Heathrow Question

We will be flying from DFW to FCO(Rome) next summer and are connecting through London Heathrow. We are flying on American from DFW to LHR and then British Airways from LHR to FCO. I understand that because American and British Airways have an alliance, they share the same baggage claims and we can check our bags all the way through from DFW to FCO. Does Heathrow have a tram like Skylink at DFW that you can stay inside security and connect to different terminals or do you have to go back outside security to connect to a different terminal?

When we traveled to Barcelona from Miami via Heathrow - we did not have to leave the secured area of the airport to go to th other terminal for our connecting flight- and our luggage was ticketed all the way through to our final destination.

Check which terminal you are flying into and out of. Last march, BA opened T5, and it was a total debacle! T5 is mostly for longhaul, T/A flights, but other air services were shifted around LHR. T1, 2 and 3 are close together, but T4 and now T5 are miles away from the 'core' terminals. Please be very careful. If BA lost 28,000 bags last March connnecting through LHR on their OWN carrier, I don't know how much an alliance will/can mean with AA.

Good luck!

We would be flying into Terminal 3 and then connecting to Terminal 5.

Terminals 1, 2 and 3 are all together and Terminal 4 and 5 are quite a distance away in opposite directions from these 'core' terminals. There will be free transportation (buses) from Terminal 3 to Terminal 5. You will exit security when leaving 3 and re-enter security once you arrive at Terminal 5.

This May we flew BA from Des Moines to Istanbul and from Athens back to Des Moines. Both flights were routed through Terminal 5 at LHR for the European legs and Terminal 4 for the T/A legs. We had no problems at all. Our Des Moines-Ohare legs were on an AA feeder line and our luggage was checked all the way through, both going out and coming back.

We had heard the nightmare stories about Terminal 5 so we packed 2 days of clothing and essentials in our carry-on bags. But, no problem; luggage arrrived safely with our flights.

Just make sure you have a 2-hour layover at LHR to make the transition to/from terminal 5 and deal with the security re-entry.

We will be flying from DFW to FCO(Rome) next summer and are connecting through London Heathrow. We are flying on American from DFW to LHR and then British Airways from LHR to FCO. I understand that because American and British Airways have an alliance, they share the same baggage claims and we can check our bags all the way through from DFW to FCO. Does Heathrow have a tram like Skylink at DFW that you can stay inside security and connect to different terminals or do you have to go back outside security to connect to a different terminal?

When you arrive at Heathrow, follow the signs for Flight Connections Terminal 5. These should now all be in purple, so that they can be easily identified. The route will initially be together with other terminals, but you should keep following the number 5, for obvious reasons. You will be taken to a bus stop, where you will be transferred by bus to Terminal 5. When you get there, you will go up an escalator to the arrivals level at T5, where you keep on following the Flight Connections route. If you don't already have a boarding pass for your BA flight, stop at the transfer desk to pick one up. Then you will have your boarding pass scanned to locate you and verify that you're in the right terminal, and then you will go up another escalator to the top level where you will go through security screening and then be free to wander through the shops and restuarants before going to your onward gate.

You must clear security at Heathrow because you have arrived from outside the UK and must therefore be screened to UK standards before departing on another aircraft. But you do not clear immigration or Customs - there are no other formalities.

Last march, BA opened T5, and it was a total debacle! T5 is mostly for longhaul, T/A flights ... Please be very careful. If BA lost 28,000 bags last March connnecting through LHR on their OWN carrier, I don't know how much an alliance will/can mean with AA.

The first three days of T5 were truly dreadful. About 10 days later, there was another bad weekend when the baggage system broke down one day and then there was snow the next day (Heathrow does not do snow well, as we only get about two or three days of it a year.)

But since then, T5 has become the best-performing terminal at Heathrow for baggage. So the scare-mongering carried out by the press, without subsequent correction, is misplaced.

So the only way to connect from Terminal 3 to Terminal 5 is to go outside security to get on a bus and then go back throught security in Terminal 5?

Thank you for all of your responses

We did the opposite, Rome to Heathrow then a flight to Melbourne Australia.

On Arrival at Heathrow we used the skybus (?) but still had to go through the scanners on our way to the Qantas flight for Australia. Of all the airports we transitted on our holiday Heathrow was the only one that required us to remove our shoes before going through the scanner gates but aside from that security was not overly oppressive.

On arrival in Rome from Heathrow before our cruise they did not even bother to look at our passports but that may have been as we were travelling within the EU, not sure.

At Rome we had to catch a skybus to the luggage pickup terminal area also.

David

Hi Hawkeye Cruisr:

We live in Des Moines....good to see someone so close that has knowledge of Heathrow Airport. My DH and I; we've cruised over 40 times now, but in two months we're going on our first Med. Cruise. We leave from Des Moines, to Chicago and then to London (Heathrow). Do you have any survival tips for this airport? We're spending one night in Southampton before we board the Independence of the Seas for a two week cruise.

Any other tips or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.:p

Happy cruising.....Sparkle 10 (Anita):)

So the only way to connect from Terminal 3 to Terminal 5 is to go outside security to get on a bus and then go back throught security in Terminal 5?

 

Thank you for all of your responses

You got it! Same thing with Terminal 4 also. I think 1, 2, and 3 might be interconnected so you could go from one to another without exiting security - just speculation on my part. But Terminals 4 and 5 are distinctly separate buildlings quite a ways away from the original 3 terminals.

So the only way to connect from Terminal 3 to Terminal 5 is to go outside security to get on a bus and then go back throught security in Terminal 5?

But as you have arrived from a foreign country, you are treated as not having been security screened. This is why you must be security screened before your next departure, whether you leave the airside area or not.

I think 1, 2, and 3 might be interconnected so you could go from one to another without exiting security - just speculation on my part.

The only exception is if you arrive at Heathrow on a domestic flight, in which case if you stay airside throughout your connection (ie you go straight from T1 domestic arrivals to the Flight Connections Centre) you do not need to be security screened again, because you have already undergone UK security screening.

I think that this should also apply to domestic arrivals at T5, but I haven't done this and don't know whether it works in the same way.

Of all the airports we transitted on our holiday Heathrow was the only one that required us to remove our shoes before going through the scanner gates ...

Hi Hawkeye Cruisr:

 

We live in Des Moines....good to see someone so close that has knowledge of Heathrow Airport. My DH and I; we've cruised over 40 times now, but in two months we're going on our first Med. Cruise. We leave from Des Moines, to Chicago and then to London (Heathrow). Do you have any survival tips for this airport? We're spending one night in Southampton before we board the Independence of the Seas for a two week cruise.

 

Any other tips or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.:p

 

Happy cruising.....Sparkle 10 (Anita):)

Hi Anita,

I can't really help you that much with LHR since we were just passing through and making our way from one terminal to the next. Our flights in May were DSM-ORD-LHR-Istanbul and return from Athens-LHR-ORD-DSM. So at least you are cutting 4-5 hours off our travel time!

We've only cruised 4 times, but 2 of those were in the Med. It's our favorite destination and we've already booked an Italy cruise for next May.

Enjoy your cruise!

Nancy