terminals LHR
 

Greetings,

It appears we do have a friend of my stepson joining us on our trip to Europe in December.

The Mom called me this morning and they are going to use AA miles for the friend to go. He is scheduled to arrive in London 2 hours PRIOR to our arrival on AA - we are arriving on Airfrance.

He will leave out of Paris a few hours before us on AA - we leave Airfrance.

The boy will be 18 at time of travel.

This is not ideal but it is what it is - many "risks" involved. His flight late, our flight late, blah, blah.

Dh still wants to connect to a B.A. flight to Paris that night. (December 23)

Anyone who is very fimilar with terminals know what terminal AA lands in in LHR and what one Airfrance lands in?

Any other suggestions regarding this mess?

AA does not fly LHR-CDG. It's a codeshare, operated by BA.

AA comes in to T3 and he will need to connect to T5. Easy enough if he just follows signs to Flight Connections. Do not follow most passengers as they will probably be terminating in London and thus will be heading to Passport Control/Baggage Pickup and Customs.

Remember: Flight Connections

Don't know what terminal AirFrance will be using in December as Heathrow is in the process of moving airlines to different terminals at the moment.

But, it's the same for you. Once of the AA flight in terminal 3, follow the signs to Flight Connections. You will eventually get to a room where you will be able to see a board with terminal assignments for different airlines. You can always ask any customer service rep. Just don't get on just any connection bus if you don't know where AirFrance is. Ask first.



Reporting from Safi Landmark Hotel in Kabul.

Sorry, I misunderstood. You are arriving on AirFrance and leaving on AirFrance. That may/may not be the same plane. I'm not sure how this is going to work because it's not yet implemented. The OpenSkies agreement is kicking in now and AirFrance is allowed to fly US-UK. It's possible you may just stay on the same plane. Check here in few months.

Hi AA - I have been reading of your travels! Way too cool!

Thanks for the feedback - yes - it is a BA flight from London to Paris.

I guess we can just plan on meeting up at the gate in London to make things easiest when that time comes...

my head hurts :-?

According to www.heathrowairport.com in December 23 AA flights are arriving to Terminal 3 and Air France lands at terminal 2.

If you arrive on an AirFrance flight...why don't you get an Air France flight to Paris and you won't have to change terminals ?

You can't meet him at the gate. You will be in different terminals unless you change your AF LHR-CDG flight to the same BA flight that he has then you can meet in T5 after all the formalities are done.

Otherwise plan on meeting in CDG.

Or at your hotel in Paris . . . . .

jan - not going to work - His parents are not comfortable with that.

We are not flying Airfrance all the way through because right now the cost is WAY more expensive then a B.A. flight.

AA - I meant the B.A. gate - we will be on the same flight to Paris that evening. If all works out LOL

Your plans are missing some important points. The following comments assume T5 is working properly by December. To be honest, if it isn't, Britain will probably have committed collective suicide, and you'll havbe more to worry about than your friend getting bored.

I'm assuming - though you've not said this - you're on AF from Los Angeles and your friend is on AA from Los Angeles. If that's not the case, you're confusing us all.


You can't check luggage through LHR onto BA. So you have to exit T2, take the train to T5 (about 2 miles away) and check in again with BA. Allow at least 2.5 hours for this, or less if you've only got carryon (BUT UK carryon rules are still stringent)

The passenger on AA CAN check bags through. And his boarding pass to Paris will havbe been issued by AA in the US. He just gets the bus from T3 after getting off the plane, and goes through security in T5. 90-120 mins is the recommended time, but probably less will be needed by Dec. So he'll be sitting round T5 for hours waiting for you.

In other words, the terminals you're arriving in are irrelevant. It really isn't in his interest to exit the secure area to meet you.

So you have three options:
- make him hang round T5 for a few hours. There's lots to do
- you take a connecting AF flight to Paris, while he gets the first BA flight, and you meet either at CDG or at your Paris hotel (it really cannot be beyond the skill of an 18 yo to get a taxi from CDG to a hotel. Or, as most of were doing a lot younger than him, getting on the RER and getting the metro to the hotel. Children these days CANNOT be stupider than we were at their age, however hard we try to convince them they are)
- you stay in London overnight. Pointless
- you all fly direct to Paris. The obviuous thing to do: whyt are you messing with London?

flan -

Yes we are both flying from LAX to London.

I cannot change my flights - it is impossible - these were changed flights from canceled Airfrance flights in the summer of 07.

It is an apartment in Paris - we are arriving late - and he would have to meet and greet the agent etc and that would not work for a variety of reasons.

We are both on the B.A. fight - so we will meet at THAT gate.

He can get there himself it sounds like and hang around as you suggested.

<i>You can't check luggage through LHR onto BA.</i>

As long as AF LAX tags to CDG, can BA at LHR refuse to accept the bags? It wouldn't work the other way around, but AF will through check with separate tickets/non-alliance.

Patty - I am hoping we can do this but not counting on it.

I agree with Patty. BA won't forward bags to other airlines at LHR, but other airlines can forwards bags to BA.

I thought all Skyteam airlines (including AF) will consolidate at LHR T4 later this year.

I heard it had been pushed back to 2009 (Skyteam consolidation at T4) but I'm not really sure.

the question then becomes will B.A. get our bags to Paris? :-?

I think they are going through some renovations at T4 and they should have delayed the changement of terminals. Aiport schedules most Skyteam airlines at T2 by December.
And the ones at T2 now (One World ones) will be at T3 (which is also being renovated now)

1. RKK et al are almost certainly right about bags: my comment postdated the early evening cocktails and I was thinking the wrong way round. THe AF flyers ought to be able to through-check bags, and therefore get the bus to T5 for the BA flight without going through immigration. But double-check with AF in Los Angeles

It'd still be easier for all parties to fly from Heathrow to Paris on AF though

2. Terminals. The plan has always been that the US SkyTeam members will move to T4 in the middle of this year, and KLM and Kenyan are already there. The other European members and Korean have always planned to move to T4 in spring 2009, though the tool at http://tinyurl.com/5wutn9 is now saying they'll stay where they are till at least the end of 2009.

In any case. AF have always intended staying at T2 throughout this year.

dawn-- his parents are not comfortable with the young man meeting you all at the hotel, but are comfortable with him crossing the Atlantic on a diffrerent itinerary that the other travelers?! hmmm....That's odd.

Viaj - I don't think so. Putting someone on a plane and having someone meet that person at the airport is different then telling them to find an apartment late at night after traveling for a night and day.

We will not arrive into Paris until around 8:00 pm or so - IF all goes according to plan -- he would need to get transportation to an apartment and meet the agent and do the walk through etc and I am not comfortable with that.

The flight is 1 hour, 20 minutes to Paris. There's a time change of 1 hour.

Given you land at 3 PM, that means that you would have to get a flight at 5:40 PM at London Heathrow in order to land at CDG at 8 PM (assuming everything goes as planned). A 2 hour, 40 minute gap between flights at Heathrow using separate tickets? (I lost track of whether separate terminals are involved.)

The flight we looked at taking is 3.5 hours after we land at 7:30 - so I was off... you are right willt - bottom line we get into paris late on the 23 and I am not going to send the friend of stepson to the apartment ahead of us in a country where he does not speak the language and has never been...

well traveled adults have issues...

*If* the payment were wired ahead of time for the apartment, then the agent could let him in, although I would not like that option either.

If something does go sideways, though, is he capable of booking and staying at a hotel by himself? Would his parents be mad at you? Hopefully that will not be the case, but among plane problems, crew problems, weather problems, and airport problems, something could happen where this was necessary.

WillT - I asked the Mom that and asked if he would have a credit card etc. She said yes - he is flying home by himself and going through Chicago in Jan.... that is why I orginally asked if he had a credit card and if she was comfortable with him getting a room etc.

Dawn, That's reassuring. I'd also suggest having cell phones that are enabled for roaming. It really facilitates meeting up, even though the calls are expensive. Texting is not so bad.