Is there any type of connection assistance at LHR?
 

Two weeks to go and getting very excited!!

My only real stress at this point is the 1 hour 15 minute connection time from T4 to T1 for our trip back to the US. We will have my mother with us and she has trouble walking any type of distance. We have already ordered a wheelchair for her, but when I called BA yesterday they said we would be on our own with the wheelchair. We can take it to the shuttle, leave it, then hopefully find one at the other end of the shuttle. The BA rep said that they no longer have 'meet and assist' services.
Can anyone tell me if they have any type of assistance at Heathrow that is not connected to the airlines? I have looked on their website, but not found anything. I would be willing to email, but can't find an address to send question.
Unfortunately, the flight we are booked on is the last one to SFO that day. If it were just the 2 adults and 2 kids that would be an extra day in London (I am sure work wouldn't mind), but with my mother that is another story.
Thanks for all the help.

I sympathise with you entirely.

I'd take the wheelchair with you if you can. Failing that, I'm sure there will be some people willing to lend assistance at the airport upon your arrival.

I always see golfcart type vehicles at LHR transporting people to/from the gate since it's such a far walk. I'd check with BA about that and ask to speak to a supervisor. Also find out if they'll give you fast track stickers to get through passport control.

Lisdale:

I am a little shocked at BA's comment! Are you on BA all the way or a code-share partner (e.g. AA)? Surely they have a better way than this to take wheelchair passengers from one terminal to another? What if your mum was on her own? Would she have to wheel herself from T4 to T1??? Don?t forget, that the airlines generally request that wheelchair passengers wait until the end of de-embarkation to be offloaded. This could be about 30 minutes or more.

If you are taking BA all the way, or AA, I would escalate this within BA or AA customer service before planning an alternative. If you got this information from an agent on the customer service desk, than I suggest you call back, make a stink and demand to talk to the management.

I think you CAN make the connection but it is tight if your mum has to wait to the end, as long as there are no delays, particularly if your luggage has been checked through, as if you don?t make the flight, the airline has to offload your bags so it in their interests to wait for you.

BTW, asking for "Fast-track" stickers on your boarding pass is an excellent idea!

I suppose another alternative is that you pretend your Mum is traveling on her own and let the airline take the responsibility and the consequences. However, this may not be an option as the airline is obviously aware she is traveling with family.

Best of luck. I have to say that I think this is very shabby service indeed for an elderly passenger!

Regards Ger

Thanks for the suggestions. I don't know what a fast track sticker is, but you can bet I will ask for one.

I have also seen those electric cars through airports. I was thinking maybe that was a Heathrow thing, not a BA thing.

Still trying to find contact info for Heathrow to ask.

It took my family 1 hour just to get thru another security point from term 2 to term 1. I was also taking Alitalia and switching to BA. They also lost our luggage , return trip luckily.

Its also a 20 minute walk to the gates. Good luck hope you get thru

This is from BA's web site

To ensure the best possible service is provided, passengers should make British Airways aware of their needs at the time of booking or no later than the day before travel.

If you book on the Internet, please call your local British Airways office immediately after you have bought your ticket to make any special arrangements.

Please tell us:


If you have special needs

If you are disabled and have additional needs

The level of your disability and what kind of help you want us to give you after you have checked in


Please read the information below and contact us if you need to book any of the services outlined here.


Medical cases
Assistance at the airport
Assistance in-flight
Travelling with Guide Dogs
Contact details



Medical cases
Before you travel, an IATA Medif Form should be filled in by you and your physician in cases where fitness to travel is in doubt due to recent:


Illness

Hospitalisation

Injury

Surgery


Or in cases where special services are required such as:


Oxygen

Stretcher

Other medical equipment


For further information on medical forms please click here.

Assistance at the airport
Restricted mobility passengers

Wheelchairs and buggies provided by the airport
If you want the airport to provide a wheelchair or a motorised buggy to transport you from check-in to the boarding gate or from the aircraft to the arrivals hall at your point of destination, please let us know a day in advance of travel, or preferably when you or your travel agent make your booking. We will try our best to ensure that the airport provides this service for you.

Having just taken my mother through a much smaller airport than Heathrow I greatly empathize with your situation.

I am sorry to add to your concerns, but in addition to the most helpful suggestions given above, I would urge you to have a backup plan in case you miss that connection. Our flight from Vienna arrived at T4 around midday and it took us 40 minutes to get off the plane! First, the gate wasn't free; then the signal intended to assist the pilot with docking the plane failed and they needed a ground worker to manually guide the plane; then the jetway door for some reason wouldn't open!

This might be an unusual scenario but I wanted to warn you. That extra night in London might be worth every penny.

According to the BAA website at http://www.baa.com/main/airports/hea...eds_frame.html there is a special wheelchair accessable 'help bus' that you can call from help points and phones in the airport (click on help bus in the left menu on the website)