Maria Bhura

Hey,
My friend will be in transit at Heathrow for 3 hours or so, I haven't met him in really long so I really really want to. However, he doesn't have a UK visa. How else can we meet? Is it possible to buy a refundable ticket so I can get through security (I mean, it works in movies)?

:D!

Yes, it is possible, but don't make a habit of it. Which terminal and what passport do you hold?

UKtravelbear

If he doesn't have a UK visa he may still need an airside transit visa. Has he checked that out?

I suppose it is possible to buy a refundable ticket but some would say that was immoral. Also it can often take weeks to get a refund and you may get caught by credit card statement and payment dates in having to pay the bill before the refund hits your account.

And you getting back out can be a bit of a palaver. In T5 for example they take people who have decided not to fly back through immigration etc on a once an hour basis so you could have quite a wait.

NickB

I do not quite understand why it would be. I can see how buying a refundable ticket with no intention of using it just to get access to an airline lounge and consume what is on offer there would be (rightly imo) seen by many as morally questionable. However, buying a refundable ticket just to meet with a friend who cannot go landside does not seem to me morally problematic.

David-A

Make sure whatever kind of ticket you get to do this allows YOU through security in time to meet them. Ideally you want a flight leaving after their flight - so that your sudden decision 'not to travel' can all be made after they have gone.

But some ticket types may, but airline policy, officialy block you from going through security more than X hours before the flight etc.

NWIFlyer

There are no such restrictions at LHR, other than the ticket must be for the same day. You could enter when security opens at around 5am for a flight in the late evening. There are many BA itineraries, for example, which require 7 or 8 hour layovers ahead of a long haul flight because the starting airport is only served by one or two flights per day - so it would wholly illogical to deny an originating passenger access when a connecting one had it.

Swiss Tony

Capacity reasons in the lounge? I've certainly seen it at other airports in IRROPS where the have a whiteboard of flights they are/aren't letting through security.

Some of the ticket fees will cover aspects like security. This facility will be used, even though the passenger has the intention of seeking a refund. Why is that any different to using a lounge with the intention of seeking a refund?

:D!

Isn't it T3 where this is the case? I thought T5 was simply a matter of staying on the train at C.

That's why I asked the OP which terminal, although it looks like a response is not forthcoming.

David-A

Indeed, my statement was not applying to passengers in transit. The OP did not

Disagree with you totally on this point, it would be utterly logical to exempt connecting passengers from such a restriction - for exactly the reason you give.
They have a reason to be at the airport that far in advance of their flight. Hence logical to treat differently.
Also, in many practical cases, they would not pass through the application point of any such controls.

There are at times of disruption, when it gets congested airside, etc. Yet status / business class passengers are sometimes let through to use the lounges.

I couldn't remember the generic LHR policy when I wrote that quickly, but such restrictions do apply on occasion. And there can be other problems too.

ALSO, keep in mind you can have online checkin problems. Meaning that the only way you can get your boarding pass if from a manned desk. This is a big problem if the airline does a staffed presence until a couple of hours before the flight. I've certainly hit the problem on occasion in various places. Arrived early for a flight, intending to go to the lounge hand-baggage-only, but hit a problem getting a boarding pass online, so been forced to wait landside until something is staffed to get a BP.

I've also hit on occasion (for airlines not supporting mobile BPs, or mobile BPs on codeshares) the problem at some airports of self service checking machines that only supported certain airlines during certain hours (for various reasons).

NWIFlyer

I can’t help but feel we are complicating this for the OP with talk of being denied entry to Heathrow airside. The scenarios described whereby access would be denied are extremely rare, and shouldn’t really play any part in the OP’s decision making. The fact is that 99.9% of the time you can get airside at Heathrow whenever you want on day of travel, and check-in desks for the airlines with a major presence such as BA are staffed throughout.

KARFA