LHR MCT (min connect time) : OW Online Tool says "No" but will AA RTW Desk allow it?
 

My choices for an FCO-xLHR-PRG segments for an AONE5 either involve relatively short connections or extremely long layovers. One connection that I personally am comfortable with is FCO-LHR 11:45-13:30 and then LHR-PRG 14:55-17:55. That's 85 minutes. BA says LHR T5-T5 MCT is 60 minutes. We will be in BA's CE so should get off the a/c quicker, and have fast track at flight connection security. My only other option involves a 3 hour layover and arriving PRG at 21:25, which is later that I wanted to.

Do people think 85 min is just a bad idea to begin with? If not, the online OW booking/planning tool pulls this connection up as an error. Will the AA RTW desk see the same thing the online tool is seeing and refuse to book it, or is the AA RTW desk more flexible and they will allow an 85 min connection in LHR?

Thanks.

MCT is enforced and AA won't be able to book an illegal connection. But MCT at LHR is seasonal and changes every few months as various systems at LHR are improved, so the date of your trip determines what MCT is required. There were about 20 different MCT values at LHR during 2008 and probably the same next year (further complicated by the BA T1 and T4 moves which keep getting delayed). Once all of T5 is fully operational (if ever), the MCT should be more like 45 min -- it was meant to be 30 min. HEL manages 20 min MCT today, so that isn't an impossible goal -- just very unlikely.

The oneworld tool gives an error for ALL connections of two hours or less as not meeting MCT.

This, of course, is not always correct!

If BA permit 60 minute T5-T5 connections than AA should be able to ticket it.

Very annoying it is too - seems to slow down the tool as it keeps revalidating and giving errors.

This would be in July.

I didn't realize BA keeps changing the MCT.

They have a fancy PDF for "Connecting at London Heathrow" here and click on the Terminal 5 PDF. It says prominently "Transfer Time: Please Allow 60 Minutes"

Personally, I would not be comfortable with 85 minutes at LHR, even T5-T5. Just too many opportunities for things to go wrong.

85 minutes is not a big buffer. Remember you cannot get through transfer security if you reach conformance 35 minutes or less before departure (special BA T5 rule). All it would take is a minor delay combined with a bus gate and you'd miss the connection.

BTW T5 does not have fast track at transfer security :td: There is a priority lane at the conformance check, however.

You might be lucky with 85 min, but since MCT flight is only once daily, I would like more safety margins. Given the air congestion in Europe, especially at LHR, please give me 2h

OPs onward flight is to PRG not MCT. MCT here stands for minimum connection time.

Good to know, I think I'll go for the long layover and just not risk the hassle, especially on a honeymoon. Although BA sure could do a better job with the wording here:

PDF says they same thing.

?? I've used fast track at the transfer security in T5, although I'm not sure if it was actually any faster than the normal security lines.

:confused:

It wasn't there last month. I asked and was told there is none.

There was a fast track at the transfer conformance check (before security), but it was actually slower than the other line.