short connection in Heathrow with different carriers
 

Hi Folks,

I am arriving in London (expected 1000) on Iberia and need to make a connection to a Cathy Pacific (departing 1230) and will need to get baggage and check in again. I arrive and Depart from Terminal 3. WILL I MAKE IT

Any advice would be very useful.

You shouldn't have to get luggage unless you personally HAVE to do it (to take something out and give it to someone in London, for example). Iberia should be able to check your bags through.

As Ray pointed out, you do not need to collect your luggage. Just give your Cathay ticket information when you check in with Iberia, and they should transfer the bags for you. You MIGHT have to go to the luggage transfer desk and show them your bag tags, so that they can route them properly, but that would be about it.

Assuming that you check your bags through, then you should make it without a problem.

If you choose to collect your bags for some reason, then it will be a bit tight, and lines at immigration could derail your connection. Being an EU citizen or having an IRIS membership would help.

Sounds like this is two tickets which means Iberia may not transfer them. If it is two tickets I would want longer.

It is known that British Airways may be transfer bags at LHR to other airlines on separate itinerary, but IB should. IB and CX are both major carriers in the same alliance. No reason why they don't have interline baggage agreement.

<I>It is known that British Airways may be transfer bags at LHR to other airlines on separate itinerary, but IB should.</I>

I've seen this reported too, but I have never had any problems either with getting BA to transfer to another carrier, or getting another carrier to transfer to BA.

Of course, I meant to type "BA may NOT transfer bags...." But thanks, travelgourmet.

I had Air France refuse to transfer luggage to Delta. One ticket, airlines with unground etc. It happens

1) Is OP on one ticket?
2) Do Iberia & Cathay Pacific interline luggage?

If the answer to both is yes then they should make their connection and if they don't it's the airline's problem to get them to their final destination.

If the answer to 2) is no then they'll have to go through UK immigration, collect luggage & recheck luggage in which case they aren't going to make the connection.

By the way, even though you arrive and depart in the same terminal, you'll still have to go through security again. I haven't done a T3-T3 security clearance in over a year, but in the past, I've spent anywhere from 5 minutes (unusual) to 60 minutes (also unusual) in line to clear security. A more usual line-up time is 10-20 minutes. Add to that about 30 minutes of deplaning and walking. You should be ok unless your flight arrives late (and that's not unusual).

Iberia and Cathay are both part of One World, so they definitely interline luggage and will probably check bags all the way through. But regardless, I think 2-1/2 hours is enough even if the OP has to reclaim bags. The OP hasn't actually said that this is two separate tickets, and it may not be.