Lonedaddy

Flying BA ARN-LHR-CVG (USA) mid June 1120 am flight. What time should I plan to arrive? How long is security and customs? Are there any lounges (flying club world) also one world emerald and are the before of after security. I thought I read that there is an American express lounge and a Qatar lounge. And just confirming that there are smoking areas after security.

thank you

GUWonder

Not sure about how accurate the following link still is since I don’t go looking for smoking areas, but it sounds like it is reflective of at least some of what has been there:

https://airportsmokers.com/airports_...html#gsc.tab=0

There is an Amex pop-up lounge.

With priority check-in and security and tickets in good order, I don’t show up more than 75-90 minutes for any ARN-LHR-US routing using BA out of ARN — unless the plan included hanging out in ARN lounges for whatever reason.

The Amex pop-up at ARN is sort of weaker than what the Amex lounge used to be in prior years. Can’t say the Pearl Lounge at ARN makes me want to arrive at ARN any earlier.

TPJ

I do not believe OP would be use AMEX lounge as BA returned to T2, while AX lounge is in T5. There is only one lounge in T2 - nothing to write home about, but serves the purpose...

GUWonder

If taking the 7:30am BA flight out of ARN, no lounge at ARN is worth coming in early enough to use lounges at another terminal.

I don’t know how long a layover the OP has at LHR, but for a BA-BA itinerary to CVG on at least some days in June the schedule out of ARN on BA seemed awful unless the desire is to have a long layover at LHR.

While terminal hopping at ARN between T2 and T5 is not for most, terminal hopping at ARN is not restricted at ARN any more than going back and forth between airside and landside within a terminal at ARN is restricted.

Lonedaddy

I didn't realize BA moved to T2 still shows as T5 on some sites. Our flight departs at 1120 am and we have a 3 hour connection in LHR so we will make use of the lounge there.

Tomas E

There is fast track through security (at T2 it’s usually just a ”skip lane”) so that won’t take you long. There are only a few non-Schengen flights from T2 so likely everyone queueing in passport control are on the same flight as you, so if there are queues you’re all heading in the same direction. The Pearl T2 lounge (known as Aurora until quite recently) is the best/least bad of the three contract lounges at ARN (more food options and more space than the T5 one) so you won’t suffer too much if you have to spend half an hour there.

The _Banking_Scot

Hi,


Just used T2 yesterday morning ( 0825 BA flight to LHR then GLA)
BA check in is in the 51-60 check in desk area ( almost feels like you are leaving the terminal as it is in the opposite direction from check in desks 1-30 ( opens 2.5hrs prior to dep)
Fast track security is quick
Pearl lounge ( upstairs prior to passport control) is reasonable for a third party lounge ( few hot options)
After passport control there is only the waiting area, toilets and 2 vending machines ( you can see the sports bar through the glass at one end of the waiting area but you cannot access it once through passport control)

Regards

TBS

GUWonder

With regard to Terminal 2 smokers and an above link’s “On the entrance floor, after Security, By the stairs, go up to O'Leary's restaurant, there is a new smoking area” language:

last week when exiting out of the Pearl lounge, I saw someone smoking in that contained booth facing the OLeary’s sports bar.

UKtravelbear

Quick Q,

I will be arriving at ARN in a couple of weeks on AY then departing on BA. Separate tickets no bags.

I know there is passport control to leave Schengen to get to the BA gates but what about security? Do the arrivals from HEL decant into gate area or elsewhere meaning I need to do security?

Also I’ve seen reference to HEL not using mobile BPs. Is that correct? If so is there anywhere to get one airside or do I need to dash out to the BA check in desks?

I’m looking to do a same day change of the BA flight and won’t have much time to do that then security etc.

Thanks.

Tomas E

So you're flying HEL-ARN on AY (they also fly DOH-ARN...) and ARN-LHR on BA? Then you're lucky because both your flights are in the small ARN terminal 2.
I must admit that I'm a bit "rusty" on the current layout at T2 because I have only been flying Schengen (IB) from there since they reopened after covid, and not flown BA since they moved there just a couple of months ago. BA only moved from ARN T5 to T2 after some building work involving the passport check/border police area, but I think that was just a work environment-related refurbishment rather than any change in layout.
Well, HEL-ARN is a Schengen arrival, which at ARN normally means that arriving and departing passengers are mixed in the Schengen departure area. So just avoid going towards the baggage belt. (Non-Schengen arrival is a different story.)

I don't quite understand your question about mobile boarding passes. At ARN you would need a BP for your BA booking, which you would get from your BA app (at least if everything works...), which wouldn't care that you've arrived from HEL on a separate booking?

UKtravelbear

Ok thanks yes it’s a HEL-ARN flight (booking is LHR-HEL-ARN all on AY and finishes a complicated trip to the US). I’ll have no luggage.

So on arrival ex ARN I’ll be in gate area with no security to clear.and only need to make my way to the BA gate via passport control?

Yes the BA flight is a separate booking and since I want to do a same day change to an earlier flight (which I’ll only know if I’ll make if the HEL-ARN is on time) so I’ll be relying on the app to do the change as I won’t have time to get to the BA desks to get a printed one.

I’m sure I read that ARN (which I meant to type not HEL) is an airport didn’t use mobile BPs hence my concern about that aspect,

GUWonder

ARN is an airport that doesn’t use mobile BPs? That is news to me. Within the last eight days, I have used four different airlines’ mobile phone boarding passes to go airside at ARN and to board flights out of ARN — of the four, two were airlines out of ARN T2.

r2d2

Usually that's the case, but there is one Schengen gate in T2 which pours to the baggage claim area and transit pax need to re-clear security. Every now and then AY flights from HEL use that gate. I can't remember the gate number though.

UKtravelbear

Thanks guys.

It did seem jarring when I read it but GUWonder you’ve calmed my worries.

r2d2 thanks I’ll keep,an eye on the ARN website to see if that happens. I’ll just have to walk fast!

Tomas E

I usually fly with checked in luggage when I fly ARN-LHR, so I usually get a paper BP as well, but I checked my phone and I have a couple of BA BPs from the last year (although none since they moved back to T2). So that rumour simply isn't be true, just as GUWonder said.