Heathrow transit question

[newfarmers]

We will be arriving into Heathrow at 5.05 Friday morning in five weeks time. We're flying BA from Singapore so will be arriving at terminal 4. Qantas (in their wisdom - points flight) have got us flying out to Rome at 6.50am with Alitalia. Its out of terminal 2.

 

Will we need to collect our luggage and then check it back in or will/can Qantas/BA check our luggage through to Rome. Will we pass through immigration at Heathrow or be in transit and pass through immigration when we arrive in Rome? Will we have enough time to make our flight? Of course all this is based on our flight arriving into Heathrow on time.

[HeinBloed]

We will be arriving into Heathrow at 5.05 Friday morning in five weeks time. We're flying BA from Singapore so will be arriving at terminal 4. Qantas (in their wisdom - points flight) have got us flying out to Rome at 6.50am with Alitalia. Its out of terminal 2.

 

Will we need to collect our luggage and then check it back in or will/can Qantas/BA check our luggage through to Rome.

 

No - you do not need to claim your luggage and re-check it in.

You just follow the sign "Flight Connections" at Heathrow Airport:

 

http://www.heathrowairport.com/portal/page/Global%5ELHR%5EAirport+Information%5EHeathrow+Connections/da8780253d273110VgnVCM10000036821c0a____/448c6a4c7f1b0010VgnVCM200000357e120a____/

 

and here:

 

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/airpflcnxlhrt4/public/en_gb#dterm2

 

Will we pass through immigration at Heathrow or be in transit and pass through immigration when we arrive in Rome?

 

Heathrow is only transit - therefore you do not pass immigration.

As UK is not part of Schengen-countries you have to pass immigration once you arrive in Rome.

 

But as you are entering the European Union your carry-on-baggage is subject for a possible inspection.

 

Will we have enough time to make our flight? Of course all this is based on our flight arriving into Heathrow on time.

 

90 Minutes is the official minimum transfer time.

6.35 hrs should be your earliest connecting flight. Yours is 6.50 hrs.

 

Before you are getting to the Security: check with a BA-agent if you can use the Fast Track if you are under pressure. They check your boarding time against actual time and sometimes they let you pass the fast tracks.

 

Good luck!

 

HeinBloed

[Kindlychap]

I flew into terminal 4 on Monday evening. From Vienna, if it matters.

 

The queues for Passport Control were horrific - and those for non-EU passports were worse.

 

British Immigration have decided to up the levels of checks which is slowing things down.

 

Matthew

[HeinBloed]

I flew into terminal 4 on Monday evening. From Vienna, if it matters.

 

The queues for Passport Control were horrific - and those for non-EU passports were worse.

 

British Immigration have decided to up the levels of checks which is slowing things down.

 

Matthew

 

As you were travelling from a Schengen-country into the UK of course a immigration applied.

 

I was flying in from Frankfurt on Monday Morning - so we missed each other at Heathrow and started later after a meeting from Terminal 4.

 

Your UK immigration is a mass. Can't you afford any uniforms??? Looks like they are all in leasure...

 

But as newfarmers is travelling from a Non-Schengen-country to a Schengen-country VIA (!!!) an UK-airport there is no immigration. Therefore he can let you relaxed queuing up for immigration and pass the security check for Flight Connections!

 

Regards,

HeinBloed

[BOTHWELLPJ]

We flew thru Heathrow in June of this year. Got off the British Airways flight from Toronto arrived in London de-boarded on the tarmak on to a bus that took us to terminal 4. There we waited for 2 hours going thru security missed 2 connecting flights to Barcelona and when we finally got thru had to wait for the next scheduled flight (3 hours) on to Barcelona. Very long day, the only positive thing all our luggage arrived in Barcelona with us.

[Globaliser]

Your UK immigration is a mass. Can't you afford any uniforms??? Looks like they are all in leasure...

For decades it has been a deliberate policy that immigration officers do not wear uniforms. Unlike in Europe, they are civilians - not police or military.

 

It's disgraceful that our government has now decided to put them in uniforms. I hope it doesn't last.

[Globaliser]

The queues for Passport Control were horrific - and those for non-EU passports were worse.

Have you registered for IRIS? I can't recommend it highly enough.

[HeinBloed]

Have you registered for IRIS? I can't recommend it highly enough.

 

It's great if it would work also abroad... and not only in the country of registration.

 

I love to see the others in queues waiting while I am doing self-immigration...

 

Esspecially if you see people changing the line to test it although you are not registered and they do not let them back in line once the passport control before entering the iris-scan is not accepting you.

 

Regards,

HeinBloed

[newfarmers]

looks like we'll arrive with fingers firmly crossed:D .

 

I'm travelling on an EU (UK) (and Oz) passport but my partner will be on NZ/Oz passports. We'll just see how we go. The flights are points with Qantas so if we miss the connection they'll just get us on the next one I suppose.

 

Thanks as always for all of the advice

[Globaliser]

I'm travelling on an EU (UK) (and Oz) passport but my partner will be on NZ/Oz passports. We'll just see how we go. The flights are points with Qantas so if we miss the connection they'll just get us on the next one I suppose.

Passports don't matter as you won't be going through immigration if you follow the Flight Connections route.

 

There are plenty of flights to Rome, so I really wouldn't worry too much about this. In fact, the 0650 AZ is the first flight of the day.

 

However, I'm surprised that QF has put you on an AZ flight on a FF award ticket. I didn't know that AZ was a partner of QF's, and I'm trying but failing to find any connections onto an AZ flight on the QF FF booking site. So a question: Have you got one ticket number per person, or two? (You're looking for a 13-digit number, probably starting with either 081 or 125.)

[newfarmers]

90 minutes is the official minimum transfer time.

6.35 hrs should be your earliest connecting flight. Yours is 6.50 hrs.

 

Before you are getting to the Security: check with a BA-agent if you can use the Fast Track if you are under pressure. They check your boarding time against actual time and sometimes they let you pass the fast tracks.

 

Good luck!

 

HeinBloed

 

Hey HeinBlod

 

just re-read this. discovered yesterday we are flying buiness class with Alitalia. Our flight is on points but only found out about this unexpected upgrade when I was checking terminal info yesterday. On the second link it mentions fast track is for 'premium cabins' so would this mean we could use this if we are now flying business?

 

pete and al

[newfarmers]

Passports don't matter as you won't be going through immigration if you follow the Flight Connections route.

 

There are plenty of flights to Rome, so I really wouldn't worry too much about this. In fact, the 0650 AZ is the first flight of the day.

 

However, I'm surprised that QF has put you on an AZ flight on a FF award ticket. I didn't know that AZ was a partner of QF's, and I'm trying but failing to find any connections onto an AZ flight on the QF FF booking site. So a question: Have you got one ticket number per person, or two? (You're looking for a 13-digit number, probably starting with either 081 or 125.)

 

Our original points flight to rome was BA. Unfortunately in Qantas' infinite wisdom they decided that the flight for us was at 1830 so we'd have 13 hours between arriving and departing. Begrudgingly we took it and then decided why waste the possibility of a day in Rome? So we contacted FF and were told we could fly Alitalia (at a fee). Had a think about it and then rang back. 35000 points (5000 each change fee and 12500 each extra (?) points and a few hundred in extra taxes later they'd put us on this Alitalia flight. The charge was more than they had originally quoted. So I emailed them to get an explanation and got the standard FF response. pretty much blah blah and blah. We were just happy to be getting just about a full day in rome.

 

Hindsight is a wonderful thing though as we found we could have just not taken the BA flight, booked our own Alitalia flight and it would have cost us less than the extra taxes (!!) and saved 35000 points.

 

Our single eticket has been replaced with old fashioned paper tickets with three coupons - Bris-Sing, Sing-Lon, Lon-Rome. We were told this was because of the Alitalia flight. FF booking page now says 'Note. Your flight from London to Rome will be in business class'. Alitalia coupon doesn't show business class code (I don't think) or weight allowance. We'll be going with up to 30kg using Qantas club allowance. Will be an interesting experience I reckon.

[newfarmers]

double post

[Globaliser]

Our single eticket has been replaced with old fashioned paper tickets with three coupons - Bris-Sing, Sing-Lon, Lon-Rome. ... Alitalia coupon doesn't show business class code (I don't think) ...

That's fine, then.

 

It could have been important, because if the Alitalia flight had been written on a separate ticket, and if you were checking-in with BA in Singapore (couldn't see from your post whether you are going directly from Brisbane to Rome, or stopping over in Singapore), BA policy would be to refuse through-checking of your bags onto the Alitalia flight. That would pose a problem, as you'd have to clear immigration in London, collect your bags, clear Customs, transfer landside from T4 to T2, and then check-in with Alitalia.

 

But as the two flights are on one ticket, then BA will through-check. And if you're actually starting that trip with a Qantas flight from Brisbane and you're not stopping over in Singapore, then Qantas rules apply anyway.

 

Look on the coupon for the Alitalia flight. It should say AZ 201 and that should be followed by a single letter. Can you see that? Which letter is it? That tells you which booking class your ticket's been booked in, and therefore should indicate which cabin you're booked in.

[HeinBloed]

How was QUEEN's song lyric:

 

It's so easy, when you know the rules...

 

ALITALIA is QANTAS' Partner Airline for their Frequent Flyer Programme.

 

Therefore you can earn and redeem miles on ALITALIA Flights with your QANTAS FQTV-Programme.

 

It's no codeshare!

 

Therefore do not worry.

 

The best is to check the status of Business Class if you have a so-called AMADEUS Code and check on http://www.checkmytrip.com

 

I am sure if you check Manage My Booking on QANTAS' website will give you also the information if you are properly booked in Business Class:

 

http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/do/dyn/yourBooking

 

Fast Track does not only mean premium cabin guests: We had the cheapest tickets for Economy Class (even no miles on Asiamiles...) but the shortest transit time (45 minutes left until departure). We just show our boarding pass to the admission control and they send us through the Fast Track to make sure that we get quickly to our gate.

 

If you just follow the queue and do not take any initiative you must not wonder.

 

There is one speciality in UK: Subject of very exotic citizenship you need an airport visa... but do not worry: your citizenships look very "civilized"

 

Have a great trip.

 

HeinBloed

[Globaliser]

There is one speciality in UK: Subject of very exotic citizenship you need an airport visa ...

Not a UK speciality. It's a very common requirement.

 

For example, here's a rule for an exotic nationality transiting in Germany:-

Information for Normal Passports

Visa required, even if continuing by the same aircraft.

Visa must cover each person mentioned in passport.

And the rule for the same nationality transiting in the Netherlands:-

Information for Normal Passports

Transit visa - issued prior to arrival - required, even if not leaving the aircraft.

In fact, the Schengen countries are, if anything, even stricter on visa requirements than the UK. For example, one requirement that causes a great deal of trouble is the requirement that all South Africans need a visa to visit Schengenland. Why?

[newfarmers]

after the AZ201 it says U ??

 

On the Qantas manage my booking it has the quote about this flight being business class

 

Through flight via Singapore - just transit

 

you guys have the most amazing amount of knowledge

 

what on earth do you both do for a crust?

[HeinBloed]

after the AZ201 it says U ??

 

On the Qantas manage my booking it has the quote about this flight being business class

 

I would call your FF-Hotline:

 

Look here:

 

http://www.gnopps.com/skyteam/pages/award-classes.php

 

Award are booked for Alitalia

 

Business in Z

Economy in U

 

Regards,

HeinBloed

 

N.B. Shipping/Transport...

[Globaliser]

after the AZ201 it says U ??

 

On the Qantas manage my booking it has the quote about this flight being business class

Look here:

 

http://www.gnopps.com/skyteam/pages/award-classes.php

 

Award are booked for Alitalia

 

Business in Z

Economy in U

Thanks, HeinBloed - that explains what's happened.

 

Because an economy award is booked in U class on Alitalia, that's the letter that's on your ticket.

 

However, Qantas uses U class for business class redemptions. Z is for first class (and Concorde - sob!) redemptions. And X class is for economy class redemptions. (See this post; the use of booking classes is generally fairly consistent across the oneworld alliance.)

 

So the Qantas website sees your U class booking on the Alitalia flight and interprets it as business class, because that's what it would be if it were a U class booking on a Qantas flight. Alas, the overwhelming chances are that you have been booked in economy, as you were expecting.

 

So far as I'm concerned, I like to be on top of this sort of stuff because it helps to "know your supplier"! Especially when a tricky situation arises during a trip; I can phone the airline and talk to the agents from a position in which (usually) we both know what we're talking about. That makes things much easier and simpler.