Changing airports in London ? Help please

[1stItaly]

I certainly hope it isn't.

No, cruise leaves the next day.

[Zach1213]

Thank you so much for your insight on my problem. I made too quick of a decision and trusted my 3rd party TA, which believe me will never happen again. That said, I am doing my best to research and eliminate any potential problems. Additional information I didn't include in first post---My BA flight arrives in LHR at 06:40 from Miami. BA flight from LGW to BCN leaves at 11:20. I am looking into a private car transfer service as I believe that will be the least hassle. No, my 3rd party TA has been unable to do any change without just canceling ticket and buying new one. I do have Travel insurance, so I am going to double check on missed flight coverage. Any other insight you might have is greatly appreciated. Thank you for clarifying difference between customs and immigration. Do we have to go through both?

You'll have to go through both, yes, but customs is very easy. Your delays will come at immigration - you will arrive in to Terminal 3 from Miami (one of the relatively few BA flights to not use Terminal 5), and you'll be coming in at the same time as many other longhaul flights (AA is big at LHR, and uses T3 also), so immigration could be quite busy.

 

 

One perk about changing your BCN flight to leaving from LHR instead of LGW is that Barcelona is also one of those relatively few destinations served by BA from Terminal 3, so you wouldn't have to deal with immigration, customs, or even changing terminals (which can take 15-20 minutes at LHR). The only thing you would need to do is re-clear security.

[wowzz]

Thank you so much for your insight on my problem. I made too quick of a decision and trusted my 3rd party TA, which believe me will never happen again. That said, I am doing my best to research and eliminate any potential problems. Additional information I didn't include in first post---My BA flight arrives in LHR at 06:40 from Miami. BA flight from LGW to BCN leaves at 11:20. I am looking into a private car transfer service as I believe that will be the least hassle. No, my 3rd party TA has been unable to do any change without just canceling ticket and buying new one. I do have Travel insurance, so I am going to double check on missed flight coverage. Any other insight you might have is greatly appreciated. Thank you for clarifying difference between customs and immigration. Do we have to go through both?

You do have to pass through immigration and customs, but in reality you just walk through customs.

You haven't said which day of the week you are travelling, but during the working week the peak traffic period will be from 7:30 or so through to 10:00, so you will be right in the middle of it.

There is no real alternative to the M25, but with a private transfer your driver may know a rat run to avoid a specific holdup. Hopefully BA will switch you to an afternoon flight. Let us know how you get on.

 

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[1stItaly]

What airlines are involved, and who's the third party TA?

 

While 4 hours might be "legal" in terms of published connection times, it's going to be an uncomfortable and hurried 4 hours, during which you're probably going to be jet-lagged and tired from a not-very-nice night on a transatlantic flight.

 

What I would do in this instance is contact the TA and ask to have the tickets changed to a departure from Heathrow rather than from Gatwick. There are numerous departures daily, and even if you have to pay a change fee, the savings in bus fare (on top of wear and tear on your brains and bodies) would be worth the difference IMO.

 

Plus which, are you returning through the same nonsensical route? If so, kill both birds with one stone.

 

Thank you for your insight into my problem. I have contacted my TA and asked to have the flight changed. They have said it is not possible, so today I have contacted the parent company and they are looking into it with British Airways. Best possible resolution is still going to cost me anywhere between $825.00 and $1,400.00! I'm not sure I'm willing to spend that much. If they offer no other solutions, then I will book a private car for transport and take my chances that I will make it and not have to buy another tickect. Our return flight is non-stop Barcelona to Miami. So no problems there. (I hope)

[1stItaly]

We have done it. Used the National Express coach.

 

 

We only travel with carry on so we are never concerned about waiting for luggage. I would say that it very much depends on what day and/or what time you plan to transfer. We did an evening transfer. It was fast. But the same 45 minute trip we are told can take as long as 2 hours.

 

The alternate way would be to take the tube and train, or train and tube depending on where you start. For us the coach transfer from GTW to LHR was fine. I would budget lots of time for this.

 

Thank you for your reply. We arrive at 06:40 on Friday morning. Connecting flight is 11:20. If I can not get any changes done with British Airways, then I will book a private car and trust that it will work out. We are on a 12 night cruise, so I have more than just a carrryon!

[FionaMG]

OP, I have no further advice to offer you but I just wanted to say I am keeping fingers, legs and eyes crossed for you in the hope that it all works out. Good luck and enjoy your cruise. :)

[em-sk]

...No, my 3rd party TA has been unable to do any change without just canceling ticket and buying new one. I do have Travel insurance, so I am going to double check on missed flight coverage. Any other insight you might have is greatly appreciated. Thank you for clarifying difference between customs and immigration. Do we have to go through both?

 

If both flights are on the same ticket and you miss the connection BA should re-book you on the next available flight since it is obviously a valid connection. Your private insurance should not be needed for that. Also BA should not be charging you for additional luggage fees when you drop off your bags for the second flight.

 

Good luck. I try to avoid these situations, however sometimes you have to do them in places like London and New York that have multiple airports. Always a pain.

[wowzz]

Just a thought - you could book a flight on easyjet at 16:40. The fare varies dependng on the day of the week, but will be cheaper than the BA offer. You can then get the bus to Gatwick, so you will save money as you can get the bus, plus you will be less stressed.

 

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[Grandma Cruising]

Just a thought - you could book a flight on easyjet at 16:40. The fare varies dependng on the day of the week, but will be cheaper than the BA offer. You can then get the bus to Gatwick, so you will save money as you can get the bus, plus you will be less stressed.

 

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For example that flight on Thursday 23 May is £80 basic fare. Obviously you would need to add costs for hold luggage -£22.50 for a 15kg bag, £26 for a 23kg bag & £38 for a 26kg bag.

Flights are dearer at the weekend.

 

 

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[wowzz]

For example that flight on Thursday 23 May is £80 basic fare. Obviously you would need to add costs for hold luggage -£22.50 for a 15kg bag, £26 for a 23kg bag & £38 for a 26kg bag.

Flights are dearer at the weekend.

 

 

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At the weekend the op has a better chance of making the connection.

 

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[waterbug123]

Are there any other routes they could take if the M25 others talked about is backed up and a virtual parking lot?

 

The issue that often arises anywhere that traffic on a major highway is stalled is that the secondary roads immediately become jammed as well.

[wowzz]

The issue that often arises anywhere that traffic on a major highway is stalled is that the secondary roads immediately become jammed as well.

 

As an ex-M25 commuter I used to have my private 'rat runs' but unfortunately the advent of 'sat nav' means that these runs are now available to all, causing the jams mentioned above.

[sverigecruiser]

If both flights are on the same ticket and you miss the connection BA should re-book you on the next available flight since it is obviously a valid connection. Your private insurance should not be needed for that. Also BA should not be charging you for additional luggage fees when you drop off your bags for the second flight.

 

Good luck. I try to avoid these situations, however sometimes you have to do them in places like London and New York that have multiple airports. Always a pain.

 

And if your flight from Miami is late and you might because of that miss your second flight, British Airways will probably change your flight to a flight from Heathrow to Barcelona.

[wowzz]

And if your flight from Miami is late and you might because of that miss your second flight, British Airways will probably change your flight to a flight from Heathrow to Barcelona.

But as the op will not know if she has missed the flight until she arrives in LGW, being booked onto a flight leaving from LHR will not be much use!

 

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[sverigecruiser]

But as the op will not know if she has missed the flight until she arrives in LGW, being booked onto a flight leaving from LHR will not be much use!

 

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If the flight from Miami is late and because of that the flight from Gatwick might be missed British Airways will most likely assist before the OP leave Heathrow.

[wowzz]

If the flight from Miami is late and because of that the flight from Gatwick might be missed British Airways will most likely assist before the OP leave Heathrow.

I agree , but the issue is how late: 10 minutes, 30 minutes 60 minutes?. Unless there is absolutely no chance that the op will make it to LGW in time for the flight, it is unlikely that her booking will be switched to a LHR flight.

 

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[SuzCruise]

Thank you for your insight into my problem. I have contacted my TA and asked to have the flight changed. They have said it is not possible, so today I have contacted the parent company and they are looking into it with British Airways. Best possible resolution is still going to cost me anywhere between $825.00 and $1,400.00! I'm not sure I'm willing to spend that much. If they offer no other solutions, then I will book a private car for transport and take my chances that I will make it and not have to buy another tickect. Our return flight is non-stop Barcelona to Miami. So no problems there. (I hope)

 

 

 

Did you make the decision to accept the change of airports with 4 hour layover or did your TA? If you were apprised of the risk and accepted it, then it falls on you to pay to change it or deal with not changing it. But if you were not the decision maker, then my argument, if I were representing you in court, would be that the TA made a terrible decision and should rectify it. Clearly you were not familiar with international flights and were seeking the TA's expertise in booking these flights. Anyone can book a flight over the internet. But you relied on them and paid for them to provide their experience and expertise to assist you in booking an appropriate airline ticket. They failed at their job. Their negligence should not put you in a position to be harmed.

 

 

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[1stItaly]

I was not advised that I would need to change airports. And actually my 3rd party TA didn't know either. I have contacted the parent company and they stand by the fact that over 4 hours is ample time to make the connection. In fact they state that 3 hours is enough! The travel company I have used for years changed their mode of operation and my trusted TA retired, so I foolishly trusted an unproven TA. I am booking a private transfer to Gatwick, and am just going to trust everything goes well. And if not, I will deal with it then. I feel it is foolish to spend almost $1,000.00 for something that may not happen. At least I realized the airport change before I was there. That would have been a nightmare. I agree that the parent travel company should make it right. But not sure how much fight I want to put into it at this point. They have stated that I have a 90 % chance of making the connection. If things go bad and I am out alot of money to rebook another flight, I will be fighting with them. Thank you for your concern and insight.

 

 

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[sverigecruiser]

I agree , but the issue is how late: 10 minutes, 30 minutes 60 minutes?. Unless there is absolutely no chance that the op will make it to LGW in time for the flight, it is unlikely that her booking will be switched to a LHR flight.

 

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Maybe not if it's 10 minutes but probably if it's 60 minutes.

 

British Airways prefer that she doesn't miss the flight so they will help har if they think that she might miss the next flight.

 

Unless there is a long line to wait in it doesn't harm to ask before leaving Heathrow.

[em-sk]

I was not advised that I would need to change airports. And actually my 3rd party TA didn't know either. I have contacted the parent company and they stand by the fact that over 4 hours is ample time to make the connection. In fact they state that 3 hours is enough! The travel company I have used for years changed their mode of operation and my trusted TA retired, so I foolishly trusted an unproven TA. I am booking a private transfer to Gatwick, and am just going to trust everything goes well. And if not, I will deal with it then. I feel it is foolish to spend almost $1,000.00 for something that may not happen. At least I realized the airport change before I was there. That would have been a nightmare. I agree that the parent travel company should make it right. But not sure how much fight I want to put into it at this point. They have stated that I have a 90 % chance of making the connection. If things go bad and I am out alot of money to rebook another flight, I will be fighting with them. Thank you for your concern and insight.

 

 

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Good strategy. You will likely make it.

 

If you don't it was BA that issued the ticket, they are responsible for re-booking you on another flight as required.

[wowzz]

Everyone on here hopes you make it. Make sure you let us know how you get on. Have a great holiday.

 

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[Grandma Cruising]

People seem to be assuming that BA made this booking and it’s on one ticket. If the LGW-Barcelona flight is EasyJet, then it’s unlikely for it to be on one ticket. In that case BA won’t care about the on-going flight.

 

As it’s now about the time you will be going between the 2 airports, we have just used a travel app to look at the traffic between the 2 airports today and it’s looking pretty good. The app says that at present the journey time between the two is 50 minutes. If it’s like that when you travel you should be OK.

 

One other thing did occur to me - is there any chance you could set off a day earlier? If your BA flight to LHR is flexible then it might be easier to get it changed. You could then take your time and have a night in a hotel at Gatwick. You’d even have time to go into London for half a day & do a bit of sight-seeing.

 

 

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[wowzz]

People seem to be assuming that BA made this booking and it’s on one ticket. If the LGW-Barcelona flight is EasyJet, then it’s unlikely for it to be on one ticket. In that case BA won’t care about the on-going flight.

 

As it’s now about the time you will be going between the 2 airports, we have just used a travel app to look at the traffic between the 2 airports today and it’s looking pretty good. The app says that at present the journey time between the two is 50 minutes. If it’s like that when you travel you should be OK.

 

One other thing did occur to me - is there any chance you could set off a day earlier? If your BA flight to LHR is flexible then it might be easier to get it changed. You could then take your time and have a night in a hotel at Gatwick. You’d even have time to go into London for half a day & do a bit of sight-seeing.

 

 

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The op has already told us that it is an all BA ticket. Also, by the costings quoted to her by her TA, the tickets are basically non-changeable without an enormous financial surcharge

 

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[wowzz]

Just a note about the travel time. Firstly, today is Friday, when traffic is significantly lighter than normal. Secondly, the traffic today has no bearing on what the traffic may be on any other day.

 

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[waterbug123]

I was not advised that I would need to change airports. And actually my 3rd party TA didn't know either. I have contacted the parent company and they stand by the fact that over 4 hours is ample time to make the connection.

 

My argument with the parent company wouldn't be over the 4 hour connection, per se. Rather, that I should have been informed that it would be necessary to change airports and that not only did the TA not do that, but s/he didn't even know, which sounds like a bit of incompetence on their part.