changing terminals at heathrow
 

My daughter, age 14, will be flying from the US on a BA flight into Heathrow this week, alone. She lands at terminal 4. She needs to go thru customs, get her bag (she can do this) and then go to the Olympic terminal to meet family friends who are getting off an Olympic flight from Athens.

How does she do this? It is not an internal transfer, since her final destination is London.Therefore, she cannot take one of the connecting flight buses. Is there a shuttle bus at the sidewalk that goes from Terminal to Terminal? Is there a train (not to Paddington, but to the other terminals).What is it called? Where does it stop? Should she follow the "TAxi" signs to get to a sidewalk and there find a shuttle bus?
I do not wish to do the unaccompanied minor thing since that means she is held at the BA terminal until the other family comes to find her. She lands 3 hours before they do. She can go find them, with a little instruction from one of you.Thank you

She can use the Heathrow Express train service free to go between airport terminals - takes few minutes and is about the only way to go. Just get on.

Do you really want your 14 yo daughter alone at LHR for 3 hours? Not that she isn't a mature, well traveled young lady - but LHR is a huge, frantic, multi terminal airport and anyone that young on their own could get into all sorts of difficulties.

She might bristle at the "baby sitting" aspects of traveling as an unaccompanied minor - but I would feel much better if she were my child . . . . .

I'd agree with sending her as an unaccompanied minor.
I sent my daughter to Switzerland that way when she was 14.
She protested a bit, but I think that she was secretly relieved.

My son too protested at age 16 when i had him come from Paris as an unaccompanied minor - at that time NW it was free, which is why i did it and if plane is delayed or miss connection they handle the kid and help. But now i think it costs $75 or so - i guess still well worth it mainly in case of delays not that a smart 14 yr old couldn't get on the Heathrow Express and find the other terminals - pretty easy to do.

I think that if you carefully explain the airline what your daughter is supposed to do in Heathrow, they won't have any trouble on taking her to the Olympic terminal as an unnacompanied minor.

Janis, really. She's 14, not 4. An age when most of us were travelling by ourselves, and certainly didn't want or need some BA nanny to shepherd us about.

Your daughter should get the free Heathrow Express, as PalQ says, and get off at the next stop (T1-3). Follow the signs for T2. On the departures (NOT the checkin) level, there's a huge sitting area, about 50 yards from the exit from Immigration (at T2, departures and arrivals are on the same level).

If she can't find enough reading matter to keep her amused, there's an OK Accessorise nearby. Alternatively, there's a chapel, with services several times a day, right over the HEX station.

I think the unaccompanied minor service is not needed just to transfer in Heathrow but could be invaluable in case there is a flight snafu - delayed flight, miss connection then the airline has to 'care' for the child - re-route on other flight, etc., keep her supervised - in this case even the 14 year old may want some help - just to transfer in Heathrow no, but in case other problems pop up. My son really hated wearing that plastic thing around his neck - required then - with his ticket in it, etc. But was led first one off plane, etc.

I don't believe BA let's her travel alone, flanneruk. Here in Spain you cannot travel alone being minor and that is till you are 18. If you are 16, you can do it with a parental permit (signed) but no way to do it with 14.

flanneruk: Most of your posts are spot on - but I think you've got it wrong w/ this one. It may be a cultural thing - I know when I lived in the UK many of my neighbors' young kids did travel solo or w/ friends back and forth to London etc.

But most Americans (I assumed our OP is American because her daughter is flying from the US - but maybe not) just don't send their young kids to far away places w/o a chaperone or adult family member in charge.

I think she can fly solo if the flight is w/o connections - but just because she can doesn't mean it is necessarily a good idea.

Oh - I meant to add -- many American kids DO fly solo every day. But they either travel as unaccompanied minors, or there is someone to meet them at the gate.

Ok Im not 14 BUT....I am 62 and confused!!

I arrive from Zurich in Terminal 4 w/ BA and have to go to Terminal 3 to catch my flight home to LA on Virgin.

NOW...can I check my luggage all the way thru from Z or do I have to go get it and take it w/ me to Term 3 and recheck it.

Also will I have to go thru customs and security and all that as I change terminals?

Maybe I should send myself as an unprotected senior!! :) Thanks in advance.