Tight Departure Time - Heathrow?

Looking for some advice from the experts on this forum:

My wife and I will be returning from a cruise next Spring ending in Venice on a Monday in May. We are flying BA to Heathrow and continuing BA to Toronto. Flights/times as follows:

VEN - 1:40 - Arrive LHR 2:50 - terminal 5

Depart LHR 4:20 - Arrive YYZ 6:50

I know the timeline is within the recommended 120 minutes between departures but my travel agent seemed to think this would be ok. Also - since we arrive and depart from LHR terminal 5, will we need to claim baggage and go through immigration and customs or simply head off the appropriate gate for the Toronto leg?

Thanks very much for your help!

Rob

You won't claim your baggage. It will be checked through.

You just need some security and passport checks. I think you have enough time, assuming you are on time. But none to spare. Move with a purpose- don't be taking your time.

Thanks for the quick reply Bruce! Just wasn't sure of procedures at Heathrow or how time-consuming they might be. Seems that departures out of both Marco Polo and LHR are seldom right on time so we'll cross the fingers and step smartly!

Thanks!

Rob

Assuming on-time arrival at LHR, it's sufficient time as MCT is 60 minutes. Just security, no passport control (though you do that at VCE when you leave Schengen) though there may be a document check at the gate upon boarding.

http://www.heathrowairport.com/heathrow-airport-guide/flight-connections/terminal-5-international-connecting-to-terminal-5-international

Assuming on-time arrival at LHR, it's sufficient time as MCT is 60 minutes. Just security, no passport control (though you do that at VCE when you leave Schengen) though there may be a document check at the gate upon boarding.

 

http://www.heathrowairport.com/heathrow-airport-guide/flight-connections/terminal-5-international-connecting-to-terminal-5-international

At LHR, you will have a document check by staff when making you connection within T5. It goes as such: get off your flight, walk to passport check, go up escalator, go through security, head to your gate.

At LHR, you will have a document check by staff when making you connection within T5. It goes as such: get off your flight, walk to passport check, go up escalator, go through security, head to your gate.

Sounds more like the infamous conformance check where they won't even let you get near the security checkpoint if you're not there X minutes (35?) before your flight departs. There's no passport control for transit otherwise.

Sounds more like the infamous conformance check where they won't even let you get near the security checkpoint if you're not there X minutes (35?) before your flight departs. There's no passport control for transit otherwise.

Thus I said document check and passport check, not passport control. They will check your passport to make sure you have the necessary documents to go where you're going. Because if they transport you to, say, Delhi and you don't have a valid Indian visa, it's up to them to get you back. So they're very careful to make sure you have the proper documentation.

Thus I said document check and passport check, not passport control. They will check your passport to make sure you have the necessary documents to go where you're going. Because if they transport you to, say, Delhi and you don't have a valid Indian visa, it's up to them to get you back. So they're very careful to make sure you have the proper documentation.

That (checking for entry requirements) is something they should done at check-in and not potentially mid-way through the trip - rather inconvenient if you had flown in from North America en route to India and then they stop you at LHR for not having a valid visa. The other angle is someone wanting to claim refugee status would want to make sure their travel documents are "lost" (makes it harder for deportation) and if this is the doc check, its ideal. Otherwise if they have to discard it on the a/c or upon arrival (due to at-gate doc check), it's easier to find. Then again, the British are not know for doing things right.

That (checking for entry requirements) is something they should done at check-in and not potentially mid-way through the trip - rather inconvenient if you had flown in from North America en route to India and then they stop you at LHR for not having a valid visa. The other angle is someone wanting to claim refugee status would want to make sure their travel documents are "lost" (makes it harder for deportation) and if this is the doc check, its ideal. Otherwise if they have to discard it on the a/c or upon arrival (due to at-gate doc check), it's easier to find. Then again, the British are not know for doing things right.

Don't know what to tell you. That's how they do it. I transit through LHR regularly and that's the setup

Also to add - you can come in to T5 from another airline at another terminal. If you fly, say, ORD-LHR-DEL, the ORD-LHR leg can be on AA or UA and then transferring on to BA for LHR-DEL. That way, BA has not had any chance to look at your documentation. This is the checkpoint where they do so to confirm you have the proper documentation to enter your destination.

Cruising Cockroach & Zach:

Thanks very much for the information. Now that I know what we need to do and where to go, I feel much better. (A bit anal when it comes to vacation details.....!)

Cheers!

Rob