Airport Transfer
 

I posted this in another part of this forum but I'm hoping to get a little more advice.

I'm flying into London Heathrow and will make a connecting flight to Cairo. I will have only three hours to disembark from the plane, gather my luggage, clear customs, and pass through immigration. Since I will not be boarding the same airline for my connecting flight to Cairo, I will need to collect my belongings and move from one terminal (T3) to another (T5). Taking all of this into consideration, does anyone know whether three hours will be sufficient time to complete this process? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

It sounds like you are flying BA to Cairo. Which airline are you flying to LHR? Depending on the airline you maybe able to check your luggage to Cairo.

On one ticket, arriving on, say JAL or AA, you've nothing to worry about. You'll get your BA boarding pass in Tokyo, New York or wherever, have your bags through-checked and you'll be rebooked on the next (in practice, probably the next day's) flight if your incoming flight's late

On two tickets, arriving on - say - Virgin or SAS, you MIGHT, if you can't get your bags through checked, have to go through immigration, collect your bags, take the Heathrow Express train to T5 (which goes only every 15 mins) and check in again. You're very likely to miss the connection - and BA will probably make you buy a new ticket if you do

WE really can't help you. You need to ask your carrier into the UK EXACTLY how they will handle the connection. Then call back and ask someone else the same question to make sure

I'm flying into London Heathrow with American Airlines.

AA will let you check your bag in to Cairo when you check in the US, despite your connecting flight out of LHR is with BA. Make sure you tell AA at check in to check the bag to Cairo, not Heathrow. You can also get your BA bording pass from AA when you check in.

Thank you very much. I just contacted AA and they said they had a baggage agreement with BA. When I get to the airport, all I have to do is clearly notify AA personnel that I'm checking the bag all the way to Cairo (just as you both stated).
Justshootme - the AA rep confirmed what you said about being able to get my BA boarding pass at the AA counter. Thanks for your help.
Flanneruk - is it fairly easy to catch the Heathrow Express train to T5. Thanks for the 15 minute tip. I had no idea that the train only ran every 15 minutes.

That's interesting because BA wouldn't even check through my bags at Heathrow when I was going from US to Spain. I had to retrieve them and re-check them.

Connecting Heathrow AA, Terminal 3, to BA, Terminal 5, there is no train to catch. You don't go out through customs and immigration at all. Just follow the purple signs for "Flight Connections", you will end up going down to a dedicated bus which will take you around to the other terminal, and at T5 you will go up and through security again. It's gotten much easier since T5 opened and they have put better signage in T3. I wouldn't dawdle but you should have plenty of time for connecting flight.

You only take the train if you have cleared immigration and customs, in your case just follow the signs for connecting flights and take the bus to T5. Do not clear immigration and customs at T3 on arrival.

travelexplorer: I think you misunderstood flanner. He said "<i>On two tickets, arriving on - say - Virgin or SAS, you MIGHT,<B> . . . if you can't get your bags through checked</B>, have to go through immigration, collect your bags, take the Heathrow Express train to T5 . . .</i>"

Since you have learned AA will through check your luggage, that doesn't apply. You didn't give us enough info the first time around so everyone was just giving you various "what if's"

" BA wouldn't even check through my bags at Heathrow when I was going from US to Spain."

I don't know what you're saying.

On one ticket, BA will <b> at your originating airport </b> check your bags through LHR onto you final destination if all flights are on members of the One World alliance. So will other One World airlines.

If your bag wasn't through checked at your originating airport (because, for example, the checkin clerk was an idiot or more often because the passenger was too stupid to insist it was) BA won't, usually, divert it at Heathrow. The bag comes out on the conveyor - and that means the passenger has to go through immigration and go to the connecting terminal to recheck.

If the connection involves BA and a non-One World airline, BA typically makes up the procedure as it goes along, according to the Willie Walsh formula, which is:
- always do what's most inconvenient
- always blame Heathrow Airport Ltd. Or anyone else really
- change the rules daily.
- ensure Little Willie gets a chance to whinge in public.