enviroian

This weekend I’m flying PRG-LHR on BA and it arrives at T3. My connecting LHR-IAD flight leaves from T5. Ive never connected at LHR before. Do I exit security and take the train or tube from 3 to 5 and start all over again? I only have carry on.

Thanks

UKtravelbear

use the LHR connections planner

https://www.heathrow.com/connecting-flights

You can do it landside but you can also go airside so it's 6 and 2 3's really.

ajeleonard

You take an airside bus from flight connections (purple signs)

enviroian

Oh okay —airside— that’s good to know.

Thanks for the tips.

wrp96

You'll still have to go through security on your connection. You just skip having to do immigration if you transfer airside.

antichef

Here is the guide:
A Guide to Connecting at LHR T5

It comes from the FT BAEC forum dashboard here:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...l#post31623116

There is a travel meet up thread there too. I am also transiting from T3 to T5 on Saturday morning. If you are about come and have a drink in the lounge with me!

brp

Interesting that this very recent thread is here as I am about to ask a different question on the same itinerary for January.

We are flying SJC-LHR-PRG and back, all on BA. Very familiar with Flight Connections and the purple signs. On the way in, we arrive T5, but to T3, clear security in Fast Track based on Emerald status (J to LHR, coach onward). All good.

For the return, having just experienced the First Wing at T5, we like it very much. Rather than do FCC on the return, my inclination would be to clear immigration in T3, take Hex to T5 and then use the First Wing (as Emerald).

Will we be able to make our way to Fast Track immigration in T3 (with coach PRG-LHR arrival) as a consequence of Emerald or onward J flight on BA for the immigration stop? We've done this before just by being insistent, but that was a while ago and things have changed.

Cheers.

antichef

It is probably much easier and quicker for you to do the airside transfer from T3 to T5 on the bus and then decide which way you want to go to get to the lounge. If you are tight for time then stay airside and go through T5 FCC and use the fast track lanes there. If you go airside you will have to ensure that you hit the conformance times or you will not get back airside.

If you have lots of slack time you could always clear immigration/border control at T5 and then go out to landside and take the lifts up to departures and come back into airside using TFW. The T5 transfer process has improved in recent times and my last few trips I have just stayed airside, as I did last weekend. There are now automatic passport gates in the FCC area and getting the Fast Track to security is swift.

antichef

Ian, I see from another thread that you were coming through on Saturday morning of last weekend - so we missed a meeting in person!

KARFA

Just to add to antichef's reply I assume you are a US passport holder and as such you can use the e-passport gates. The fast track and non-fast track lanes for immigration are only for those not able to use the e-passport gates.

As suggested, I think I would be tempted to use the airside connection buses to go to T5 and then just follow the signs for arrivals and clear immigration there using the e-passport gates.

brp

I had contemplated this as well. I've also found the bus transfer to be very quick these days. It's the T5 Security (where even with Fast Track it can be a bit if a wait) and the slog through the terminal to the Galleries South to be the part I want to miss. I thought I had read (perhaps incorrectly) that after taking FCC, one is in a departure area and clearing immigration at that point is a pain. But I guess one is still in an Arrivals stream at that point and can still leave (maybe I was reading about trying to leave the terminal [font]after clearing through security).[/font]

[font]Pretty sure I can use Fast Track immigration as Diamond in T5. As to the e-passport, my US passport is about 5 years old and I don't believe that it has the embedded electronics, but I really should confirm [/font]

[font]Thanks for the suggestions.[/font]

[font]Cheers.[/font]

KARFA

When you arrive in T5 on the bus you can either follow the signs for flight connections or go out through immigration to landside. The FCC and arrivals immigration are right next to each other. If you went through FCC you would end up in the airside departures area.


Yes but if you have access to the e-passport gates you should use those rather than then manned lanes, e-passport gates will be much much quicker

brp

And this is why I love FT. As much as one thinks they know, there's always more to learn. Although, with as many times as we've transited LHR, one would think I'd know about immigration options post-FCC, especially as I've likely done it in the past.

The e-passport stuff is relatively new, it seems. I was still thinking in terms of the "chip" and it seems simpler than that. In fact, coudla done this on our trip to London last week, but didn't even know. Fortunately, the Fast Track immigration at T5 had only 1 person in the line, so all was good.

Cheers.

antichef

When you arrive at the FCC area at T5 airside there are the exit lanes to landside on the left hand side and the transfer lanes into T5 departures airside on the right hand side. Both sides now have the e-gates for passport control.

If you exit and go landside you get the passport check only by either e-gate or manned desk and head out and then landside up to the departures area and either in again using TFW or the North or South security (each also has a fast track lane). Once there you will get the security check and search.

If you remain airside and go through the FCC right hand side you will get a passport check (with the new e-gate) and then a self-scan biometrics and then straight upstairs for the security check which pops you out at North departures and close to the lounge at that end. There are also manual check desks before heading upstairs, but I have not used them recently as I have a UK passport. If you want to go to the South end lounges you have to go downstairs and back up the far escalators unless you have access to the magic door for F passengers into the CCR in which case you just turn right and keep on walking!

brp

Oh yes, this is the part we're very familiar with. We have done this a bunch of times, except for the e-passport check. We had a person look at it after using BP at an automated gate. Then up the escalator to Security, which can be a wait, even in Fast Track. Then, as you say, the slog down, across and up. We do have a flight in February were we are flying LHR-SFO in F, so will avail ourselves of the magic door. Sadly, it's a morning flight, so the experience may be less interesting than later in the day. But the upgrade was about 22K Avios and no additional case, so worth it.

Cheers.