Heathrow Airport Connection - Very Nervous
 

Hello! I'm planning my honeymoon flight to Italy and home in October. I have heard crazy scary stories about Heathrow and am nervous as we've booked non refundable BA tickets. Does anyone think this is enough time to get off our flights and onto our other flights? I am very nervous specifically about the back to SFO flights.

To Naples:

• SFO -> LHR: 16:25 - 10:50
• LHR -> NAP: 13:25 - 17:15

Back to SFO:

• VENICE -> LHR: 8:10 - 9:45
• LHR -> SFO: 10:50 - 14:00

Thank you!!!

I would be ok with that return connection but I'm more risk tolerant than many.

VCE to LHR and LHR to SFO are both using T5- at least today they are. The biggest risk is the 1st flight being delayed as there is no margin for error here.

I always have a plan B in mind. The good news is there is a 2nd LHR to SFO flight a few hours later that BA can put you on if you miss your connection, and there is room....

If I was taking this flight, I'd look into a same-day flight change option of BA allows it to get on the later SFO flight just to give yourselves some cushion. Or contact BA ahead of time and see if you can make that change before you travel. Some airlines allow no-cost same day changes, others do not.

I assume BA would not have sold the connection if that had not been at least the minimum connection time. As it's some years since I was last at LHR I won't hazard a guess as to whether or not you'll need to get your skates on, but since it's the same airline (and I assume same ticket?) for both flights, it's BA's responsibility to get you to your destination, so if you are too late for the connection they will put you on the next available flight.

It is the same ticket, right?

Lavandula

Are these flights booked on the same ticket? They will likely be fine but you may want to change your return flight to add a bit more time between flights. If that is too hard to do, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Also, flight times may well change between now and next October so keep an eye out for any emails from British Air.

We came through Heathrow last month. I think this is doable, but make absolutely 100% positive that everyone in your party doesn't have a stray bottle of liquid somewhere in your carry on. I unknowingly left a small bottle of lotion out of the baggie and that mistake can cost you about 15 minutes, as they will do a full inspection. I've I'm glad they're so thorough for our safety, but check and check again to make sure you're following the liquid rules.

If the flights are on the same booking it makes no difference that they are 'non-refundable'. You are protected so if you miss your connection they will put you on the next available flight. You will get both boarding passes in Venice and will only have security at LHR. If you have checked luggage it will be checked through to SFO.

IF you do miss the connection they will try to get you on another BA flight to SFO but it could also be on AA or BA connecting somewhere else then on to SFO. I'd be more worried about checked bags than myself -making the flight - LHR baggage handling can be chaos.

We had an hour between BA flights this past December, going LHR-CDG. My husband got hung up at the security screening and we missed the flight. Even if there hadn’t been an issue I think we’d have had a tough time making it as we had to change terminals. No problem rescheduling with a later flight to Paris although we arrived much later than I’d hoped. I’d say listen to what PM says and make sure you have nothing to hold you up in security but don’t worry if you miss the flight since there is another one a couple hours later.

I don’t think you need to call, you can go on the BA website with your booking code and see if you can change to the later flight. I always book on their website directly but I’m fairly sure you can do it, even if you booked elsewhere. Maybe someone else can advise on that. BA does charge for same day flight changes if you do it online.

It may be that the later flight is cheaper, so even with a change fee you aren’t out too much cash and don’t have to stress about a tight connection. Or, just call them, and tell them it’s your honeymoon, and you don’t want stress.

If you stay with the early flight, try to get seats in front of the plane coming from Venice. You don’t want to be the last person to disembark.

Once when we flew BA with a tight connection (and a delay) , they had a vehicle to whisk us to the connecting gate.

Plus, this is your return..... I mean, if they pay you to stay longer in Europe is that such a bad thing?

BA tickets stock number is 125.
Look at your 13 digit ticket numbers. The 125 should be the first three if all tickes are issued by BA.
It is BA's responibility to get you to your final destination.

The BA agents know beforehand which passengers have connection to make;
they will either facilitate your transfit through the airport, book on next avaiable flight, or even delay departure if there are enough passengers in your situation.

Relax.

As others have emphasized, the question is whether or not your flights are on the same booking. If not, BA will not transfer your baggage. If you travel carry on only, it would be a big help.

Make sure you have comprehensive travel insurance that covers you for missed departures, cancellations etc. etc.Do not rely on BA , they are pretty hopeless these days and care little about their passengers. If things do go awry, I would not rely on them to be of much help! Some people we were pet sitting for last week were left high and dry when BA cancelled their flight to Palma when the arrived at the airport. it involved them in delays of a couple of days and necessitated them making their own way to Gatwick and getting and Easyjet flight the next day. BA were of no assistance at all and even cancelled their return flight as they were no shows on the outgoing flight!

As others have said, if both flight are booked on the one ticket then BA are obliged to get you and your baggage to your ultimate destination in the event of delayed or cancelled flights. Sadly BA are not the only problem. The UK travel industry is plagued by industrial action with many unions planning industrial action throughout the summer and for the remainder of the year and LHR is a prime target for such action with a number of unions planning action. No idea whether this will be resolved by October but it seems unlikely at present. It really is impossible to predict how long it may take to get through LHR at present. Sorry if this sounds negative but it really is a case of hoping for the best, but planning for the worst.

This is not the year for quick transfers at LHR.

The reality is that, unless you are willing to forego the money already spent and change your routing, you have no control over the weather, labor actions or mechanical breadowns.

Relax.

https://www.google.com/search?q=woul...hrome&ie=UTF-8

BA and HAL (the airport Authority - separate entities) are having periodic issues. Some days are fine, some are Gawd Awful. As Cdnyl says - relax. Nothing you ca do about it. In the case described by crellston -- not blaming the victim at all, but with a round trip booking, not flying an outward bound leg will always result in the return leg being canceled - no matter the airline. Unless you notify the airline before 'no showing' and work it out.

They didn’t “not fly” the outward leg out of choice. BA cancelled the outbound flight and when they checked return flight it was running but BA had cancelled their seats as a no show. The guy is a senior partner in a high profile law firm - I have no doubt he will be getting his fare refunded no doubt with compensation on top!

Yes, it's the same ticket all booked through BA. We will definitely be traveling with 2 checked bags.

Then you are protected and your bags should be checked through for you. You will have to pass security again at LHR so be vigilante about liquids and electronics in carry on to hopefully avoid secondary checks. Worst case scenario, get and keep all relevant receipts. Have a good trip!

Flew to Milan thru Heathrow in December with about 90 minutes between flights. Missed our connecting flights both ways due to the receiving gate not being ready. Sat on the tarmac for about an hour each way causing us to miss our flights. Yes we were booked on the next available flights (4 hour wait going over) (5 hour wait on return), but just very aggravating. Also lost our paid exit rows for the return to states. Heathrow is an extremely chaotic airport and we will try to avoid for connections in the future.

Some comments. Most people do make their connecting flights at Heathrow particularly if both inbound and outbound flights are in the same terminal such as your case. You can probably pay a small fee to get seats close to the front of the plane and that will be advantageous as already mentioned. You should be able to do this through Manage booking on-line. Speak to one of the on board staff and explain your situation, so they know you have a tight transfer. Board the flight at Venice promptly so that any bags that need to go in the lockers are above your seats.
Finally as others have said, you cannot control things outside your span of control. Enjoy your honeymoon, relax and go with the flow. In the unlikely event that something goes wrong, it will get sorted. You can always view it as an unexpected extension of your holiday and enjoy the Duty Free or have something to eat.

I wouldn’t start trying to change the booking thru BA MMB as that could trigger fare changes.

I wouldn’t worry about the flight connection time & would not worry about chaos at LHR. Most posters who make comments about LHR don’t travel thru it very often and if & when things do go bad, remember those incidents forever & give the impression that LHR is an airport in a constant mess. It’s no good saying I travel thru it maybe once every month/six weeks without issue as only the times where there were issues are the ones that seem to count. The worse the horror story, the better.