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Flight Connection At LHR

Airforum From Netherlands, joined Jun 2000, 176 posts, RR: 0
Posted (5 years 4 months 2 weeks 3 days 13 hours ago) and read 1006 times:

Hey there,

my younger sis and her three girlfriends are planning a trip from Amsterdam to Toronto via Londen Heathrow. Some parents of the ladies are concerned because of this transfer at LHR. The girls need to go from Terminal 1 (bmi) to terminal 3 ( Air Canada) and have three (!) hours to connect. But still these parents don't like them to travel 'alone'. They've asked me if I would fly bmi to LHR on the very same flight and help the girls as much as possible to get to their departure gate. But now I am wondering if that would make any sense, as I have no valid ticket to get to Terminal 3.

As there are many experienced LHR-flyers out here, do you think it would make any sense to accompany the girls? It sounds reasonable that I won't even be able to pass security at Flight Connections in Terminal 1!

Please lemme here what you think.

Ciao!

(Edited for typo)

[Edited 2008-01-07 06:35:53]

What goes up, must come down. Let's hope the sky never went up.

5 replies: All unread, jump to last

WILCO737 From Greenland, joined Jun 2004, 8473 posts, RR: 78
Reply 1, posted (5 years 4 months 2 weeks 3 days 13 hours ago) and read 1001 times:

AIRLINERS.NET CREW
HEAD MODERATOR

Quoting Airforum (Thread starter):

How old are they? But I guess when they are old enough to go on a trip to Toronto, they should be able to make their way to the gate and changing Terminals!! And 3 hours should be more than sufficient...

WILCO737 (MD11F)
airplane

It it's not Boeing, I am not going.

CV990 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 2, posted (5 years 4 months 2 weeks 3 days 12 hours ago) and read 991 times:

Hi!

They'll be fine...my son just transit via LHR to IAD 3 days ago and everything went smooth and well!
Regards

Ansett767 From Australia, joined May 1999, 1021 posts, RR: 2
Reply 3, posted (5 years 4 months 2 weeks 3 days 12 hours ago) and read 975 times:

I just transitted from Terminal 4 to Terminal 1 and it took about 30 minutes in total including waiting for the bus and clearing security in terminal 1 plus the walk to the main departure area.

I can't say for terminal 1 to 3, but from 4 to 1, all I did was clear security. There was no boarding card inspection until the terminal one gate where you board the plane.

They should be fine alone. There are plenty of staff around and it's really well signposted. Do the speak english? I suppose if theyre going to Canada and getting around there theyll be fine in LHR.

3 hours is a good enough time! Can they check their baggage through? If so this will save a big hassle as 3 hours may not be enough.

VV701 From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 6624 posts, RR: 17
Reply 4, posted (5 years 4 months 2 weeks 3 days 12 hours ago) and read 968 times:

It will only make sense if you travel all the way to YYZ. The transfer from T1 to T3 will be airside - your sister and her friends will not enter the UK formally - and you will not be allowed to transfer with them without a through ticket. You will theoretically be allowed to go with them as far as (but not through) the 'gate' from which they will board the transfer bus.

I do not know how old the girls are. But if they are old enough to navigate through customs and immigration at AMS I would have thought that they could manage the easier navigation to the clearly signposted transfer desk at T1 at LHR and then to follow the instructions given. It is not as if what they are doing will be unusual at the world's busiest international transfer hub, particularly if they are able to check their luggage through to YYZ.

Of course with the three hours I suppose you could stay with them in T1 for an hour or so. But recognising that you will have to stay air side and that all other passengers will be going landside or transferring to the departure lounge immediately after arrival, the only facilities available to you during the wait will be a bathroom and, if you are lucky, a seat. There will be no shops, no cafes or restaurants and not even a view of the ramp. And there is a danger that you will need to explain to security why you are hanging around in a transit area. On the other hand if the girls are really very young and it is therefore clear that you are offering needed protection you could explain the position to the customer service agents at the transfer desk. And you could ask for their suggestion as to what you should do in the intervening time. But you would need to accept that all the help they may be able to give it is tell you to wait there for an hour or so.

Alternatively why not book the girls by BA all the way. They would arrive and depart from T4 at LHR which will be less problematic. If they are aged between 6 and 12 BA offer a special Skyflyer Solo service where they look after unaccompanied children. And for young people aged 12 to 18 they also offer a special service. There is a charge for the child service but I guess it could be less than the cost of your AMS-LHR-AMS ticket.

TravelExec From Spain, joined Dec 2007, 449 posts, RR: 0
Reply 5, posted (5 years 4 months 2 weeks 3 days 11 hours ago) and read 931 times:

There is no need to stay airside in the transit area. You should have no problem coming through passport control to get landside at Terminal 1, walking them over to Terminal 3 and leaving them off at security. Either they will already have a YYZ boarding pass, or you can just check in normally at T3. You would have pleeeenty of time to do this in 3 hours (i have done it with a 45 min gap).

I find that the flight connections thing is a nightmare anyway and normally dont use it, preferring to do as above. Worst case scenario, coming landside will take you the same amount of time as using flight connections (but is not as boring) but you may even find it quicker!

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