Transitting Through Heathrow

[jonnyscot]

Hi, we are off for a family holiday next week, however i'm getting concerned as it looks likely to be a close call for me getting home to BKK in time to catch our departure from BKK, looking at the options if I am delayed and considering travelling from my current location and meeting the wife at heathrow for our onward flight,, she will be entering through terminal 3 and connecting flight to terminal 5,,,, it is noted in her visa application docs that I shall be travelling with her and my concern is, that this may cause issue at immigration before I meet her for the onward leg, I have not flown via heathrow for a while, but I seem to remember that even whilst in transit through heathrow that there are at times immigration checks to pass, whether this is dependant on which terminal arrival is or not i'm not sure,?? ,

any advice appreciated.

Thanks

[kunash]

if she is coming through terminal 3, then my guess would be - she would have to go through passport control at term 3, and customs. if she was departing from the same terminal then she would not have to go through immigation. not sure about her suitcase - but the airport will tell her that at check in. then she will need to get a shuttle from term 3 to 5. i hope what i have said is correct

[jonnyscot]

Hi Kunash,, ok, thanks for the info,, she will not have to collect the luggage at heathrow since it is the same onward carrier, I was just concerned about the passport control issue,,,

thanks again

if she is coming through terminal 3, then my guess would be - she would have to go through passport control at term 3, and customs. if she was departing from the same terminal then she would not have to go through immigation. not sure about her suitcase - but the airport will tell her that at check in. then she will need to get a shuttle from term 3 to 5. i hope what i have said is correct

[theoldgit]

If your wife's visa is endorsed that she is traveling with you, and then you don't make your flight, the airline might refuse to board her as the visa isn't being complied with. If it's only in the application she should be ok, but she should be prepared in case she is questioned at Heathrow.

Pretty sure that she will need to be cleared at T3, the shuttle is the Heathrow Express and that's land-side. Where are you travelling to from T5, if it's a through ticket I suppose the airline would bus her, but I suspect not.

[jonnyscot]

Hi TOG, I didn't notice anything else along with the visa in her passport but I will get her to recheck this, but certainly she stated on the application that I would be travelling with her, I think I read somewhere before that the application is the information they hold in their system at the border control, so I guess I should consider this when deciding the options,, but i'm still remotely hopeful that it may not come to this and I make the flight on time,,

Thanks for the heads up

If your wife's visa is endorsed that she is traveling with you, and then you don't make your flight, the airline might refuse to board her as the visa isn't being complied with. If it's only in the application she should be ok, but she should be prepared in case she is questioned at Heathrow.

Pretty sure that she will need to be cleared at T3, the shuttle is the Heathrow Express and that's land-side. Where are you travelling to from T5, if it's a through ticket I suppose the airline would bus her, but I suspect not.

[7by7]

I work for a traffic survey company and over the last year we have conducted many surveys at Heathrow on behalf of BAA; both landside and airside. From the information given to us by BAA and from our own observations I am reasonably confident that the only airside shuttle buses are those taking passengers to aircraft parked on a stand rather than at a pier (there aren't enough piers at T3) and the between terminal shuttles are all landside.

In which case she will have to pass through immigration at T3.

As the OG says, if her visa is endorsed that she is traveling with you and you are not there then she may have problems, both when checking in at BKK and with immigration at LHR. Even if it isn't, the IO at T3 will have access to the application details if s/he wishes to check, and may question her as to your whereabouts.

I'd advise making sure that you can travel with her from BKK.

[jonnyscot]

Hi 7by7, thanks for the update, I shall have to hope that I have sufficient time to get home for catching the flight, its now outwith my control as to whether I do or not, so here's hoping everything falls into place.

thanks again.

I work for a traffic survey company and over the last year we have conducted many surveys at Heathrow on behalf of BAA; both landside and airside. From the information given to us by BAA and from our own observations I am reasonably confident that the only airside shuttle buses are those taking passengers to aircraft parked on a stand rather than at a pier (there aren't enough piers at T3) and the between terminal shuttles are all landside.

In which case she will have to pass through immigration at T3.

As the OG says, if her visa is endorsed that she is traveling with you and you are not there then she may have problems, both when checking in at BKK and with immigration at LHR. Even if it isn't, the IO at T3 will have access to the application details if s/he wishes to check, and may question her as to your whereabouts.

I'd advise making sure that you can travel with her from BKK.

[KamnanT]

In August 2010 I travelled from Zurich to Chicago via Heathrow - BA from Zurich landed at Terminal 5 and there was an airside transfer to Terminal 3 where my onward AA flight was departing from. No immigration control at LHR, just a long bus trip from Terminal 5 airside to Terminal 3 airside. Instead of following the "Arrivals" signs, follow the purple "Connecting Flights" signs to the gates where the buses depart, clearly signed for each of the other terminals.

Of course, your bags must be checked through to your final destination to use this option.

Heathrow has a rather complicated guide to the whole process that can be found at:

http://www.heathrowairport.com/portal/page/Heathrow%5EGeneral%5EAirport+information%5EFlight+Connections/

[theoldgit]

^^^^^^

That's a helpful link, thanks.

What it does advise that unless the passenger is connecting to an international flight, they will clear immigration at Heathrow, which was the OP's question.

[jonnyscot]

Hi KamnanT,, thanks for the excellent link, as theoldgit was saying it answered my question, thankfully it now looks likely all will be ok, I am currently offshore and it looked increasingly likely that I would be a day later in arriving home as we were scheduled to transit (offshore) to another location to complete some work, which would have resulted in a delay of nearly 1 day due to various flight combinations, the work has now been delayed so I am now expecting home on time from the normal work location,,,,,,

thanks for all replies

In August 2010 I travelled from Zurich to Chicago via Heathrow - BA from Zurich landed at Terminal 5 and there was an airside transfer to Terminal 3 where my onward AA flight was departing from. No immigration control at LHR, just a long bus trip from Terminal 5 airside to Terminal 3 airside. Instead of following the "Arrivals" signs, follow the purple "Connecting Flights" signs to the gates where the buses depart, clearly signed for each of the other terminals.

Of course, your bags must be checked through to your final destination to use this option.

Heathrow has a rather complicated guide to the whole process that can be found at:

http://www.heathrowa...ht+Connections/