Hey all,
I've booked a ticket ATL-JFK-LHR (Delta connecting to Virgin Atlantic) and return LHR-JFK-ATL. As my final destination is actually Paris, I'll need a way to get there from LHR. Right now, my options seem to be:

1) British Airways
2) Air France
3) Cross town to Victoria station, then Eurostar

I'm on the last flight out of JFK the evening of 5/25, arriving into LHR at 10:50am on 5/26. My return flight leaves LHR at 9:30am on 6/27.

Questions:

If I do end up flying, can my bags be checked through all the way to Paris (or, returning, JFK), or do I have to clear customs and/or passport control in LHR and then recheck? (I know the UK isn't in Schengen, but the Heathrow website seems to imply that connecting passengers have to clear some form of passport control.)

Also, June 27th is a Sunday. The earliest Eurostar arrives around 8:30a, leaving me zero hope of making it to LHR for a 9:30 departure. Thus, if I took the Eurostar, I'd likely take the train in the day before and spend the night in London. The first CDG-LHR flight on the 27th is a BA which arrives at 8:00a. Is this enough time to make a connection, and could the bags be checked through? (BA and Virgin are arch-rivals, as I understand it...)

Thanks in advance,

C.

You might also consider BMI to CDG.

My July 11 BMI ticket for LHR-CDG was only 12 pounds + taxes and fees (which I think added up to more than the fare itself).

Your only option is to spend the night in London on your way back I'm afraid - nobody will get you to LHR early enough to catch your connection by train or air. I agree you should definitely consider BMI though - at the moment you can get a web-only fare of �9 + tax each way. Of course, the drawback with this e-ticket fare is that you won't have a chance of persuading them to check your bags all the way from ATL to CDG.

Bought a bmi ticket for the outbound leg (the return cost a whole, whole lot more; I'll probably take the Eurostar back). Is there absolutely /no/ chance of having my bag tagged through to CDG, even with a printed itinerary? Is this a LHR policy, an ATL policy, or what?

Thanks,
C.

Are you sure it's not available? I saw the �9 fare available on a number of Saturday flights CDG-LHR on http://www.flybmi.com yesterday.

It's up to DL when they check you in at ATL whether they're willing to check you through a flight on a separate ticket. Since you don't have a paper ticket, I'm afraid I'm not hopeful that they'll be able to verify your reservation on their computer system.

The first flight of the day is:-So you might ask BA and VS whether 90 minutes is enough for the T4-T3 connection that you would have to make.