Heathrow Airport Connection - Very Nervous
#21
Reports from folks who travel through LHR much more frequently than than 1X a month - like multiple times a week - attest to the chaos that can happen there -- especially in terminal 5. Every day? - no. But between HAL issues and BA problems with its shortage of wide body airframes, etc, There is an entire forum on Flyer Talk devoted to BA and its problems. A BIG issue is conformance. One must be cleared through security 35 minutes before the scheduled boarding time. Not in the queue but through. Absolutely no exceptions -- 2 minutes late (actually 1 minute) and you won't get on the plane no matter what.
Maybe you've been lucky.
Maybe you've been lucky.
#23
My only advice is to make sure at checkin, you get your connecting flight boarding pass. If not, it will really screw you up. It happened to me as I only got excuses and had to get my passes in Heathrow which they didn’t want to provide. No one was around to help and almost missed both connecting flights which would have been devastating (no other flights until the next day). Sometimes next available flight isn’t ok.
#24
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 9,370
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Great advice above re ensuing you have all your boarding passes either online or collected at first check in. One less thing to worry about!
I would add that even if you do not have flex tickets it may be worth contacting the airline and asking for a free change of flight. We did this one a BA /Iberia codeshare to Lima and they switched us to an earlier incoming flight without charge. Worth a try !
I would add that even if you do not have flex tickets it may be worth contacting the airline and asking for a free change of flight. We did this one a BA /Iberia codeshare to Lima and they switched us to an earlier incoming flight without charge. Worth a try !
#26
Join Date: Apr 2023
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
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.
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.
#28
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,705
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I recently booked a flight with 1 hr to transfer at LHR on BA. Before booking we called to confirm it should be ok, although I would hope they wouldn't offer a connection that's not possible. I also googled around, and as said earlier in this thread, 1 hour in the same terminal should be ok. They recommend 1.5 hrs if changing terminals.
That being said, my daughter recently took a flight with similar transfer in LHR on BA. The flight from EWR was delayed. They automatically changed her connection to a later flight. All seemed like it would be fine until they arrived at LHR. The connecting flight was cancelled! As it turned out there was some glitch affecting all of UK with the passport system (or something like that). Multitudes of flights were either delayed or cancelled. They ended up spending a night in London, and flew out the next day on a flight that also had a connection (all that was available). All the airport hotels were full, so they were given a stipend by BA to book their own hotel. They had a nice night in London.
That being said, my daughter recently took a flight with similar transfer in LHR on BA. The flight from EWR was delayed. They automatically changed her connection to a later flight. All seemed like it would be fine until they arrived at LHR. The connecting flight was cancelled! As it turned out there was some glitch affecting all of UK with the passport system (or something like that). Multitudes of flights were either delayed or cancelled. They ended up spending a night in London, and flew out the next day on a flight that also had a connection (all that was available). All the airport hotels were full, so they were given a stipend by BA to book their own hotel. They had a nice night in London.
#29
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 7,533
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
BagLady,
Lots of helpful advice above, great examples of the value of this and other travel forums.
We once learned our Lufthansa lesson. I'd queried their rep over the phone, "Are you absolutely sure that the timing will work for our connecting flight?" They'd responded 'Yes'.
Fine.
Cue me months later at the Frankfurt airport during the ever-shrinking time slot between those very flights, racing like Usain Bolt coz we had only 18.73 seconds before that connecting flight closed its doors. Adrenaline. I came this close to wiping out a stray toddler who'd stepped out in front of my path. Adrenaline adrenaline. I tripped and went flying like some movie stunt, before immediately standing up again to resume racing. Finally made it to the check-in gate in seconds flat, breathlessly...asking staff...whew... to um...delay...closing the door.........so...so...that my non-trackstar wife could catch up OK? Allright? Whew..."
Ours had been a rookie mistake. Fingers crossed for you.
I am done. the running
Lots of helpful advice above, great examples of the value of this and other travel forums.
We once learned our Lufthansa lesson. I'd queried their rep over the phone, "Are you absolutely sure that the timing will work for our connecting flight?" They'd responded 'Yes'.
Fine.
Cue me months later at the Frankfurt airport during the ever-shrinking time slot between those very flights, racing like Usain Bolt coz we had only 18.73 seconds before that connecting flight closed its doors. Adrenaline. I came this close to wiping out a stray toddler who'd stepped out in front of my path. Adrenaline adrenaline. I tripped and went flying like some movie stunt, before immediately standing up again to resume racing. Finally made it to the check-in gate in seconds flat, breathlessly...asking staff...whew... to um...delay...closing the door.........so...so...that my non-trackstar wife could catch up OK? Allright? Whew..."
Ours had been a rookie mistake. Fingers crossed for you.
I am done. the running
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
katrinakindrat
Travel Tips & Trip Ideas
5
Dec 20th, 2010 09:25 PM
gail
Air Travel
15
Jan 4th, 2010 01:48 PM
wonderfultravels
United States
7
Jun 7th, 2008 03:14 AM
Lea_Lane
Travel Tips & Trip Ideas
63
Apr 9th, 2007 10:34 AM