp. for a J ticket, as there are dozens of daily flights LHR-USA. Maybe one of the better places to have a tight connection to a once-a-day flight. The BA MAN-JFK flight leaves just before the AA one, so it isn't useful for reroute purposes.