VS to BA transfer at LHR: advice needed
Apr 22, 2016, 10:18 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Sarasota, FL
Programs: StarWood Hotels-Gold, Loews Hotels-Gold, RCI-Diamond, HH Diamond
Posts: 143
VS to BA transfer at LHR: advice needed
Good Day All.
As an LHR novice I would be appreciative of any advice and information those more experienced could provide.
We are on VS J JFK - LHR (6:45am Arrival T3) departing BA Y LHR - JTR (10:10am T5). I'm somewhat confident VS will ticket the bags through as they have done in the past as a J passenger.
Given we have a three hour layover we would like to use the VS arrivals lounge to freshen up. I'm assuming we will have time, but unsure due to my unfamiliarity with the LHR connection/immigration methods.
Could someone take a few minutes and provide their thoughts as to our use of the arrivals lounge and then most efficient method of transferring T3 to T5. We are trying to gauge the amount of time we will have in the lounge and allocate for transfer. I believe we will have Fast Track on arrivals in T3, but not sure if we will need to que again making the transfer to T5 airside. Any assistance and clarity would be most appreciative.
Many thanks,
Andrew
As an LHR novice I would be appreciative of any advice and information those more experienced could provide.
We are on VS J JFK - LHR (6:45am Arrival T3) departing BA Y LHR - JTR (10:10am T5). I'm somewhat confident VS will ticket the bags through as they have done in the past as a J passenger.
Given we have a three hour layover we would like to use the VS arrivals lounge to freshen up. I'm assuming we will have time, but unsure due to my unfamiliarity with the LHR connection/immigration methods.
Could someone take a few minutes and provide their thoughts as to our use of the arrivals lounge and then most efficient method of transferring T3 to T5. We are trying to gauge the amount of time we will have in the lounge and allocate for transfer. I believe we will have Fast Track on arrivals in T3, but not sure if we will need to que again making the transfer to T5 airside. Any assistance and clarity would be most appreciative.
Many thanks,
Andrew
Last edited by CoHiba Gent; Apr 22, 2016 at 10:27 am
Apr 22, 2016, 10:26 am
#2
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Signatures
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: London, England
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador, National Exec, AA EXP Emeritus
Posts: 9,765
As this question has nothing to do with AA at all, I've split it out of the AA thread you'd posted it in and moved it to its own thread in the UK and Ireland forum. Good luck with your travels.
~Microwave
AAdvantage forum co-moderator
~Microwave
AAdvantage forum co-moderator
Apr 22, 2016, 11:10 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: somewhere north of London, UK
Programs: HH Gold, BA Silver, Accor Silver
Posts: 15,245
The VS arrivals lounge is landside, so that means going through immigration and baggage reclaim anyway. I suspect you should work on the basis you will have to collect your bags.
Three hours will be sufficient for a quick freshen up in the VS lounge but I must admit I found service painfully slow/absent.
Allow 1 hr to get off the plane and through immigration at LHR. You will have to leave the lounge about 75 minutes before departure to give yourself sufficient time. The train from T3 to T5 (free) only runs every 15 mins, it's about a 5 minute walk at either end and BA strictly enforces a 35 minute conformance check to get through the boarding pass check before security in T5.
In the event VS do offer to check your bags through you could stay airside but then would have no lounge access (unless you have OneWorld status).
Three hours will be sufficient for a quick freshen up in the VS lounge but I must admit I found service painfully slow/absent.
Allow 1 hr to get off the plane and through immigration at LHR. You will have to leave the lounge about 75 minutes before departure to give yourself sufficient time. The train from T3 to T5 (free) only runs every 15 mins, it's about a 5 minute walk at either end and BA strictly enforces a 35 minute conformance check to get through the boarding pass check before security in T5.
In the event VS do offer to check your bags through you could stay airside but then would have no lounge access (unless you have OneWorld status).
Apr 22, 2016, 11:38 am
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: SE1, London
Posts: 23,418
VS do not through check bags if on separate tickets (even in J with a VS Gold card). In fact they invented the restriction and BA followed them... If you have been lucky in the past I would not assume they will do the same this time around. I had problems at LHR even when flights were ticketed together.
BA check in cut off is 45mins before departure - make that an hour as T5 queues are getting worse. You need to leave the arrivals lounge 45mins before that (worse case) which eill probably leave you just 15-20mins after clearing immigration and collecting your bags.
BA check in cut off is 45mins before departure - make that an hour as T5 queues are getting worse. You need to leave the arrivals lounge 45mins before that (worse case) which eill probably leave you just 15-20mins after clearing immigration and collecting your bags.
Apr 22, 2016, 11:53 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Sarasota, FL
Programs: StarWood Hotels-Gold, Loews Hotels-Gold, RCI-Diamond, HH Diamond
Posts: 143
The VS arrivals lounge is landside, so that means going through immigration and baggage reclaim anyway. I suspect you should work on the basis you will have to collect your bags.
Three hours will be sufficient for a quick freshen up in the VS lounge but I must admit I found service painfully slow/absent.
Allow 1 hr to get off the plane and through immigration at LHR. You will have to leave the lounge about 75 minutes before departure to give yourself sufficient time. The train from T3 to T5 (free) only runs every 15 mins, it's about a 5 minute walk at either end and BA strictly enforces a 35 minute conformance check to get through the boarding pass check before security in T5.
In the event VS do offer to check your bags through you could stay airside but then would have no lounge access (unless you have OneWorld status).
Three hours will be sufficient for a quick freshen up in the VS lounge but I must admit I found service painfully slow/absent.
Allow 1 hr to get off the plane and through immigration at LHR. You will have to leave the lounge about 75 minutes before departure to give yourself sufficient time. The train from T3 to T5 (free) only runs every 15 mins, it's about a 5 minute walk at either end and BA strictly enforces a 35 minute conformance check to get through the boarding pass check before security in T5.
In the event VS do offer to check your bags through you could stay airside but then would have no lounge access (unless you have OneWorld status).
VS do not through check bags if on separate tickets (even in J with a VS Gold card). In fact they invented the restriction and BA followed them... If you have been lucky in the past I would not assume they will do the same this time around. I had problems at LHR even when flights were ticketed together.
BA check in cut off is 45mins before departure - make that an hour as T5 queues are getting worse. You need to leave the arrivals lounge 45mins before that (worse case) which eill probably leave you just 15-20mins after clearing immigration and collecting your bags.
BA check in cut off is 45mins before departure - make that an hour as T5 queues are getting worse. You need to leave the arrivals lounge 45mins before that (worse case) which eill probably leave you just 15-20mins after clearing immigration and collecting your bags.
There should be an airport forum hosting information for the larger and more complex airports. Every airline forum seems to host various threads on the same airport but would almost make more sense if it were the other way around.
Last edited by CoHiba Gent; Apr 22, 2016 at 12:41 pm
Apr 22, 2016, 1:37 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brighton. UK
Programs: BA Gold / VS /IHG Diamond & Ambassador
Posts: 14,176
It is not a simple or quick process to be allowed back into the baggage hall once you have left it.
Last edited by UKtravelbear; Apr 22, 2016 at 1:49 pm
Apr 22, 2016, 1:37 pm
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: somewhere north of London, UK
Programs: HH Gold, BA Silver, Accor Silver
Posts: 15,245
Thank you for the detailed information. This is what I was looking for!
Thank you as well it sounds like we will have at most 30 minutes in the arrivals lounge before needing to collect luggage (possibly) and shuttle over to T5 to check in and clear security.
There should be an airport forum hosting information for the larger and more complex airports. Every airline forum seems to host various threads on the same airport but would almost make more sense if it were the other way around.
Thank you as well it sounds like we will have at most 30 minutes in the arrivals lounge before needing to collect luggage (possibly) and shuttle over to T5 to check in and clear security.
There should be an airport forum hosting information for the larger and more complex airports. Every airline forum seems to host various threads on the same airport but would almost make more sense if it were the other way around.
May 5, 2016, 9:14 am
#9
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Los Angeles and Eastern Sierra (weekly travel to SJC). "Home airports": LAX/BUR/BIH/SJC
Programs: SWA A-List Preferred, TSA Pre
Posts: 139
Good Day All.
As an LHR novice I would be appreciative of any advice and information those more experienced could provide.
We are on VS J JFK - LHR (6:45am Arrival T3) departing BA Y LHR - JTR (10:10am T5). I'm somewhat confident VS will ticket the bags through as they have done in the past as a J passenger.
Given we have a three hour layover we would like to use the VS arrivals lounge to freshen up. I'm assuming we will have time, but unsure due to my unfamiliarity with the LHR connection/immigration methods.
Could someone take a few minutes and provide their thoughts as to our use of the arrivals lounge and then most efficient method of transferring T3 to T5. We are trying to gauge the amount of time we will have in the lounge and allocate for transfer. I believe we will have Fast Track on arrivals in T3, but not sure if we will need to que again making the transfer to T5 airside. Any assistance and clarity would be most appreciative.
Many thanks,
Andrew
As an LHR novice I would be appreciative of any advice and information those more experienced could provide.
We are on VS J JFK - LHR (6:45am Arrival T3) departing BA Y LHR - JTR (10:10am T5). I'm somewhat confident VS will ticket the bags through as they have done in the past as a J passenger.
Given we have a three hour layover we would like to use the VS arrivals lounge to freshen up. I'm assuming we will have time, but unsure due to my unfamiliarity with the LHR connection/immigration methods.
Could someone take a few minutes and provide their thoughts as to our use of the arrivals lounge and then most efficient method of transferring T3 to T5. We are trying to gauge the amount of time we will have in the lounge and allocate for transfer. I believe we will have Fast Track on arrivals in T3, but not sure if we will need to que again making the transfer to T5 airside. Any assistance and clarity would be most appreciative.
Many thanks,
Andrew
VS will not tag bags through to BA. The checkin agent was very nice, and I tried to plead with him. For a while, they would because they ended Little Red. But now that they have an agreement with Delta, that is one of the few ways to check thru.
We made it thru immigration in about 10 mins, after about a 20 minute walk. VS 8 (LAX) lands at a quiet time, so it depends on arrival time. Then, about 30 mins to get our bags and walk through the Customs door.
The Revivals lounge is in the Arrivals area after Customs.
The quickest way to T5 is via Heathrow Express, which is FREE. After walking through the Arrivals doors past customs, follow the signs to Heathrow Express. This was about another 10 minute walk. When you arrive at T5, take the elevator to the top level: Departures. Check in and security went quickly for us at T5.
May 6, 2016, 6:40 am
#10
Community Director
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Norwich, UK
Programs: A3*G, BA Gold, BD Gold (in memoriam), IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 8,473
The quickest way to T5 is via Heathrow Express, which is FREE. After walking through the Arrivals doors past customs, follow the signs to Heathrow Express. This was about another 10 minute walk. When you arrive at T5, take the elevator to the top level: Departures. Check in and security went quickly for us at T5.
The walk to the tube is longer, so it would only be worth it if you realise you'll just miss a Heathrow Express train - on which you can rely on the timetable on most occasions for the T2/3 to T5 connection.
The key to saving time here is to heed DataJunkie's advice about taking the elevators (lifts) to Departures - they are several minutes quicker than the escalators.