Heathrow conection time..Help please

[srpilo]

I'm arriving in april on an American Airlines flight from Chicago, and I need to buy a conecting ticket onward to Barcelona, and I'm wondering if 3 hours is enough time to clear immigrations and customs, collect our luggage, and then check-in with BA, clear security and still make the flight to BCN?

 

Is 3 hours enough time between the flights?? :confused:

 

Srpilo

[keltic]

If you are travelling AA and then BA as part of Oneworld Alliance, you can check in directly to your final destination. No need to collect your luggage at LHR. If there are not delays, it´s fine. You´ll get to Terminal 3 which is close to T1, from which BA operates to domestic and European destinations.

[LHT28]

I'm arriving in april on an American Airlines flight from Chicago, and I need to buy a conecting ticket onward to Barcelona, and I'm wondering if 3 hours is enough time to clear immigrations and customs, collect our luggage, and then check-in with BA, clear security and still make the flight to BCN?

 

Is 3 hours enough time between the flights?? :confused:

 

Srpilo

 

Make sure you book all on the same ticket then no need to collect luggage & check in again allow at least 2-3 hrs you will probably have to change terminals

 

If you book separate tickets then you need to collect luggage , check in with new carrier go through security etc...allow lots of time 4+ hrs

[Jinn]

I flew into LHR from ORD last month, then connected to BA to Prague. Had a 2 hour connection time which was more than enough. I did not have to collect bags in LHR, just rode the transfer bus from Term. 3 to Term. 5 where I went through security. The walk from the gate in 3 to the bus is fairly long, but it felt good after being on a plane all night. Jinn

[Gardyloo]

Before you buy a separate ticket from London to Barcelona, be sure that it's not cheaper to buy the whole ticket through AA. If you buy a separate ticket LHR-BCN-LHR, you'll be paying UK taxes even though you're only transiting through the UK; you wouldn't be paying as much for taxes if both flights were on one ticket issued in the US.

 

That said, if your AA ticket is already purchased and adding the Barcelona legs would result in a change fee (probably $250) then you're probably better off buying the LHR-BCN ticket separately. In that case be sure to tell the check-in agent at AA that you're connecting to BA, and have the BA ticket number and locator code at hand when you check your bags, so that they can be tagged through to Barcelona.

 

That way, when you arrive at Terminal 3 on AA, just follow the signs to "flight connections" and take the bus to Terminal 5 for your Barcelona flight (you'll go through security but not passport control), the whole thing shouldn't take more than 30-45 minutes, leaving you with plenty of time to shop at the shopping mall masquerading as an airport at T5.

 

If by any chance you're flying business class on BA, then you'd also have access to the marvelous BA lounges at T5.

[keltic]

Although most BA flights have been transfered to the brand new T5, I think Barcelona is still from Terminal 1. Just check on http://www.baa.com

[Gardyloo]

Although most BA flights have been transfered to the brand new T5, I think Barcelona is still from Terminal 1. Just check on http://www.baa.com

You're right, my mistake; however on investigation it looks like LHR-BCN is one of those T1 flights due to shift to Terminal 3 at the end of January, so depending on the OP's travel dates, ORD-xLHR-BCN might not even entail a change of terminals, in which case 3 hours is 2 hours too many ;).

[wrp96]

One other thing to think about IF you haven't already purchased your tickets, if you buy two separate tickets you will be subject to the more restrictive baggage guidelines for intra-Europe flights.

[srpilo]

Sorry, I should have been more clear, my AA flights from the USA are award tickets (already issued) so booking our onward BA fight together is not an option, hence my original question, which is ; Can I make it 3 hours having to clear customs & immigration, recheck-in and then clear security ???

 

Srpilo

[Gardyloo]

Sorry, I should have been more clear, my AA flights from the USA are award tickets (already issued) so booking our onward BA fight together is not an option, hence my original question, which is ; Can I make it 3 hours having to clear customs & immigration, recheck-in and then clear security ???

 

Srpilo

You do not have to go through customs or immigration at Heathrow if you already have your ticket before you leave the US. You are doing what's called a "sterile transit" and will not enter the UK between flights. Your bags will be transferred to your next flight, and all you'll have to do at Heathrow is go through security. You will go through Spanish (Schengen) immigration at Barcelona, and you'll collect your bags and go through customs there.

 

If you buy your ticket through britishairways.com you can check in and print your boarding pass 24h before your flight (i.e. before you leave the US) or else just get the BP at the service counter at Heathrow. However you need to tell the check-in agents when you get to the airport that you're connecting to Barcelona, and give them the connecting flight information, so that they can tag your bags accordingly.

 

If for some reason you do need to collect them at LHR, go through immigration and customs, and re-check them for the BA flight, then yes, 3 hours is still more than ample - way more. But you shouldn't have to.

 

But a question - if the AA tickets are awards, why didn't you get ticketed all the way to Barcelona?

[keltic]

You're right, my mistake; however on investigation it looks like LHR-BCN is one of those T1 flights due to shift to Terminal 3 at the end of January, so depending on the OP's travel dates, ORD-xLHR-BCN might not even entail a change of terminals, in which case 3 hours is 2 hours too many ;).

 

Then plenty of time for looking around in the lovely shops :-)

[jagoffee]

You do not have to go through customs or immigration at Heathrow if you already have your ticket before you leave the US. You are doing what's called a "sterile transit" and will not enter the UK between flights. Your bags will be transferred to your next flight, and all you'll have to do at Heathrow is go through security. You will go through Spanish (Schengen) immigration at Barcelona, and you'll collect your bags and go through customs there.

 

If you buy your ticket through britishairways.com you can check in and print your boarding pass 24h before your flight (i.e. before you leave the US) or else just get the BP at the service counter at Heathrow. However you need to tell the check-in agents when you get to the airport that you're connecting to Barcelona, and give them the connecting flight information, so that they can tag your bags accordingly.

 

If for some reason you do need to collect them at LHR, go through immigration and customs, and re-check them for the BA flight, then yes, 3 hours is still more than ample - way more. But you shouldn't have to.

 

But a question - if the AA tickets are awards, why didn't you get ticketed all the way to Barcelona?

 

Is this also the situation when traveling from Rome to LHR with a connection to the USA?

 

I am on an award ticket flying BA from Rome to LHR and then from LHR to Chicago via Boston on AA. Will I be able to check my luggage to my final destination in Rome and will I be considered in transit? Will I arrive in T5 and also depart from T5? Will I need to go through security at Heathrow?

 

Thanks.

[iancal]

You should be fine. We were there last summer....took 2 1/2 hrs to transfer. We changed terminals and had to go thru security again. There was an 'alert; with lots of suits running about. People moved thru security in the order that they arrived and were only allowed one carry on. A purse or an umbrella was counted as one item. Many people with 1-2 hour connections missed their flight. Heathrow imposes onerous fines for every fifteen minutes of flight delay so the airlines tend to push out on time. But you connection is good. We avoid Heathrow because of this and because of the high hidden taxes that are appended to airline tickets.

[Gardyloo]

Is this also the situation when traveling from Rome to LHR with a connection to the USA?

 

I am on an award ticket flying BA from Rome to LHR and then from LHR to Chicago via Boston on AA. Will I be able to check my luggage to my final destination in Rome and will I be considered in transit? Will I arrive in T5 and also depart from T5? Will I need to go through security at Heathrow?

 

Thanks.

You should be able to check your bags through without difficulty; just be certain that the BA people at the check-in at Rome know your flight details to the US. Note sometimes BA field station people are somewhat reluctant to through-check bags on partner airlines, even though they're supposed to, so be firm.

 

You will arrive at Terminal 5 at Heathrow and depart from Terminal 3. Follow the signs to "flight connections." You won't go through UK immigration but you will go through security.

 

You will go through US customs and immigration at Boston. When you've cleared customs and have your bags, you'll go upstairs (if I recall correctly) to the baggage re-check counter where you'll have your luggage re-checked to Chicago. You'll then have to change terminals (there's a shuttle bus) so allow yourselves adequate time at BOS to do all this - I once had a 2hr international > domestic connection on AA at BOS and was the last person on the domestic flight - not a pleasant experience.

[jagoffee]

Gardyloo,

 

Thank you for the information and suggestions. I am sorry to hear that I need to change terminals at Heathrow, but I will make sure that I get my bags checked to the USA. BA and AA are pretty tight and are Oneworld partners, so I would hope that it would not be an issue. We have a 1 hour and 25 minute connection time in Heathrow. Since AA booked it for me they obviously think so.

 

I have a two hour and 35 minute connection time in Boston, so I feel more comfortable with that connection. The great thing about flying in and out of Chicago is that you always have other options if you miss a flight.

 

I know it is not ideal, but I wanted to fly Business Class using the lower miles, so I did not have a lot of options. I will keep checking to see if I can get a better connection. I wanted to get the direct flight from Rome to Chicago, but I have been unable to get that flight, perhaps as it gets closer. I understand that it is difficult to get that flight. Although is probably not has hard a trying to get a Quatas Business Class seat to Australia.

 

Thanks, again.

[iancal]

You will have to move quickly with a 1 hr 25min connection. It may be 'legal' but our experience has been that Heathrow can be good one day, and an absolute mess the next.

[LHT28]

You will have to move quickly with a 1 hr 25min connection. It may be 'legal' but our experience has been that Heathrow can be good one day, and an absolute mess the next.

 

You are right !

If your flight is delayed or you sit on the tarmac waiting for a spot to deplane.

We almost missed our connecting flight because of of both situations.:eek:

[jagoffee]

Thank you for all the input. I will keep trying to improve my flights since I do not cruise until September. If I cannot get a better connection, I will need to hope that the changes at Heathrow have made a positive impact and that I do not run into any other problems. It is better to have the potential for a delay on the return flight instead of the in coming flight.

[iancal]

As an aside, whenever possible we do anything to avoid changing at Heathrow-including adding a leg to our trip. Every time we have done it in the recent past it has been a real pain. Flights coming from NA all seem to land in LHR at one of two popular arrival time windows. If you transfer terminals, you have to go thru security again and you are with/behind all of the other who just got off flights from NA.

[woozlebear]

Good luck with a 3hr connection !!!!!! AA at T3 use the end piers so you can expect a 30 min walk to security, queues for the buses to transfer terminals can be long and a journey time of at least 15mins depending on traffic.

 

I would prefer to take my cases as there is still some baggage that doesn't make the flight.

 

BA from ORD use T5, that to me would be a better choice if you can do that.

 

Check out the flight arrivals and see if AA are on time or always late.

 

Good luck

[Globaliser]

Can I make it 3 hours having to clear customs & immigration, recheck-in and then clear security ???

Just to add a little to your question. BA has announced that the move of Barcelona (and other) flights from T1 to T3 has been put back from January 2009 to February 2009. However, this should not impact your trip in April. Your Barcelona-London flight (BA) should arrive at Terminal 3, and your London-Chicago flight (AA) should depart from Terminal 3. And as BA will through-check your bag to the AA flight (see this page), even though you are travelling on two separate tickets, you will not clear immigration or customs - only the security check.

[Globaliser]

BA from ORD use T5, that to me would be a better choice if you can do that.

Unfortunately, both of the posters asking questions in this thread (srpilo and jagoffee) appear to be travelling on award tickets using AA miles, and it is not possible to use AA miles to book London-Chicago on BA flights.